OK, the background: I just bought a '96 narrow-body C4 that came with mint 18" Sport Design wheels, and with scratched-up 17" Cup wheels with snow tires. The car probably has the standard US suspension, but in the spring I'll do the ROW M030 springs, shocks, and sway bars.

I'm in Ohio, so it does snow occasionally, and even though this car won't be a daily driver, it needs to be non-dangerous in cold weather and light snow.

This is a street-only car for me, and I don't like 18" wheels on the street, so I'm going to get a set of the 17" Sport Classic wheels (7 and 9), or possibly refinish my Cup wheels and use them.

I'm a Michelin-lover, and am trying to decide what to get:

Pilot Sport PS2: I had these on a Subaru STi, and loved them- amazing tires!

Pilot Sport Rib: I guess these are "Porsche-approved," for whatever that's worth. I also read that the PS2 is a newer design than these, and may perform better. Maybe these Ribs (lousy name, they need a new marketing guy) are quieter than PS2's?

Pilot Sport A/S: Yes, that's right, all-season. I already have a track car, and don't need the last bit of summer performance in this car. I'm thinking I could use these, and then sell my snows, and not mess with changing tires twice a year. (BTW, I'm a lazy-*** 52 year-old).

The PS2 is not available in the 205/50-17 front size, so one supplier recommended 225/45-17 on the front (still with 255/40-17 on the back).

I had a 964 C4 several years ago, and hated how bad it understeered. So I'm thinking maybe using 225's on the front of this car would be better than the standard 205's, regardless of what tires I end up with.

Questions:

1) If you have used the All-season Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires, how did you like them? How did they compare to other tires?

2) Does anyone have experience comparing the PS2 to the Rib (Porsche-approved) Michelins?

3) If you have upsized the front tires on your 993 to 225/45-17 instead of 205/50-17 (while keeping 255/40-17 on the back) how did that work?

Thanks much for your thoughts!

 

Bump

 

I live in Florida, so obviously I cannot be of help however, a quick search under the winter tire subject reveals a lot of info. There was also a thread recently on tire size and ratios. You might want to try that.
On another subject, if you want to get rid of your 18" wheels and tires, please PM me.
Ron

 

I've only run the PS2s on the Audi, and my impression was good grip but soft sidewalls and poor steering feel and turn-in. But that's on a 3700 lb undertired car. On a lighter, relatively overtired car like a 993, the soft sidewalls may not be an issue.

I'm surprised you liked them on an STI, compared to the stock tires, PS2s are big step down in performance.

One thing that's great about them is how lightweight they are. Where a real performance tire is usually 27-28 lbs for a 255/40-17, the PS2 is only 24. That's a difference you can feel through the clutch and accelerating.

They are also quiet and ride more like a luxury tire than a max performance tire. Those soft sidewalls again.

Edit: They will NOT work in Ohio in the winter. No way no how.

 

I've got the Pilot Sport ribs on my 17s right now. Very nice street tires. I believe the "rib" refers to the protruding lip, edge, rib, whatever you call it that guards the wheels from curb rash. These tires are good in the wet and, as long as they have enough tread, I wouldn't be afraid of them in light snow. Ice would be a different story. They're obviously not a snow tire.

I would not suggest you put a wider tire on the front with the stock 7'' and 9'' wheels. My car, which has the M030 suspension including bars, is actually a tad loose. It needs wider rears, not wider fronts.

If you stick all-weather tires on this car you will be disappointed with it in the summer.

 

I put 225s on both of the 993s I have owned immediatly after feeling the understeer inherent in the 205s (Porsches nod to safety for poor drivers). The 225/255 x 17s are great for the street. I would go with the PS2 tires, as they are the best performing Michelin other than the MPSCs.

 

As a fellow "Cup Car" owner, I'll take your advice- 225's it is!
(I run 245/45-16's all around on my Turbo Cup car...)

 

I'll second Bull. The 225s fit fine and help a lot with the push. I run PS2 on both of my cars.
THey stick unbelievably both dry and wet. You'll need to be careful in the wet if you nail the
brakes or you may find visitors in the back of your car.
W.

 

Thanks, guys.

I assume you just put the 225's on the 7" wheels? I guess ideally they'd be on 8's.

 

Yes, I have 225s on my stock cup 17" wheels.

 

225s on 7s work fine, for street or track.

 

THanks again.

 

Before you get hung up on Michelins - I'd suggest considering Nokians. Very highly rated all weathers and snows. I've run them for years and they are fantastic.

http://www.nokiantyres.com/wintertyres_en

 

I went from the Bridgestone S02s to PS2s. Amazing improvement in quietness, ride and handling. Autocross times improved markedly. However they are very expensive, so when they wore out, I replaced them with Kumho Exctas at less than half the price. Ride is still good, there is some cold thumping from the nylon cord that goes away when they warm up, and my autocross times dropped a bit.

Overall, I am happy with them, especially for the price differential.

BTW, the PS2s do have the wheel protection band, as do the Kumhos.

 

What kind of prices are we talking about for those khumos? (sp??)