My 2001 S4 came from the factory with Pirelli P6000 tires on it. They were good, but I thought that I could improve the handling of my car with a set of true maximum performance tires. After all, I was going to need a different set of tires for the winter anyway; if I had one set of wheels/tires for the other three snow-less seasons I wanted them to be the best that I could get.

After doing some research (looking at tire surveys/ratings on the web and talking to people about the different tires they've tried on their S4s) I decided that the Bridgestone S-02 Pole Positions were for me. The research I did led me to believe that they handled well, were reasonably quiet, and had decent treadwear for tires in this maximum performance category.

I should mention that I increased the size of the tires versus stock. The factory tires were 225/45-17, and the S-02 PPs are 235/45-17. Bear that in mind as I compare these new tires to the Pirelli P6000s that they replaced.

I ordered the tires from Ronal, who mounted and balanced them on my new wheels for me. They did a perfect job. The car is as smooth as silk at very high speeds.

Handling: My car handles with much more precision than it did with the factory tires, along with increased grip. I could get the P6000s to slide around a tight curve with a good push. They would break loose predictably, but it seemed that the car should stick a little better. The S-02s have taken care of that. The car sticks like nobody's business around the twisties. Decreasing radius curves are a special treat- as the curve gets tighter the blood all rushes to one side of your head. ;-) The limit on these tires is significantly higher than it was on the stock tires.

The car responds much more quickly to steering input than it did with the stock tires. At first I found myself giving too much steering input around fast, tight curves. These tires give the steering a more precise feel.

They seem to have very good grip on damp roads, but I have not had the chance to drive the car in heavy rain or deep puddles.

Noise: I was concerned about this before I got the tires. A few people said they were quiet and one said they were very noisy, so I took a chance. These tires are quiet! They are quieter than the stock Pirellis at all speeds, as far as I can tell. The Pirellis had a faint rushing sound that was most prevelant at low speeds. I found it a bit annoying (especially after driving an eerily quiet Audi 100 for several years prior to getting the S4). I'm very happy with the S-02s in this regard.

Ride Comfort: The ride comfort is slightly improved over stock, which is something I did not expect. Overall road feel is improved, but expansion joints, road patches, and small defects in the road seem to get absorbed better. No doubt this is due in part to the larger tire size.

Appearance: The tread and the increased size make the car look much more aggressive, so I'm pleased with that.

Treadwear: It's too soon to say.

Price: Thes tires are expensive. That's their biggest downfall, but I would still buy them again, even at over $200 apiece. There may be other tires out there that grip better, but I don't know if you can find anything with more grip that also features low noise and excellent ride comfort like the S-02s.

I'm very pleased with these tires. Like with anything, your mileage may vary.