Writing about the
Bridgestone Turanza T005 given
NAN% (195-70-14-H)
Driving on
mostly country roads for 1000
spirited miles
The car - 1970’s 1100kg classic sports car pushing out over 230bhp and 210lbft to the rear tires.
In short - I am gobsmacked by how good these tires are and recommend a buy any day in this size and for this type of car (powerful, light, RWD).
Previously using the Michelins Energy Saver tires, they suddenly and without any notice lost grip on a damp road at around 30mph and on say 20%throttle in 3rd. It sacred the b’jeezez out of me snaking across both lanes of the dual carriageway and ending up on the stuff on the side of the road. So in came the T005 tires.
Getting caught out in torrential rain in Silverstone, the wet grip and handling were utterly phenomenal!! Even on the surrounding dirty country roads. I was pushing 90% or more as hard in the wet as I could in the dry, carrying big speeds into the corners. This is no exaggeration. They inspire so much confidence in the wet. For example: With the Michelins I could easily smoke up the rear tires in the wet or dry pulling out of junctions. With the Turanzas it takes a LOT of effort to make them let go in the wet let alone in the dry. I would be burning the clutch at 5krpm to get them to let go in the dry.
Dry grip is excellent and road feedback is way better than the Michelins.
The on the edge handling behaviour is very progressive in the wet and a tiny bit mushy in the dry before they start to let go. But the 70 profile probably contributes to that. Although you get plenty of feedback as to when they are reaching that limit. Roundabouts are an absolute hoot.
Braking in the wet as you expect is outstanding. Dry braking is also excellent but again can get a little mushy before lock up (no ABS on my car). Having said that, it is MUCH harder to get lock up than with the Michelins and it’s now a rare occurrence, allowing for braking much later and harder, carrying more speed into the corner and able to get on the power much earlier.
I can’t comment on wear as the car only does a 1000 miles a year with some light track work. Given how grippy they are, I doubt they would last a million miles, but that’s the compromise you make on any tire for having great traction.
I was hoping to use the excellent continental premium contact 6s I run on both my other cars, but given they aren’t available in this size, the T005s in my humble opinion are as close as you can get.