I was wondering if any you folks who use the Pilot Sport Cup 2s as daily driving tires can share your experiences in the rain. I am also curious to know how the Sport Cup 2s compare to the Michelin Super Sports and Pirelli P Zeros in terms of ride quality and noise on city streets.

I am trying to determine the feasibility of using them as daily tires in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Thanks in advance

 

Unless you track, and aren't switching tires, there is very little reason to go with a Cup tire over something like a PSS. You're just not going to see the benefit on the road, your grip will suffer in deeper water and your wear rate will be much higher.

 

^ +991

 

I run Sport Cup 2 tires on my daily driver 991 GTS... in fact I drove to work today in the rain and I lived to tell the tale.

From what I gather the Cup 2 is hugely improved in the wet over the original Cup... I actually ran a wet track day in August at Calabogie and was shocked at the grip level on a soaking wet track. The standing water was a bit dicey of course but would be the same for pretty much any tire.

Depending on your driving habits the Cup 2 will work just fine assuming you're looking for the extra grip for the odd track day here and there. They are far, far superior to the stock P-Zeros on the track and street... it is almost night and day to be honest. I'm sure the PSS is excellent as well but I decided to go Cup 2 given I track 8-10 times per year.

Net is I'm super happy with them so far but we'll see what happens when it gets a bit colder this month/next before I swap to my winter tires.

 

For a pure street car, it makes no sense unless you just like throwing money away.

 

I totally agree with this assertion... I run the MPSC2 on my GT3 (in the Bay Area) but its primarily a track car...

I also agree with Vise, the MPSC2 and the MPSS are far superior to the
PZERO N0 rubber (which I currently run on my 991 GTS).

I would point out that the MPSS will wear much better than the MPSC2
and will have much better wet (heavy rain/surface water) performance
than the MPSC2.

I would be tempted (if you can get them) to go with the MPSS vs the MPSC2
they will last longer and are a better compromise for street/track use

 

At the Porsche Parade this year I was talking to the Michelin Rep at the tire testing venue about this very subject. He told me that if the road was wet with small puddles they would NOT have run the test using Cup 2's. He said they would work OK if the road was damp for the little "autocross" they had set up since the run-out area was pretty wide but they would not risk the cars if there were puddles.

 

earlier cups were very bad at dealing with standing water - if a few horror
stories about aqua planning disasters!

The E46 M3 CSL required owners to sign a disclaimer regarding the cup wet
performance ...



but I think the 2's are significantly better

having said that I would probably avoid driving on them in situations where
you might encounter standing water...

 

I have gone through two sets of SC2's in six months of driving them to, from and on the track. I have accumulated an average of 35 heat cycles on each. The first set made it 2,824 miles and 35 cycles. The second set made it 3,599 miles (longer track trips) and 36 heat cycles.

My observations on street driving are:
1) Quieter and better ride quality over the PZero
2) Good on wet, non flooded roadway at high speeds. Wet track speeds 90 mph-110 mph with 8 lb. increased inflation over normal track psi.
3) Horrible in heavy rain or standing water. I started to hydroplane at 30 mph on a highway in heavy rain.
4) Tread outlasted the tires ability to maintain grip.

I would not recommend for DD as there are better and more cost effective tires for DD.

 

Great answer, Frank. You just saved the OP +$2,000.

 

Frank - you replaced based on heat cycle and not wear? Where did you derive your 35 cycle number? Or did you wait until the tires were greasy at all times (no additional grip after warm up)? I'm still getting pretty good life out of MPSS and am curious what I would be getting into if I switched to the SC2s. I suspect better grip for a shorter life.

TIA

 

Neither, the tires get retired when I can no longer maintain consistent grip on the same track and corners at the same speeds with the same temperatures. Its not that they get greasy. In fact, I have never experienced SP2's getting greasy as I am very diligent at maintaining pressures so they don't overheat. Heat cycles are derived by counting how many times they are brought up to temperature and then allowed to cool. That counts as 1 cycle. Since the SPC2's are a dual compound tire, they cannot heat and cool indefinitely. They simply start to break down and lose grip.
I am sure I could continue to use as street tires after track use, but for the reasons I previously stated there are much better street tire solutions. Plus I don't have room to store more than two sets of tires at a time. My car is 1 year old and the original Pzero's have about 600 miles on them as I use Sottozero's for the winter just to exercise the car during the winter.

 

Your driving a AWD TTS, driving with MSC2s in rain is not a big issue.
With MSC2s your ride is better because you should run tire pressures 34/36.
Otherwise, Run PSS for best all around life / performance.
I actually run 265/325 MSC2 DD/TRACK. Ride is fantastic

 

The cup tires will be unsafe in the rain, especially with the SF hills and crappy roads. Also, it gets cold in some areas and this will also cause concerns untill the rubber gets a little heat.

 

AWD does nothing for hydroplaning or stopping.