Thaddeus

I have a second set of wheels, polished, that are going on the 86. I have Dunlops on the existing (dull and scratched) wheels...

I want to be able to corner, corner, corner. My joy comes from handling the car, more than high speed runs... Wear isn't a big issue since I don't anticipate putting more than 5k miles a year on the car.

I'm thinking of going with 225/50YR16's in front, and 245/45YR16's in rear. Acceptable? Or should I put the 245/45YR16's all around?

Are the Michelins all they're cracked up to be? Worth the bread?

Thanks

Garth S

I have the Pilot Sports on the '80, 225/50 and 245/45R16 on 8x16 & 9x16 wheels respectively: They are IMHO fantastic tires that wear well and provide meaningful feedback through both the steering and the 'butt-meter'. They are far quiter and smoother riding than the identically sized SO2s on 7" & 8" on the S4 - these SO2s are being replaced by the Michelin PS-2 variety, the 'next' generation beyond the Pilot Sport. I haven't obviously tried these yet, but you may wish to examine them as well.
Regards sizes, do not put a 245/45 on less than a 8" rim width - or your tires will not talk to you as well in terms of transitional input/feedback when under lateral load: may look 'cool' however , but is 'over tired'. S4 8" wheels on the back would be the ticket with 245/45 on an '86, and it also fills out the wheelwell.

Sierra Shark

Go to Tirerack.com and do a search for the Pilot's and read the testimonials. Pretty good un-biased opinions. But when it comes to opinions on tires it's like a_ _holes, everybody has one. Without fanning the flames of debate, by namimg brand names, you can do better for cheaper. And yes, I have tried the Pilot's in the past. Good luck.

BrianG

I'm running the PilotSports now on my 17" wheels. They replaced a set of Khumo's. Comparing an old, worn tire to a new set is not reasonable, so the before/after comment is pretty valueless. One thing is that the Pilots do feel good in terms of feed-back, and they seem better in wet conditions than the Kuhmo's. Certainly no complaints, but I'm not sure that they're worth 2X the $$$.

MikeN

Worth the money in my opinon. My GT has them and they are the best I have tried so far.......and I've tried many including high end Bridgestone, Pirelli, Dunlop and more. Yes you can get some cheaper tires that will be 95% of what the Pilot Sports do......but if you want probably the *best* performance tire out there with everything......dry/wet traction, quiet, great looking, tough, great quality, and long lasting......the PS's are it.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Tire preferences are much like religion or politics but as was mentioned above comparing old worn tires to new tires tends to skew perceptions and you can get 95% of the performance for 1/2 the price. I would also mention that in driving on the STREET very few drive at 90-95% of the capability of the car or it's tires. And if you never drive over 100 mph there is little need for 150 mph rated tires. Tires are also a fashion statement with the big bold "aggressive" tread patterns very much in style. But what grips the road is the rubber touching the pavement and NOT the big gaps of air between the lugs it does however allow all those cool looking tires to be rated as MUD and Snow tires BUT they also sound like snow tires or mud tires. The only thing you can be sure of is more expensive tires are more expensive.

PorKen

8" wide with a 24MM spacer is perfect, IMHO.

Joe Dyer

Garth is right. I have 285-17 Pilots on front and 315-17 on the rear. The best all around tire I've found.

perrys4

I had them on my Mercedes E320 and loved them. Great in all aspects. Pricey though.

kshipp

I agree with all previous comments - great advice. From your original question, you're wanting a firm tire with road feedback, which the Mich. Pilot's are great for this. These are my opinions based on my own experiences:

Michelin Pilot Sports - great tire for feel of the road. Excellent in cornering. You can drive with confidence into corners at speed. Very firm tire, therefore, not a smooth nor quiet tire. Michelins are rough and noisy, but that's what you pay for if you want a strong feel for the road. Wear is better compared to most others brands. Although it is a pricey tire; not as expensive as the S02/03, but still high compared to other brands.

Pirelli - This is an excellent tire, but it's very soft so it does wear fast. It's also rather expensive in comparison. Unfortunately, you can't get the P6 in the 16", so no Pirelli's on the Porsche (w/stock wheels).

Bridgestone Potenza RE-750 - I rate this tire in-between the two above. It's a softer and quieter ride than the Michelin Pilot Sport, but you can tell a difference on the curves. The 750 doesn't corner as well. It does handle the water/rain much better than the Michelins. The price is rather acceptable (~$120 for 245/45-16).

Again, these are my opinions from my experiences. The best advice I can give is to visit TireRack.com and read the reviews. The RE-750's alone have about 220 reviews (so far).

Hope this helps.

6.0-928S

I had the Michelins on my car. They wore out (evenly) pretty fast. Lasted about 15 months. I replaced them with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s. In my opinion the Pilot Sports sucked compared with the Goodyears.
Hammer

mark kibort

all street tires are crap! find one that doesnt make a lot of noise and as Jim says, it will work for 95% of anyones goals in a street car. On the track, we see only .5 seconds different per lap, with slightly different "feel" but in the end, the costs and wear are the main concerns (and how they deal with extreme, rubber melting heat!)
Not many street guys are switching street tires and doing real testing. In fact, all tires seem "amazing " when you put on a new set vs a used bald set on a street car.

have fun,
Mk

MBMB

I did not like the PS2s on my E55. It got very squirrelly in the wet; with the previous tires (the original Dunlops, and the three sets of Bridgestones [S03? Whatever the top of the line was] that followed) it was rock-solid even in a Houston downpour, but I put the PS2s on and the ride in heavy rain was no longer confidence inspiring.

mark kibort

The streets had the same oil film on them? quickly changed tires in the downpour, checked air pressures to be the same, and went back out on the same streets? air temps the same?

(oh, by the way, pressure alone on each type of tire can change its performance greatly, even when all other factors are the same)

much of the things we feel with our street cars are just that, feelings!
Dont be a product of the marketing of these big tire companies. the only real difference is wear, dry grip (debatable), rolling noise and hydroplaning characteristics. other than that, and most of these are also dependant on temps, road characteristics, etc.


Mk

MBMB

I get your point, Mark, but as much as possible, I'm talking apples and apples. Same car in same condition, tires properly inflated. Not one specific instance, but at least several thousand freeway miles on each type of tire in all sorts of conditions at all speeds -- enough to form an impression -- in a car that I've put 64,000 miles on in less than three years. I never had hydroplaning issues with the Bridgestones; I did with the PS2s. Maybe a fluke? Sure.

I'm a bad example of tire marketing's success -- I'm happier with my $80 Fuzions than with my $250 Michelins.