winthorp

I’d like to get new tires for my 4 GTS as the Bridgestone RE050A that came with the car are almost 5 years old and have 11,000 miles on them. They are not worn down yet, but I think age alone has degraded them and it seems that the Bridgestone RE050A is not that great of an every day tire to begin with.

My first choice would be the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, but the 305s are on back-order everywhere. I talked to TireRack and Michelin representatives on the phone and it looks like at least another 3-4 months. Yet even that timeline doesn’t appear to be a sure thing based on talking to them.

I use the 4 GTS as my daily driver and won’t track it. I’m in the Pacific Northwest (just outside of Seattle). Hence wet weather traction matters to me quite a bit. Comfort (noise, compliance over harsh surfaces, …) is important to me, but I love to do some spirited driving whenever things open up.

So I’m somewhat torn between the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 and the Bridgestone S-04.

I did quite some reading here and of PFF.de (I’m German and came to the US 17 years ago). On PFF.de the consensus seems to be to avoid Bridgestone at all costs and go with one of the Michelin options. If you are still under CPO warranty (and want to extend it, which can be done in Germany) then go with the PS2; otherwise the PSS seems to be preferred. That said, it seems that the S-04 is not on sale in Germany (I wonder why…).

Here I’ve seen many posts where people like the S-04 for a daily driver and it seems to score high in terms of comfort, but maybe a little bit lower with regards to spirited driving. The PS2 is great for spirited driving in dry weather conditions and not quite as good in wet weather. Comfort-wise it seems to be great too, but maybe not quite on par with the PSS.

Of course, there is the fact that the PS2 costs twice as much as the S-04 (special pricing on TireRack right now) and is N-rated, but both are things that I personally don’t worry about for the sake of this comparison.

Did anyone own or drive both tires; preferably in comparable conditions (to avoid the new versus worn tire aspects)? Which one would you pick and why?

Thanks!

Ten Years

I've had all the tires you've mentioned. I had more than one set of PS2s on my 997.2 C2S, and I just replaced the RE050s on my GTS with S-04s. The PS2s are great, but I'm not sure they're worth twice the money of the S-04s. The S-04s are very sticky, and quiet. I've had them for a couple thousand miles now, and tire wear is non-existent so far. I expect they will last longer than the PS2s I've had. They seem to track well in the wet. They feel like a definite step up from the RE050s.

I, too, was waiting for the Super Sports. We have those on the Panamera. Love them. But I am very happy with the S-04s on the GTS. If I was in the market again now, I would not hesitate to try them out, especially if they're on sale. I also bought mine on sale, and it makes me happy every time I think about how I got such great tires for so little money. I'm never one to skimp on my cars. This doesn't feel like I've settled too much; I just feel I got a great deal on very good tires.

Bridgestones are from Japan; maybe they have less of a presence in that market? And maybe the Germans favor homegrown and other European brands such as Continental and Michelin, et al.? Who knows. I wouldn't let that dissuade you, as you're here now, right? We perhaps have a greater range to choose from. That's always a good thing, IMO.

ADias

I think that the OP needs an opinion from someone who has experienced both the PSS and S-04s in a 997.

kellen

I have the S04s on my 997.1. Live in Seattle. Never a problem with wet hills or grip, think they are damn near close to the PSS, which I had on a 3 series coupe.

When it comes time to get new tires, I would try for the PSS but easily settle for the S04s. Good tire at a great price.

No experience with the Pilot sports.

winthorp

Thanks for all the replies so far!

I'm leaning towards getting the S-04s. It sounds like they are quite similar to the PSS in terms of their characteristics -- a modern, well balanced high performance tire.

Similar to others I'd buy the PSS if I could. That said, I'm quite baffled by the 305s not being available for long periods of time. Even if at some point I'd be able to buy a set what if I have to replace a single rear tire (sidewall cut) and can't get one? Replace all four? Put two PS2 on the rear to mix with the front PSS?

Ten Years

No, the OP was asking for feedback from people who have had both the PS2 (Pilot Sport Two) and S-04 on a 997. That is what I provided. I clearly stated I have had PS2s, RE050s, and S-04s between my two 997.2s.

If you read more closely, you would've seen that, and also that I mentioned the PSS (Pilot Super Sport), on our Panamera, basically in passing.