L.S.

8^)

Jim Simone

I started out with the SP800Es on my '98 1.8T, burned through them in about 6.5 months (~12.6K hard, twisty miles) and then mounted the P7000ss in 225/50 on the OEM 7-spoke wheels.<p>The Dunlops definitely had better dry traction, but this advantage was somewhat offset by the wider Pirellis. With about 1000 miles on them, the P7000ss handled well, had very good dry traction, drove well in the wet and were indispensible in snowy/icy conditions. (I never ventured into the snow with the Dunlops but, no doubt, they would have done poorly in comparison.) However, as the P7000ss have worn down to ~50%, the dry adhesion has diminished noticeably (perhaps due to some hardening of the rubber?). I had the opposite experience with the SP8000Es - the dry handling actually seemed to improve a bit with wear, probably due to less tread squirm.<p>Conclusion? The P7000ss is an excellent all-season tire and performs well in all but extreme circumstances. If you need to deal with a little snow and ice and/or don't want to change tires every season, then they're the way to go. OTOH, you won't get the maximum dry (and sometimes even wet) performance of a true "summer" tire nor will you get the performance of a dedicated winter tire when dealing with heavy snow. It's a compromise.<p>HTH,<br>Jim

L.S.

Thank you.... most insightful!!

Jim Simone

:-)