Comfort + Steering Feel
 

I had been seriously considering trading in for a WRX, but decided to hold on to the BRZ for another while yet - and get some goodies for it.

They aren't completely worn out yet, but I'm ready to move on from the stock Primacies and I'm having trouble making a call because I'm comparing tires across segments. Nothing is ever reviewed as if someone would ever think of comparing a UHP summer with a HP summer or UHP all season.

So far I'm most interested in:
- Michelin PSS (I know, PS4s, but it isn't coming out anytime soon in stock size - so no)
- Michelin PS AS3+ (@Tcoat ...)
- Continental ExtremeContact Sport

Priorities are:
- Grip - at least as much as stock
- Steering feel - at least as good as stock
- Quieter
- Better ride

I don't care if I end up with a summer or an all-season as I run dedicated winters. All seasons would be a little more convenient in the shoulder seasons.

I'm not chasing grip like most people here are and I'm not going to be adding power to the car. That makes it difficult to search for similar topics. I'm leaning towards the AS3+, but I'm concerned about whether I would lose steering response/feel. Everything I read about the MPSS and Contis are that they ride great and are quiet, but its always followed up with "...for the grip they provide". Are those tires genuinely quieter and smoother riding than stock?

Do you guys have any feedback on these (or other) tires in regards to how they might line up with my goals?

Have run the PSS on a couple of cars and the PS3+ is miles ahead of them in all categories for a DD. The steering is firmed up a tad over stock with zero loss of feel or response. And as I have said several times they are so damned quiet it is uncanny (compared to stock or the PSS used on other cars). Do not let the AS designation fool you they are a great performance tire. You can also extend your season by a couple of months which is a bonus in avoiding the hazard of running summer tires in a sudden cold snap. I am a huge fan.
Never tried the Continentals so have no opinion on them.

That is my two cents worth now prepare to be deluged with conflicting info as everybody pushes their own preferences.

Love my AS3+'s!

Unfortunately I haven't had them on long enough for an elaborate review. So far they feel significantly better compared to the Primacies without a doubt in terms of grip and ride quality. They only con I noticed was the tire felt more hard, so bumps were more noticeable.

Also they were good in the light snow we had in april

Have not tried the Sports, but I am on the DW's (in 205/45-17 size). The Continentals do have a softer sidewall and you can feel the fine precise responsiveness differance from the stock Michelins. You still get good feeling and responsiveness but it's in a different manner. What the Continentals give you instead is what feels like an absolute grounded grip on the road that is extremely hard to get out of shape even when pushing HARD. The stock Michelin's are very nervous at the limits, not as grounded/secure in feeling.

With the Michelins it's constant correction to steering input to keep the car in line, while the Continentals is pretty much make your initial turn in and hold the steering position while getting on the throttle to slingshot right through a turn. You still feel what the car is doing, but it's not the constant directional change the Michelin's are trying to do. It's a different but more fun way to corner to me. Much better for canyon runs and road course HPDE's than stock or even other higher performance tires I've tried.

Pretty sure the Sports will be the next tire to try on my FR-S.

It's been a long while but I think my PSS are louder than the stock Primacy and are a bit stiffer, sounds like you want the AS3+

I've had Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ for over a year now (since April 2015) and now has 15,000 miles roughly. Compared to stock tires, Primacy, the grip is more than stock, quieter in terms of road noise, and is a little bit more comfortable over bumps and stuff. When these tires were brand new, it was hard to slide the rear end, now a year later, it's still hard to slide the rear end but it's getting easier as they get worn. Tires under panic stops is more confident inspiring along with driving in the wet compared to stock. I literally drove through puddles of at least 3 inches of rain with AS3+ and no issues of hydroplaning during the odd day of LA flooding.

However, I do notice that the car bounces on uneven pavement that I'm not quite sure was there on stock? Maybe a stiffer sidewall? Another downfall is MPG, I'm averaging I think 23 compared to about 25 before on old stock tires.

I do drive the car hard but no tracking on tires. I can't speak of MPSS or Continentals.

Appreciate the replies everyone. It really does sound like the AS3+ are what I'm looking for. I can live with a slight fuel economy hit. I'm going to do a little bit more research to see if anything else is out there with a better ride, as it seems like the AS3+ are a wash compared to the Primacies. I'm expecting that the tradeoffs won't be worth it though.

I'm struggling to understand why Michelin manufactures the Primacy HP along with the AS3+ honestly.

Going to pull the trigger on some W-rated Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+. Tire rebates are set to expire here on Sunday.

I will add for anyone that might be referencing this thread in the future that the Pirelli P Zero All-Season Plus also looks like an excellent tire. Many reviews compare it favourably to the Michelin as a better compromise for a daily drive tire.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=216

I noted the following when looking at reviews of the Pirelli, which caused me to choose the AS3+ instead:
- I couldn't find anyone with an FRS/BRZ/86 that had used this tire
- Clear loss of steering feel/response compared to Michelin Pilot Sport AS3
- No rim protection at all, to the point that the tire looks narrower than the rim
- Overall narrow tread compared to other tires of the same section
- Lots of people unable to get more than 15000 miles before wear bars

If I had found some favourable reviews of that tire on one of the twins, I might have been swayed with the chance to gain ride quality. I'm also a sucker for steering feel through, and I'm not willing to compromise there.

Enjoy~

Initial impressions so far of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+:
- Definitely more overall grip than Primacies
- Quieter, but not quite as much as I had hoped. My Primacies weren't as worn as others when swapped though. (6/32"-7/32")
- Ride is the same, but there is more road feel. I consider this a good thing.
- Steering feel is slightly different. I wouldn't say better or worse, just that this tire has a different characteristic to the steering feel/response.

Give'em a chance they'll feel better after u put a couple 100mi on them. I would check air pressure. I had to add air after install which changed things up, in a good way. They were initially under-inflated. Shit was all wobbley... Since its an all season i guess it takes longer to get down to the primary compound?

Rays and Pilot Sport AS3+

Sexy

weird i think the PSS is really soft like more then PS3+.. Maybe cuz the weather in vegas?