Super Sports or...
 

Looking to fire up some legit tires for track season. Staying on OEM wheels as this is mod #1 for me so not particularly interested in overwhelming the unmodified lawnmower engine with 18s. Plus, it's cheaper!

So, I'm leaning towards Michelin Super Sports. Having said that, are there any alternatives I should consider? Are Michelin's new PS4s available in our size? Continental Sport Contacs worth considering? Any Pirelli offerings?

Thanks for any insight in advance!

Are you looking for a track tire that you can daily? Or are daily tire that you can track?
RE-71R for the first option, MPSS for the second.

Should have clarified that, apologies. Def looking for a daily I can track. So score one for my original hypothesis I guess - thanks for the feedback!

I believe you mean the opposite. MPSS for the first, RE-71R for the second.

PS4s are not available in 17s yet. Just 245/40R18 and then a bunch of 19" and 20" sizes. Additional sizes are supposed to start becoming available later in the year.

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is what I went with from PSS. I haven't tracked them but judging by very aggressive driving to see what their limits are, I think they are very comparable to the Pilot Super Sports.
They even have a rebate right now. At about 60% the cost of the Michelins and 95% the performance, they seem like a bargain.

PS4s in OEM size is available in the UK.

Interesting. Can I ask why you tried something else after the Super Sportsto begin with? Also, how long did they last? Did you do any track days with them?

Sorry for the thousand questions, just fired up to give my FRS some love...

I tried them because everything online, and I mean everything, says they are just as good as the PSS for much less. I kept on reading people say the feedback was better from the Michelins but nothing negative on them at all. No track days, I only got them on a couple weeks ago. I went through the PSS a little over 8k miles. The PSS were on the car when I bought it so it could have been as much as (4k on odometer) more miles but they looked they were freshly installed when I got it. I made sure to push these Firestones in the rain and I feel very confident in them. I know that PSS is the golden standard for best daily/light track tire but I think these are just as good for that application. I know that I could swing the back of the car with ease driving on the PSS throughout the life of the tire and it takes much more coaxing to get these Firestones to do the same. I know I trust it just as much if not more than the Michelin. Go read up on the Firehawk Indy 500 and you'll see that everybody is satisfied with them. Make sure you aren't looking at the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 "Wide Oval" which is a discontinued tire. These new ones are basically the Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE003 re-branded to Firestone. Those also have all great reviews but weren't available in the U.S..

What is meant under PS4S, not plural, but pilot sport 4S. PS4S (unlike "normal" PS4, that indeed is available in OEM size too) are mostly available only for 19 & 20" wheels, only 18" being 245/40R18 according to tirerack. Far from OEM size. According to Michelin UK there is not even that one R18 listed.

PSS is the safe choice, definitely not too much tire in OE size for stock power, imo they wear very well when piling on DD miles or if your version of tracking includes minimal amounts of sliding. Mine are DD 1st and track/autox tires as backup (no plans to track in the near future, have RE71R's for autox), they're competent.

Don't let the power fool you, if you've got the willingness to push the car you can slide around on very sticky rubber with the stock powertrain, but you'll learn a shitton more staying on lower grip compounds, MPSS fits the bill nicely as that next step up from OE.

The new Continental ExtremeContact Sport (iirc) has me interested, those will probably go on my car in a year or two when I wear out the MPSS unless there's a new hotness that's not too expensive. Honestly if there's good reviews out there from a variety of sources you likely won't go wrong.

I had a poor experience with PSS. Initially they were OK, but lost all grip after 18 months to two years old. Very weird...

Anyway, I would go to the Extreme Performance category for a daily that you will take to the track. RE71R have the most grip, but also the shortest-lived. I've been running Hankook RS3 (V2) on my S2000 daily-driver, I like them a lot. New RS4 should be good as well. Also Dunlop ZII StarSpec, Yok AD08, etc.

I highly recommend the new Continental Extreme Contact Sport. It's targeted squarely at the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, but costs about 20% less. I'm running them right now on my WRX, and love them.

--Dan
Mach V
FastWRX.com

RE-71R are the best bang for the buck I've been able to find.
They're easily cheap enough to buy two sets a season if you needed to.

Don't buy the PSS if you decide on that, just wait for the PS4S to come out in our size. It's coming soon, can't say how soon but it's likely worth the wait. A good friend of mine is a production engineer at the plant that makes them...