Michellin - Pilot Sport A/S 4

[spcmafia]

Trying to start looking at some tires. Costco has them on sale for the set of 4 at $647.96.
Tire Size:215/45ZR17/XL
Speed Rating:Y
Load Index: 91
UTQG: 540 AA A
Run Flat:No
Warranty: 45k miles
Season: All-Season
Any thoughts on A/S tires? Or something that I could use from May-October. I also tried to look for some Blizzaks or X-Ice but they are out of stock.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Why are you looking at all seasons if you plan on running them in the summer and have winter tires for winter? You'll be sacrificing traction, steering feel and on limit handling with the all seasons vs good summers. Sure, all seasons have come a long way, but the best all seasons are still behind the best summers.

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

Why are you looking at all seasons if you plan on running them in the summer and have winter tires for winter? You'll be sacrificing traction, steering feel and on limit handling with the all seasons vs good summers. Sure, all seasons have come a long way, but the best all seasons are still behind the best summers.

Because I don't know much about tires, this is my first sports car . I slapped Bridgestones Serenity on my last car but that was a Mazda 3. So I'm wondering what is the overall consensus on A/S tires. Or if its better to use a winter set and a spring/summer/fall set.

We have very well marked seasons with hit or miss snow years. We get rain followed by icy roads more than anything. I was dreading to make this thread because there are a lot of tire options and technically no wrong answer.

[dragoontwo]

Honestly, it depends on what works best for you. I have 2 sets. Summer tires and all seasons for the winter here in TN.

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by dragoontwo

Honestly, it depends on what works best for you. I have 2 sets. Summer tires and all seasons for the winter here in TN.

The tricky thing is figuring out what won't compromise much of the vehicle's characteristics. I mean is not like I drive Mt. Akina, I don't go on spirited drives often, don't really track or do Auto X, MPG is not really a concern for me. I'm open to all possibilities, summer and winter set. Or A/S.

[CrowsFeast]

I always strongly recommend a set of summers and a set of winters. All seasons just won't deal with ice, snow, or even just cold as well as actual winters do.

As for what summers to get; well that's a tougher choice. I like to stick in the 300tw area personally but it doesn't sound like you do much spirited driving and can get away with a much higher tw. I'd say the things which may be most important to you are a higher tw but without being bricks, good wet traction, and low road noise. With that in mind your summer set may well wind up being all seasons; but still get winters for winter.

[RToyo86]

The main thing with these cars is selecting a tire that won't make the turn in feel like a wet noodle.

A summer tire will retain the fun to drive pointy nature of the car. Adding a ton of grip isn't nessessarily important to me, but I like a stiffer sidewall to give me responsive steering feel.

I'm currently on a set of yoko advan V105s. I love these tires because they're not too grippy. Still keep the option to slide around at lower speeds but have stiff sidewalls.

[Cephas]

Originally Posted by CrowsFeast

I always strongly recommend a set of summers and a set of winters. All seasons just won't deal with ice, snow, or even just cold as well as actual winters do.

Conversely, summers don't really love cool and wet days, such as they often have in NE outside of traditional winter months.

Originally Posted by CrowsFeast

I'd say the things which may be most important to you are a higher tw but without being bricks, good wet traction, and low road noise. With that in mind your summer set may well wind up being all seasons; but still get winters for winter.

I'd echo that. I've had a few sets of no-shit summer tires, and they're great when it's actually summer, but in spring/fall here in the Midwest, they can get dicey. A good high-performance A/S is still really damn good for spirited driving, but won't leave you hanging in mixed conditions, before it becomes clear to switch to winters.

[CrowsFeast]

Originally Posted by Cephas

Conversely, summers don't really love cool and wet days, such as they often have in NE outside of traditional winter months.



I'd echo that. I've had a few sets of no-shit summer tires, and they're great when it's actually summer, but in spring/fall here in the Midwest, they can get dicey. A good high-performance A/S is still really damn good for spirited driving, but won't leave you hanging in mixed conditions, before it becomes clear to switch to winters.

I'm on Indy 500's now and I'll see how they do in the fall, the KDW's were crap all the time (sometimes ok, sometimes greasy, with no way to tell until you were in the turn which they would be, and always LOUD). Back on my BMW I had MPSS and then cheap chinese crap which were 300 tw (saved on summers, spent on winters and track tires); both were fine right up until the snow hit here in Ontario.

