Michelin Pilot Super Sport Reviews - Page 3

The stock tires on my car were Pirelli P Zero AR in 205/245 staggered size. ALFA 4Cs are great cars but the stock tires let them down. They emphasize tramming as many reviews mention. They are also only good for about 3 laps tracking before they get greasy. I went plus one size 215/245 and kept same aspect ratio as stock. The tires totally transformed the car! Tramming gone. Responsive tire that has great feedback. Tire wear on the stock tires....rear was worn out at 8000 miles (note amid engine car ) and fronts would give twice that milage. I did a couple of autocrosses and also spirited driving on the original tires. Have done 2 autocrosses with the new MPSS tires. More balanced, over steer and under steer is not an issue....easily controlled with trail braking and judicial use of throttle to rotate the car. Car has suspension upgrades and more power. When the turbo boost comes in it is very hard and tires can keep power to the ground. Wet handling is about on par with Pirelli ARs but dry is better in all ways. They can go more laps before getting greasy but they are still not a R compound so not the ideal track tire but great for DD plus occasional track day or auto cross.
I was hoping to get the newer Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires but while they are available in 245-19"....they have not come out with smaller than 225-18" for the front. I want to maintain the balance of the smaller 215 front tires on 7" wide rims as the 225s are really over sized for that rim width. The PSS are being replaced by the PS 4S tires so hoping they will have the correct size when my tires wear out. I have heard from other users of the PSS and the PS4S tires that while the newer tires do have a minimal improvement in dry/wet adhesion, the old PSS actually gave better feed back. Bottom line....if you have an ALFA 4C the Michelin PSS in plus one size is a great upgrade....you won't believe how it transforms the car. I am a Super Moderator of the ALFA 4C Forum. Many owners have gone to the PSS tires and haven't heard of any negative comments from users. And all remark on how much better the car drives with them....no tramming is a big deal!

Initial review of an 'old' tyre. Originally discounted the PSS as they don't win any tests anymore.

But with 18" downsized rims, which on the hot hatch MQB format is a great size on real roads, unfortunately there is no PilotSport 4S available. Which could be a reason to stay at 19". But I'm more of a back road handling driving enthusiast, and want the sidewall and the light weight of an 18". Anyhow, in 18" I have been using Pilot Sport 4 tyres for two years, and objectively they are the best tyres. They justs work in all conditions. But when I set out to make my hot hatch a bit more focused in the handling department, I realised the PS4 don't give that much feedback, and I was left wanting for more. With the TR youtube videos of the PPS vs SC6 and vs PS4, I started to realise I don't need to go all mental with a Cup2 or semi slick on a daily driven car, and that perhaps the PSS could be the solution. It is still delivered on quite a few good hot hatches: the 308 GTI, the new Fiesta ST, Mini JCW and I30N (18") amongst others. I got the HN spec for the latter on my car, and I have not regretted the change. This tyre has loads of feedback and is a lot more dynamic in it's behavior than the otherwise excellent PS4. Dynamic in the sense that the whole car is just more eager to change direction. This is with running quite aggressive toe settings and more camber front than rear. Really makes the handling that much more enjoyable and that is the very reason to run this kind of car.

The catch is.. not the comfort, I don't notice a, well, noticeable reduction in road manners which I feared for. I've yet to have some rain, but I'm pretty sure they will be worse than the PS4 which are hard to beat for grip in the rain, they stick as good as the average tyre on dry tarmac. Still, I think I'm sticking with the PSS anyhow, I can drive a bit more carefully in the rain, or make hard progress so they heat and grip there too, a bit of a challenge.

So initially, I'm happily surprised by this tyre, and it is probably still the go to daily road driving enthusiast tyre under 19". I understand now why the above hot hatches still use this 'old' tyre...

I changed all 4 tyres from Bridgestone 050's to Michelin Pilot Super Sport for £175 each (Sept 2016). They feel softer than the Bridgestone's, so a slightly better ride. Also quieter, but don't have much in the way of rim protection. I didn't have these on for long (1500 miles) before I swapped over to my winter wheels/tyres (235/45/18 Nokian WR A3), but they grip really well in the dry and wet, although initial turn in isn't as sharp as the previous tyres (as they are softer). As someone else has mentioned, they need a little warming up before they function at their best.
These were then refitted in the beginning of May 2017, the wheels/tyres that were on the rear were fitted to the front and vice versa. Now it's November 2017 and the fronts are down to 2.5mm and covered another 9000 miles, so 10500 miles in total. The rears have also worn quite a lot too, down to 3 - 3.5mm. Slightly disappointed at that, though sort of what I was used to on my previous car for the fronts . For comparison, the Bridgestone 050's lasted for 15000 miles. They still perform well in the dry and wet at normal commuting speeds, though not so well in heavy rain at higher speeds due to their inability to dissipate water due to lack of tread depth.
I wouldn't buy these again now that they have been replaced by the Pilot Sport 4 S, but also not sure if I want to try those either, though I will consider them depending on price.

I mainly drive on minor A and B roads, short stretches of major A roads, towns/ villages at either end of my journeys and occasional motorways. I would say that the majority is spirited driving.