Michelin Pilot Super Sports are on!
05-02-2012, 12:00 PM
#16
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My local Costco does not stock any Super Sports, but special ordered them. I ordered them on a Monday and they had them the next day. With my 2000 the OEM sizes are 225/40-18 on the front and 265/35-18 on the rear and the Super Sports are available in those sizes. If they were available in the 285/30-18 I might have gone with those, but at this time they only come in 285/35-18
As for buying from Costco versus the dealer this was a no brainer for me. If the dealer would have been willing to get the Super Sports (no N rating so they may not have been willing to do so) they probably would have been $400+ more expensive based on my experience, and that would not have included road hazard or nitrogen. Loeber is particularly uncompetitive, every time I call them for a price on parts they are typically 10%-20% higher than the the "list price" in PET. If one wants to pay them a premium for old technology tires that is not a problem with me but seems rather silly. I was running PS2's before the new Super Sports, but why buy the old technology tire for more money?
My car has not been to the dealer since it came off the factory warranty. Even with the extended warranty that I bought through the dealer I used an indy that was much more cost effective. When I used to take the car to the dealer and had a problem with a tire I ended up having to go to a tire shop to have the problem solved anyway. I will stop by Costco for lunch later this week and have them check the balance. Might be a simple re balance or a problem with the tire or it might be the wheel, I will have to see. But my experiencing with P Zeros and PS2's is that they often need some additional balancing.
As for buying from Costco versus the dealer this was a no brainer for me. If the dealer would have been willing to get the Super Sports (no N rating so they may not have been willing to do so) they probably would have been $400+ more expensive based on my experience, and that would not have included road hazard or nitrogen. Loeber is particularly uncompetitive, every time I call them for a price on parts they are typically 10%-20% higher than the the "list price" in PET. If one wants to pay them a premium for old technology tires that is not a problem with me but seems rather silly. I was running PS2's before the new Super Sports, but why buy the old technology tire for more money?
My car has not been to the dealer since it came off the factory warranty. Even with the extended warranty that I bought through the dealer I used an indy that was much more cost effective. When I used to take the car to the dealer and had a problem with a tire I ended up having to go to a tire shop to have the problem solved anyway. I will stop by Costco for lunch later this week and have them check the balance. Might be a simple re balance or a problem with the tire or it might be the wheel, I will have to see. But my experiencing with P Zeros and PS2's is that they often need some additional balancing.
I've never had to return to the dealership for "additional rebalancing".
05-02-2012, 12:21 PM
#17
Three Wheelin'
Nitrogen for car tires is sort of a racket.
Yes -- it's used in large commercial/military aircraft tires as it's hard to check & fill them, but they also go through amazing temperature changes under extreme loads. Nitrogen requires less filling and keeps a more stable pressure -- important if you need to retract them into a confined space. I don't know of any typical, private aircraft that use nitrogen in their tires. Have never seen it offered at typical, small airports.
The benefits for car tires are more theoretical than practical where checking them regularly due to road debris is important.
Buy it for its conversational value--('hey, guys, guess what I got...')--not because of any real benefits. Won't hurt anything.
Yes -- it's used in large commercial/military aircraft tires as it's hard to check & fill them, but they also go through amazing temperature changes under extreme loads. Nitrogen requires less filling and keeps a more stable pressure -- important if you need to retract them into a confined space. I don't know of any typical, private aircraft that use nitrogen in their tires. Have never seen it offered at typical, small airports.
The benefits for car tires are more theoretical than practical where checking them regularly due to road debris is important.
Buy it for its conversational value--('hey, guys, guess what I got...')--not because of any real benefits. Won't hurt anything.
05-03-2012, 04:48 AM
#18
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Nitrogen doesn't leak out. I had a rare Fiat that went out for the occasional run 3-5 times a year with 25 yr old tires that has had nitrogen in for at least 15yrs and tire pressures never changed. I was talked into it in about 1991/2... I also thought about putting Argon in, but didn't for some reason. I was very impressed as it stayed exactly the same for so long. The wheels were magnesium and I was more concerned about moisture and oxygen corroding the insides at the time.
05-03-2012, 11:28 AM
#19
Burning Brakes
I also agree, that DRY air SHOULD be every bit as good as a nitrogen fill. But in my experience, it hasn't. 3 different cars, different tires (not the 996, tho), all tires and nitrogen at Costco. Friggin' A, but they just don't lose pressure like air filled tires do! The stuff works, and I'll be damned if I can explain it logically. Same experience with pressure in these cars as David above.
05-03-2012, 01:23 PM
#23
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I have the Super Sports and have done 2 DE's so far and the tire wear is not bad. I really like the tires. Quiet yet they scream when they are having fun. The grip is great in corners and my entry speeds have gained a ton. Next step up for me is track tires. 
05-03-2012, 02:26 PM
#24
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1way2rock: With 40 MM more rubber at the rear you gain dry grip - some like myself think too much rear grip. The wider rear tires can push the dry handling balance more towards understeer than the stock tire sizes. Some people like that setup, and it certainly looks very racy, but I prefer the more lively handing of the narrower rear tires.
05-03-2012, 03:55 PM
#25
I had a set of Supersports on my 01 996 last season. I did like the tire but not the wear. My suspicion is that the sidewalls are not as stiff so that ride comfort could be improved. I do a lot of DE events each year and these were the 9th set of tires on the car since I purchased it in 01. I found them to be quite sensitive to pressure and would advise that you to keep the pressure up so that roll over is minimized rather than reduce for better grip. I did not...my hot temps were 34/36.
6 DE days at Calabogie Motorsports Park finished off the fronts (corded on outside edges) and wore out the rears with the same wear pattern. Plenty of tread mid-tire and inside edges. Alignment had as much camber as possible without modifications.
I am back to the Yokohama AD-08. Sidewalls are very stiff and they are not directional so I can swap side to side to minimize wear.
I would have no hesitation in recommending the SuperSports for street and light DE use with careful attention to pressure.
By the way, the tread wear warranty is void if you track the car.
6 DE days at Calabogie Motorsports Park finished off the fronts (corded on outside edges) and wore out the rears with the same wear pattern. Plenty of tread mid-tire and inside edges. Alignment had as much camber as possible without modifications.
I am back to the Yokohama AD-08. Sidewalls are very stiff and they are not directional so I can swap side to side to minimize wear.
I would have no hesitation in recommending the SuperSports for street and light DE use with careful attention to pressure.
By the way, the tread wear warranty is void if you track the car.
05-09-2012, 10:09 AM
#26
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I would like to know tire and wheel size. Is rear 285/35/18?
05-09-2012, 06:47 PM
#29
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1way2rock: With 40 MM more rubber at the rear you gain dry grip - some like myself think too much rear grip. The wider rear tires can push the dry handling balance more towards understeer than the stock tire sizes. Some people like that setup, and it certainly looks very racy, but I prefer the more lively handing of the narrower rear tires.
05-09-2012, 07:58 PM
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I was looking for this information from long ago. I am going to order 285/35R18 and 235/40R18 for track use.
I guess it is difficult to adjust the air pressure because load index of MPSS is different from MPS2. If you have recommendation pressure, please let me know.