Gripper tire swap
 

Not sure how many responses I will get in the limited time that I have before pick up my FR-S tomorrow night, but,here goes. My trade in car (Toyota Corolla XRS) has the same size of tire as the FR-S and has Bridgestone RE970's on it and I was looking for some feedback on whether I should ask them to swap the stock Michelin Primacy's for them. The Bridgestone's are only about 3 months old and they grip well and are communicative up to their limits in dry and wet. The only negative I can see is that each tire is 4 lbs heavier than the Michelin tires.

Depends on what you want to do with your FR-S. If you plant to swing around corners with the rear out then stick with the stock Michelins. If you just want fast lap times stick with what you have.

I don't mind some rotation
 

I don't mind some rotation and some fun, but, the car will be mostly a daily driver so I don't really want to have the tail wagging out like some maniacal lunatic on public roads especially if it is raining.

I would stick with the Bridgestones then. You can still swing out the rear when you want but they should hold better as a DD.

There's nothing wrong with the stock tires. The car has so much mechanical grip that the stock tires are ok. IDK how everyone is talking about the tail hanging out all the time, my car rarely gets sideways and that's only when I want it to...

Thanks
 

Thanks, I was kinda leaning that way (especially in light of the tread wear rating difference between the two). Now just have to see how much they will charge for the swap.

My concern is more in wet weather
 

The grip is not so much of a concern in dry weather, but rather, in the wet. I actually did my first test drive in the rain and yes I was pushing the car a little bit, but, it quite readily got into a tail slide. Was it fun - absolutely, did I scare the oncoming traffic - probably a little.

I am not hating on the OE tire. I have thoroughly enjoyed the confidence that the Bridgestones have been giving me thus far. I think I am saying more that I love the Bridgestones. The stock rubber is not as confidence inspiring - relatively speaking. In the dry, they are great. I just have never found Michelin to be a good wet weather tire.

Well, unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how you look at it), my salesperson indicated that my trade in was valued with the tires that I had on it, so, I ended up with the stock rubber. Better for drifting, but, I expect them to be worn in no time. The only thing that will save them is that I will be switching to winter tires from November to April.