Pirelli Angel GT vs Michelin PR3 vs Bridgestone BT023

[tjung]

My back tire is down to the wear bars, and I am pretty much ready to get a replacement.  The BT023 is my current tire, and I don't have any real complaints.  I've read a few tire threads here and online reviews, and 3 tires I've listed in the subject seem to be the favorites.  Can anyone who has ridden 2 or more of them comment on the relative advantages and disadvantages?  I like to ride the bike hard in the curves, but it's flat where I live so that's only a handful of trips each year.  Durability is probably more important since most of my miles are commuting on straight roads.  Thanks.

[B.D.F.]

I have not tried the Bridgestone 023's but I have used Michelin PR2's as well as PR3's, and Pirelli Angel ST's and GT's. Of those four tires, Michelin PR2's have given me the best tire life by far with several sets exceeding 16,000 miles. PR3's do not last as long (perhaps 2/3 as long at a guess) but it is also an excellent tire, a little softer, a bit better grip and a bit better ride than a PR2. Angle ST's did not last long for me, and the handling of the tires deteriorated pretty seriously long before the tire itself was worn down 1/2 way. I am currently trying a set of Pirelli Angel GT's and while I like the tires (similar to the ST's- very 'grippy' and relatively soft) I do not have enough miles on them to have any idea how long they will last. These new GT's are dual compound tires, at least the rear tire is, so I am hoping that will address the deterioration of the handling of the ST's.

For overall tire use on a sport tourer, with an emphasis on value and tire longevity, I would go with a PR2.

Brian

My back tire is down to the wear bars, and I am pretty much ready to get a replacement.  The BT023 is my current tire, and I don't have any real complaints.  I've read a few tire threads here and online reviews, and 3 tires I've listed in the subject seem to be the favorites.  Can anyone who has ridden 2 or more of them comment on the relative advantages and disadvantages?  I like to ride the bike hard in the curves, but it's flat where I live so that's only a handful of trips each year.  Durability is probably more important since most of my miles are commuting on straight roads.  Thanks.

[maxtog]

For overall tire use on a sport tourer, with an emphasis on value and tire longevity, I would go with a PR2.

Will they keep making that?  I mean, with the PR3 out for a long time, and now the PR4 just released, I can't imagine they are going to keep numerous models of the same type of tire on the market, right?

[B.D.F.]

Like the old joke.... I have no idea (no eye deer). I thought they would have pulled PR2 production right after introducing the PR3 so the last couple of year's PR2 production have been a surprise to me already. In my opinion, the PR2 and PR3 are different enough to sell to different markets, and I have to assume that is the case of Michelin would have killed whichever one was the poor seller. So I guess it would depend on just what the PR4 is and whether or not it is different enough from both the previous types to warrant its own market.

But right at the moment, as far as I know, PR2's are still being made and are readily available. And with the slight price reduction from when they were introduced, and their lower price compared with PR3's, I think they are the best value sport touring tire around. Of course I have not tried all the other sport touring tires so I am going by others information but it does seem rare to get a S.T. tire that will go 15K + miles (for some at least) and still be a very good handling, grippy, tire. The last in my opinion of course :-)

Brian

Will they keep making that?  I mean, with the PR3 out for a long time, and now the PR4 just released, I can't imagine they are going to keep numerous models of the same type of tire on the market, right?

[tjung]

Thanks, guys.  I know this tire thing is a never-ending debate on here, and I appreciate your replies.  I did notice the PR2's on the online tire shops, but I didn't realize that they were so much different than the PR3s.

[carlntia]

I've ridden the PR3's(Current tires) and the BT023's. The23's were ok handling but the PR3's seem better. What I did notice was that I was always chasing the wear on the 23's. I'd come back from the mountains with a very noticeable high ridge in the center. Then I'd commute the high ridge down, and start over again after going to the mountains. 2 trips to the mountains, and I see no such issue with the PR3's.

[stevewfl]

oil thread up next...if one doesn;t appear I'll start one

[mgtibb]

I've had 2 sets of PR3's and currently have 1500 miles on a set of Angel GT's. The PR3's were great tires, I got 10000 miles out of both sets. They were great on wet roads and stuck well on the dry, never any pucker moments. The issues I had with them were 1: Turn in on corners was too slow for me and they tracked so well that it took more effort to change your line. They just felt sluggish to me and it seemed to get much worse as the tires wore down. 2: They hate tar snakes. Even in a straight line, they seemed really squirrelly on tar snakes and it made me uneasy. I've got 1500 miles so far on the Angel GT's and they seem to be wearing a little faster than the PR3's. The turn in and cornering is awesome on these tires. They're much more responsive than the PR3's. The issue I'm having with them right now is on certain types of wet pavement. The other day I went for a ride and it had down poured the night before and in the morning so the pavement was wet. I was riding on an older "tar and feather" road, the kind where they put down oil and then steamroll aggregate on top. As those roads age they get those shiny areas as the aggregate wears away. Well, going through a easy turn at about 25 mph and hardly leaned over the front tire slipped out on one of those patches and then stuck again on the other side of it. Scared the crap out of me, as I've never had this happen while riding that mildly and certainly wasn't expecting it. I prepared myself and rode over some more of those patches and the front tire definitely was slipping. I've ridden these tires in the pouring rain before and not had an issue, so this may just be an isolated incident with that particular type of road/pavement. It just makes me slightly leery of trusting the tires on wet corners.