Pilot Power 3

Just finished up my go with the Pilot Power 3's I had about 10,000 miles on the front and 5,800 on the second rear tire., 4,200 miles on the first rear.

First 2500-3000 miles they were the best tire I have had. Then the front started to scallop a little and would go through periods of uneven wear that they would grip well and then feel a little slick. The turn in was also amazingly smooth at the first 1/3 life of the tire.

Second 2-3000 on the rear tire was totally fine. The front was again wearing unevenly and not the best but still held really good traction, considering the wear I felt. It was always predictable.

Final 2-3000 on the front tire the tire really would become unsettled on groves in the road and still had decent traction but I definitely didn't want to push it. The shop guy said because of the crown in the road is why the uneven wear.
 
I just switched out my PP3's for Q3's at 4,400 miles. Both front and rear wore out evenly at 34/34 psi with less than 1/2mm to the side wear bars on both. I could've fully killed them at 5k but they have were slipping so much lately it wasn't worth it. All my riding is in the twisties, so the centers probably could've gone for another 1,000 commuting miles. On the other hand, the Q3's are absolutely amazing. They are just so much more stable and planted. The carcass is just nice and stiff, whereas the PP3's are flimsy compared to them. They really give me much more confidence, and at full lean they are super stable, unlike the PP3's which would get squirrelly on me when pushing the pace. I also noticed on certain turns on Skaggs where the PP3's would slide accelerating out of a corner, the Q3's just stuck. If I get at least 2500-3000 miles, which I'm sure I'll get, then I'll definitely stick with them.
 
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Mine are finally dead

10,000 miles and three track days. Let me say that again 10,000 miles. Following Michelin's air pressure guidelines on and off the track, the have far surpassed my expectations. I just ordered a new set today.

A few notes in terms of performance:
  • Amazing in the rain
  • Great at a novice-intermediate track day (They will slip after about 50+ degree lean, heavier rider (240+), or someone who is just really aggressive)
  • Air pressure monitoring is critical on these tires for performance and use
    ful life
  • Good in cold weather (anything under 30F and they get a little squirly)
  • Hold up well in oily traffic conditions.



Wear bars in the center, about 1mm on each side.
20141004_095035_zps10875c13.jpg
 
I made it to the dragon this year, first week of Sept, 2014. I had my PP3's. I've only had PR3's and the stock crap tires, so the PP3's felt amazing. I realized I don't lean as much as I think I do. I'm impressed with them, but I'm in the first few 1000 miles, and it looks like no one complains much about them early on. They heat up quickly and stick well, even in the wet, damp or standing water. I may go with the PR4's next just because I live in the flat, straight plains of central IL. I'll see how many miles I can get out of the center of the rear. I'd love to try the Q3 and S20, but I'll just wear the center around home. If I can get 6-9K I'll be fairly happy.

Since I may go back to a sport touring tire, I might try the Bridgestone T30. I'll take some pictures and show my big chicken strips from the dragon before the end of the season. I'll also check mileage to post with the pictures. Give me a week or 2 to post that.
 
BDazzler said:
I made it to the dragon this year, first week of Sept, 2014. I had my PP3's. I've only had PR3's and the stock crap tires, so the PP3's felt amazing. I realized I don't lean as much as I think I do. I'm impressed with them, but I'm in the first few 1000 miles, and it looks like no one complains much about them early on. They heat up quickly and stick well, even in the wet, damp or standing water. I may go with the PR4's next just because I live in the flat, straight plains of central IL. I'll see how many miles I can get out of the center of the rear. I'd love to try the Q3 and S20, but I'll just wear the center around home. If I can get 6-9K I'll be fairly happy.

Since I may go back to a sport touring tire, I might try the Bridgestone T30. I'll take some pictures and show my big chicken strips from the dragon before the end of the season. I'll also check mileage to post with the pictures. Give me a week or 2 to post that.
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If you say you don't do too much leaning, I'd say go for the PR4's. My Tuono came with PR3's when I bought it and after riding on them for a while, I'd say at least 90% of street riders will never need anything more. I can drag knees on these tires. However, I've found that the drawback with these vs. say Q3's is turn in effort and feel. I'm a bit disappointed with the mileage though. They were fairly fresh from the previous owner, but I've only put on about 1600 miles and they're almost bald halfway down the side... Yes I know, it sounds terrible but my favorite road was chip sealed recently and absolutely shreds tires to bits, and I run 32 psi both ends. I imagine that a normal person who runs higher pressures and isn't always running WOT would get 7-8k on an FZ1 or similar bike.
 
I was happy with the PR3's I'd had before, but I wanted to try the 'stickier rubber' and have it for my trip to the Dragon. I put the PP3's on just for that trip. I think I will go back to the PR4's or T30's next time.
 
