Best Tyres for the Alfa Romeo 4C

Continental, in their wisdom, don’t produce, either a 205 or 215 width, 45 profile tyre in 17” diameter in their Sport Contact 6 or 7 range, so I thought to fit a the 205/45x17” MC7 tyre to the front wheels of my Alfa Romeo 4C for some touring I was about to do. I found the MC7 to be quiet and comfortable, with plenty of grip but there was a lack of feedback when driving enthusiastically. The comfort bias has a penalty. Performance wise they are a good match with SC6 my car wears on the rear. I’d be hesitant to fit them on the rear because of the comparative lack of feel to the SC6 where the outside rear wheel loads up when accelerating out of a corner. Reasonably happy with the overall performance and I wasn’t pottering around. Conti needs to produce a variety of 17” tyres in its SC6 or 7 model ranges.

Review based on track experience. Replaced P Zeros. 500’s have better grip and feedback but less agility. I tried Michelin 4S but the 500’s felt better than this “super” tire. The 4S lacked grip, feedback, felt mushy, and was slower on track.

Good to know: I got this tyres after my Yokohama AD08R were done and I had no confidence in the replacement, the AD08RS. Heard a lot of bad things, so I tried this 595RS-PRO. Price wise they are in a total different league so my expetations weren't that high. Well, here are the most important things: - The tyre is a lot louder then the AD08R. I drive a Alfa 4C, so sound isn't to important, but still it's noticeable. - These tyres grip amazing in the dry. Wow! They have more grip then the AD08R they replaced who were, to be honest, really worn and getting old. Nevertheless: I'm absolutely suprised by the levels of grip it provides for it's price. - The tyres grip also in moisture and cold weather. Never expected it, but they really do. - These tyres are really wide for their size. A lot wider then the Yoko's. I'm really happy with the tyres. Never thought this kind of performance was possible for this kind of money. I do track days with them and they hold perfectly. I'm not the kind of guy to measure my times, I just drive quick laps and have a great day. Nevertheless, a good tyre for every sporty driver. I don't know how the tyres hold on a more heavy car, but for lightweight cars they are absolutely recommendable!

I can't comment on the wet grip because I tend not to take my 4C Spider out when it's wet or be a bit more cautious. I have given it fairly high scores based on my experience of driving the local roads in a spirited but not stupid pace and they give me a lot of confidence. It's easy to criticise a tyre when you are pushing it to the limit such as on track, but I always feel that the tyre has more than enough grip for my style of driving. The Alfa 4C steering set up from the factory was track focused and very twitchy on UK roads, some like it that way but a revised steering geometry makes a huge difference. I've heard that Michelin PS4 Sports are a good, and may be slightly better but I'm quite happy to stay with the Pirellis. On my 17inch/18inch wheels, the tyres fitted are the AR version not the ARR version which doesn't like low temperatures. I take my car out all year round so much better to have tyres on that are less susceptible to the cold.

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!

I have a Alfa Romeo 4C with factory fitted Pirelli P Zero tyres. 18 inch in front, 19 inch at the back. I'm not the biggest fan of this tyres. Probably they are great in Italy with warm weather, but the P Zero's just don't work in a cold climate. They are harsh, don't give a lot of feedback and aren't as grippy as I wanted.

So I bought this Yoko's. Well, what can I say? This tyres are just out of this world! WHAT-A-GRIP! I can do launch controles without wheelspin, with my tuned and lightweight 4C. I also already drove it in the rain and they are much grippier than the Pirelli's to in that conditions. I do have to mention that the Pirelli's were almost gone in the back, so that also should have to do something with it.

This tyres are quite loud. But, living with a 4C that is your least concert. It really is a tyre that makes a sportier car even better. The steering feel and front grip is just so insanely good. It maked the car a even bigger joy to drive. Congrats to Yokohama: this is the best tyre I have ever had. Hands down!