stealthpilot

I spoke with a Michelin rep at the Detroit Auto Show and had a chance to look at the new tire.

A few things to note:
1) The Pilot Sport 4S is designed to deliver performance in between the Super Sport and the Sport Cup 2 while maintaining the wet performance of the Super Sport.
2) When you look at the Pilot Sport 4S side by side with the Sport Cup 2 (below) you will notice the tread looks very similar except it has one more groove for water displacement.
3) They will be on sale in US in early March and 911 size fitment will be available at launch
4) They are working with Porsche on an N-rated variant for the 911 but it is not available at launch.
5) I asked which variant would be best for the 911 at launch (Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes, BMW, etc.) and he said the best performing variant will be the standard Michelin version. Michelin thinks most OEMs compromise their design.

Need4S

Thanks for posting!

BradB

I wonder how long they will keep producing the Super Sport?

NeoGeo07

Yes thank you! Good info. If the performance really slots between PSS and Cup2 that'll be great! PSS is good on the street but side wall is too soft on track. Cup2 is too much $$ just for street use, so this would be a good compromise.

mikeearly

this is great info -- thanks...

I do have to admit that I am a bit troubled by statement 5 (not surprised, just troubled) in that Michelin is convinced that their generic design is best for all manufactures' cars whether they are front, mid or rear engine designs, that weight balance and suspension differences don't matter. That the group that designed, built and tested the car don't really know what they need in the construction of the tire. I mean they might be right but it sure doesn't make sense to me.....

stealthpilot

Well he described the changes that OEMs make:
1) Compound - they may change the trade-off between wear and grip, or consistency of the wear. They can make some improvements here buy typically there will also be a trade off to whatever dimension they improve.
2) wheel protection (this is where you have a sidewall that sticks out more to prevent curb damage)
3) Load rating. This is probably the most worthwhile modification which adapts the tire to what you are discussing, however in practice very few OEMs choose a custom load factor. Often there are 2 load factors and the OEM chooses one of them. Michelin rep seemed to think the higher load factor tires were the best.

He also did say that Porsche does this better than most OEMs so he would put N rated PS4S tires on a 911 over the standard Michelins, but he wouldn't put Ferrari K rated tires on a Porsche over the standard Michelin.

Vise

Awesome, if all goes according to plan my Sport Cup 2's will be dead after this summer so these will be the likely replacement.

Code

I'm ready for tires, but holding out until March so that I can purchase a set of these. Thanks for sharing the info and pics!

LexVan

Well then, I'll be very excited to wear out my fresh MPSS in about 1.5 years. I may need to do some donuts to accelerate the process. I love that new tire smell in the garage.

porsche42

Thx for posting great info.

I'm about to kick the P0's to the curb and get some new Michlens in the spring. I would welcome just a quieter tire in general.

Did you by chance get to see what the wear rating (UTQG) on the new tires are? Wonder if tire rack will discount the older MPSS.

BradB

Yea, that would be nice.

I know this may be blasphemy, but I have to ask...Do you think you could mix the MPSS with the new 4S? I ask because I have a set of brand new REAR MPSS tires for my C2S, used only at DE's, sitting in the basement. If, when I am ready to finally install these, can I use the new 4S for the FRONT? Or should I get some matching MPSS now and stick them in the basement, too?

Normally I would never consider mixing tires but was wondering if the MPSS and 4S are close enough to get away with it.


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LexVan

Brad, I think you would be just fine with that mixed set up. Years ago I used new MPSS with used PS2s on my Boxster without issues.

MKW

agree ...each manufacturer's road car model line has a specific target for handlng , ride, noise , wear , fuel economy, etc etc

that tire rep is saying " we build an optimized computer-created jack of all trades / master of none AWD/FWD/RWD pc of rubber for Subaru hot hatches to semi-supercars and then Porsche ( and its famed Weissach chassis geniuses ) screws that up to optimize it for its tricky /iconic rear-engined 911 " !

yeah ....ok

Larry Cable

they were *barely* producing the MPSS as it was - th3 305/30-20's were pretty much unavailable for a couple of years!

dont forget the new N0 PZero Corsas that were just announced for the 991.2 etc

dont forget about the new PZero Corsa's N0

I wouldn't ...

dgoldenz

Wonder what pricing will be like. I just paid $1160 installed w/ tax for a set of 4 MPSS from Costco.