As some of you know, I solicited advice on a set of new tires in a separate thread. I ended up deciding on the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S to replace my worn Kumho Ecsta PA31 installed by the previous owner. I waited a few days before giving any feedback, because I didn't want to just take it around the block and write something up. Well now, a few days and a couple hundred miles later, I think I can give a qualified answer.

So, first things first, any comparisons I make to the Kumhos should be taken with a grain of salt, as I am comparing 4 year old, worn tires to brand new Michelins with all the latest tech. I don't know what new Kumhos in the new model PA91 would feel like. They might feel just as good or better, for all I know. That said, the new Michelin PS4S are an outstanding tire, and I now am looking for reasons to drive even when I have no real task to accomplish. My car was previously very crashy and bumpy and felt like it was riding on very hard tire. To be fair, the tire pressure was too high, IMO and I noticed some harshness from the Michelins when I took possession of the car. I promptly lowered the tire pressure from the 44 PSI in the rear to about 38 PSI and down from 36 PSI to 33 PSI. It still felt very harsh over road imperfections, so I raised the FEAL coilover dampers from full soft to 20 clicks out of 30. Ok, now we are in business. Full soft-underdamped suspension is just as bad as overdamped. You need to hit that sweet spot. I can't tell you how much that fixed the driving experience. My first time on the highway, I was disappointed, because the Michelins still felt floaty and somewhat unstable. Once I got the tire pressures and coilover dampers set up this car became one of the best driving cars I've ever owned.

Road compliance is great now. I can go over some pretty nasty stuff and the car stays planted and doesn't get unsettled. I've been purposely going over the bad parts of the road just to see how the car reacts. Look... it's not buttery smooth like my Lexus over bumps... but for a sports car, it's very compliant.

Cornering is much improved. Having previously owned a 997.2 4s, I never understood why people fawned over the C2. I thought it was just a bunch of people making a big deal over nothing. I'm not 100% sure I am in the C2 is better than C4 camp, but I do see what people were talking about now. when you take a corner, the front turns in sharply and precisely, and that rear gives you this unexpected grip you don't experience in a front-engined car.

Tire noise is much reduced. Still somewhat noisy from wind at speed, but that's not the tires fault.

Braking is great, but it was great on the old Kumhos too. Not much to say about that.

Haven't driven in the rain yet, so I can't comment on this capability, which apparently is one of the tires main competitive advantages over others in its class.

So in short, if you are on the fence, I'd strongly recommend the Michelin PS4S. I can't say it's better than other options, though, as I haven't tested them. They are definitely better than the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A N1 tires I put on my 997, though. Much, much better. I did not like those at all. A good deal of the improvement came down to tire pressure and coilover damping, so as I said earlier, please judge that improvement in the appropriate context. For my purposes of daily driving and spirited runs, I may have been just as happy with the Sumitomos or other brand, but I needed to see personally what the hype was over these tires. I think their reputation is well deserved!

 

There's a good reason why they're expensive and at or near the top of "the best of the best" max performance summer tire. FWIW - 44 psi is the proper spec for the rear tires and 36 psi for the fronts. (18"wheels - 17's are lower pressure).

 

Yeah, I agree... great tires for sure. From what I understand there was a TSB with lower tire pressure ranges for a car that isn't fully loaded. I have not seen said TSB, but others have had success with the lower pressures, so I thought I'd give it a try. After messing with different damper settings at these lower tire pressures and experiencing how much different it makes the car feel, I plan inflate the tires back to 36/44 and see if I can get the same compliance. Quite a bit of trial and error, but I'm enjoying getting used to the new capabilities of the adjustable suspension. I will say from my experience on both my 997 and 996, I never really liked the tire feel at the recommended tire pressures.

I'll probably try it out the higher pressures tomorrow and see what happens. I'll let you all know how it goes.

 

Yup - you are correct... max load pressure. I run my PSS at 40r 32f

 

I really wish we had more tire options for 996s... seems like it's ps2 or bust unless you go to 19s. What sizes are you running? A lot of people are running lower tire pressures. I also run 33/38 on my c4s with no issues... toronto roads are crap

 

I'm running stock size:
225 /40 R18 92Y XL BSW
265 /35 R18 97Y XL BSW

Personally, I think there are a lot of tire options out there. I have the MPS4, not the PS2.

 

Makes sense. My car takes a 295/30/18 rear which is apparently uncommon. Only "name brand" modern street options I can see are bridgestone, pzeros or mich ps2. IMO the ps2 is the best of those 3. Really wish michelin would manufacture that sizing in ps4s or even supersport!

 

Do those tire pressure apply to all 18” rims or just the Michelin PS. On my 4s I have crappy tires but they are new, came with car. I run 35psi all around and it has more road noise than my Boxster had on Firestone Indy 500’s. That had 17’s.

 

^^^ All 18” tires👍

 

Thanks.

Sumitomo HTR ZIII are the tires I have which I am pretty sure are bottom of the barrel.

Maybe going from 35 to 44 in the rear will help the ride. Thanks.

 

I’m not sure what it will do for road-noise but it should get a little firmer feel wise. Higher pressure should get you a little less friction/resistance, so maybe a little less road-noise as well. I’d start with 40r and 32f - see if you can feel/hear a difference. Good luck

 

Thank you sir.

 

YOU are welcome sir!

 

Anyone have experience with General G-Max RS tires?

Saw them on TireRack. I've got 295/30 19s and 235/35 19s that need replaced. Fearful the Michelins are a little wider, since tire dimensions vary regardless of size. Currently running Contis. Thoughts?

 

Can't speak on 19s or General G-Max, but I can say that the Michelins have much more rim protection than the equivalent size Kumhos. So, in my case they were a little bit wider.