BDazzler said:
I was happy with the PR3's I'd had before, but I wanted to try the 'stickier rubber' and have it for my trip to the Dragon. I put the PP3's on just for that trip. I think I will go back to the PR4's or T30's next time.
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What I meant was that most people will never take advantage of having the stickier rubber and will get more bang for their buck going for a sport touring tire that they will very likely never exceed the traction limits of. I do think though that biggest advantage to sticky rubber is the confidence you have in them sticking and not slipping, which comes from the feel, feedback, and even the mentality of just knowing you have stickier rubber. I've also ran both PP3's and PR3's and while the PR3's will stick, I find the feedback at high lean angles is lacking compared to the PP3's or Q3's (even stickier than PP3's) equating to less confidence in the bike. The less sticky rubber will also stick, but I've found that you definitely have to be more gentle with your inputs. Feeding too much throttle at lean makes the PR3's slip where Q3's will grip and accelerate through. Throwing the bike into the turn too fast on the PR3's will make the front end slip where Q3's will stick. Braking hard on the PR3's just locks up my front whereas on Q3's, the tire will grip and the bike will stoppie instead.
 
Just by looking at the 2 tires (PP3/ Q3) I think the PP3 would be the better of the 2, I don't think I would like to get caught in the rain with the Dunlop ( looks more like dry weather track tire to me). I am currently running the PP pure and had NO issues riding in the rain in the Smokey mountains this past June, but then again I don't push in the rain . on the track I run Pirelli SC on the r6 and I don't think there is a D.O.T. tire out there that is better for track purposes.
Just my 2c worth......Ed
 
basmn said:
Just by looking at the 2 tires (PP3/ Q3) I think the PP3 would be the better of the 2, I don't think I would like to get caught in the rain with the Dunlop ( looks more like dry weather track tire to me). I am currently running the PP pure and had NO issues riding in the rain in the Smokey mountains this past June, but then again I don't push in the rain . on the track I run Pirelli SC on the r6 and I don't think there is a D.O.T. tire out there that is better for track purposes.
Just my 2c worth......Ed
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I've ran both Q3's and PP3's. I ran PP3's once, then after that tried Q3's. I'm now on my 3rd set of Q3's. Q3's no doubt have more grip everywhere, except maybe a TINY bit less in a downpour. I know for sure that when you come across damp patches on the Q3's, the bike stays planted whereas the PP3's will slip. I haven't ridden both in the rain back to back, but I have ridden both in the rain. Maybe the PP3's direct water away better than the Q3's in heavy rain due to more siping, but no problems with either, and I know I can drag knee on a damp road with the Q3's. When it's dry, the PP3's noticeably slip earlier and easier (can't apply as much throttle at any lean angle) than the Q3's. There are certain corners on my favorite road where my rear would spin up exiting the corner with the PP3's. Once I switched to the Q3's, there was no more slipping at all. PP3's have more silica content, so maybe a bit better cold grip, but both are hot within a few miles anyway. The PP3's get greasy when pushed hard, also due to the higher silica content. Q3's last me about 2300 miles, and the PP3's lasted me about 3500. However, the PP3's cost more, so the cost to mileage ratio is about the same, except the Q3's grip better, stay more planted, and inspire more confidence. Also, my favorite go-to road is a pretty well known road which is basically a racetrack with guard rails and trees. It's approximately 10 miles, and I consistently run that stretch in the same time, every time down to the second. I'm not going for lap times, but my very first time out on the Q3's, I dropped 20 seconds off my usual time.
 
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MegaMatt5000 said:
I've ran both Q3's and PP3's. I ran PP3's once, then after that tried Q3's. I'm now on my 3rd set of Q3's. Q3's no doubt have more grip everywhere, except maybe a TINY bit less in a downpour. I know for sure that when you come across damp patches on the Q3's, the bike stays planted whereas the PP3's will slip. I haven't ridden both in the rain back to back, but I have ridden both in the rain. Maybe the PP3's direct water away better than the Q3's in heavy rain due to more siping, but no problems with either, and I know I can drag knee on a damp road with the Q3's. When it's dry, the PP3's noticeably slip earlier and easier (can't apply as much throttle at any lean angle) than the Q3's. There are certain corners on my favorite road where my rear would spin up exiting the corner with the PP3's. Once I switched to the Q3's, there was no more slipping at all. PP3's have more silica content, so maybe a bit better cold grip, but both are hot within a couple few anyway. The PP3's get greasy when pushed hard, also due to the higher silica content. Q3's last me about 2300 miles, and the PP3's lasted me about 3500. However, the PP3's cost more, so the cost to mileage ratio is about the same, except the Q3's grip better, stay more planted, and inspire more confidence. Also, my favorite go-to road is a pretty well known road which is basically a racetrack with guard rails and trees. It's approximately 10 miles, and I consistently run that stretch in the same time, every time down to the second. I'm not going for lap times, but my very first time out on the Q3's, I dropped 20 seconds off my usual time.
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interesting review Matt. silly question but you ran both tires on a FZ1 ?
 
basmn said:
interesting review Matt. silly question but you ran both tires on a FZ1 ?
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Yup both on the FZ1! 1 set up PP3's and 2 sets of Q3's on the FZ. PP3 is maybe a better choice for most riders and it has a higher potential for more mileage and most will never notice the difference in grip. While I talk like the Q3 is the better tire, don't get me wrong because the PP3 is still a good tire.
 
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