Anyway, we agree OP should probably be looking at high performance all seasons for spring/summer/fall and then have dedicated winters.

[spcmafia]

Originally Posted by CrowsFeast

I always strongly recommend a set of summers and a set of winters. All seasons just won't deal with ice, snow, or even just cold as well as actual winters do.

As for what summers to get; well that's a tougher choice. I like to stick in the 300tw area personally but it doesn't sound like you do much spirited driving and can get away with a much higher tw. I'd say the things which may be most important to you are a higher tw but without being bricks, good wet traction, and low road noise. With that in mind your summer set may well wind up being all seasons; but still get winters for winter.

Originally Posted by RToyo86

The main thing with these cars is selecting a tire that won't make the turn in feel like a wet noodle.

A summer tire will retain the fun to drive pointy nature of the car. Adding a ton of grip isn't nessessarily important to me, but I like a stiffer sidewall to give me responsive steering feel.

I'm currently on a set of yoko advan V105s. I love these tires because they're not too grippy. Still keep the option to slide around at lower speeds but have stiff sidewalls.

Originally Posted by Cephas

Conversely, summers don't really love cool and wet days, such as they often have in NE outside of traditional winter months.



I'd echo that. I've had a few sets of no-shit summer tires, and they're great when it's actually summer, but in spring/fall here in the Midwest, they can get dicey. A good high-performance A/S is still really damn good for spirited driving, but won't leave you hanging in mixed conditions, before it becomes clear to switch to winters.

Originally Posted by CrowsFeast

I'm on Indy 500's now and I'll see how they do in the fall, the KDW's were crap all the time (sometimes ok, sometimes greasy, with no way to tell until you were in the turn which they would be, and always LOUD). Back on my BMW I had MPSS and then cheap chinese crap which were 300 tw (saved on summers, spent on winters and track tires); both were fine right up until the snow hit here in Ontario.

Anyway, we agree OP should probably be looking at high performance all seasons for spring/summer/fall and then have dedicated winters.

I feel a set of performance A/S should suit my daily driving style. The have a dedicated Winter set. Which begs the question, what are some of the best options for a performance A/S tire?

[dragoontwo]

I like the Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 tires. I would look at the Michelin PS A/S 4 if I were looking to replace.

[bucketfoot]

In the past, on my BMW, I had a combination of all seasons (Michelin PS A/S 3+) and winter tires. I did this as the shoulder seasons here in Colorado can be quite unpredictable and getting caught out in the snow/ice with summer tires is not fun.

On my 86, now that I'm permanently working from home and don't need to worry about a daily commute (plus having a Honda Pilot with suitable tires on it) I went with summer tires and will be picking up a set of winter tires in the next couple of months.

If this is your only car and you really need to be able to get out at any time I would recommend a combination of all season and winter tires. If you have an alternate vehicle or the ability to just not go out if the conditions are bad, then a summer/winter combo could work well for you.

[bucketfoot]

In the past, on my BMW, I had a combination of all seasons (Michelin PS A/S 3+) and winter tires. I did this as the shoulder seasons here in Colorado can be quite unpredictable and getting caught out in the snow/ice with summer tires is not fun.

On my 86, now that I'm permanently working from home and don't need to worry about a daily commute (plus having a Honda Pilot with suitable tires on it) I went with summer tires and will be picking up a set of winter tires in the next couple of months.

If this is your only car and you really need to be able to get out at any time I would recommend a combination of all season and winter tires. If you have an alternate vehicle or the ability to just not go out if the conditions are bad, then a summer/winter combo could work well for you.

[Cephas]

Originally Posted by spcmafia

I feel a set of performance A/S should suit my daily driving style. The have a dedicated Winter set. Which begs the question, what are some of the best options for a performance A/S tire?

They don't get a lot of press, but give a serious look at the Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate. I've had a set on my car for ~23k mi now, and have been mightily impressed with the traction, sound, and all-conditions performance. Only thing I'd ding them on is tread life... I only have about 5/32 left on them now, which for a tire that's allegedly 500tw... yeah.

Or maybe that's just my driving.