So who's going to be trying out Michelin's replacement for the Super Sport first? Only available in 19" and 20" for now, I'm not sure if they will do other sizes later. http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Michelin-Pilot-Sport-4-S-Press-Release.htm
Keen to, as they are the stiffer replacement to the Pilot Super Sport, for which the only real complaint was the soft sidewalls. PS4S with the dual compounds (as in the CUP2) is pretty awesome. The PS4 is the proper successor to the PS2 apparently, even though the Super Sport was meant to be that. Michelin and their product marketing is confusing haha!
I think it's primarily focused on "high end" cars that will use for OEM tyres. Most of which use 19 and 20" wheels. For now at least....
Super sports started with the larger sizes as well, won't be long til the 4S is available in our size, I'm looking forwards to trying them as long as the soft sidewalls have been banished.
I was talking to the head of Michelin in the UK last summer. He was giving me some insight to the tyre. They are next level stuff truly. A mate is over in America now for the launch and he said they are a step up over the SS/3. Cant wait to get a set on.
Yeah so PS4 is a replacement for the PS2. PS3 is a replacement for the PE2 so is a touring tyre. PS4S a replacement for the PSS. In all but the last percent the PS4 is meant to be the better tyre than the PSS. PSS giving three tenths advantage over a PS4 on a track. All according to Michelin. RS 175 Lux
Makes me laugh when Michelin quotes lap times for road tyres. What they don't talk about is the state of the outer shoulders after a few hot laps...
Nick, have you run a set yourself and had this issue? I've seen r888's/Dunlop/cup 2's kill the outside edge, it's so dependant on so many things! I've read it's quite common with MPSS but I ran a set for over 20k miles (on a rwd) with a few track days, never had any problem with shoulder wear, the PSS were much better than the PS2's in this respect. The grip was fantastic, as was the noise/comfort/wear. For a car that does mostly road miles and the odd track day they'd be my first choice, hoping the ps4s will be even better.
My experience is based on Supersports on a 125i Coupe (on 130i power) and a M135i. Both running 2deg of front neg. I was really hoping the SS would be the tyre that could cope with a couple of TDs a year... Having said that, you can mitigate this with careful heat management and pressures. But it is a PITA compared to using a semi-slick and just driving.
Some might find this interesting: He basically explains the difference between the ps4s and the pss and why they are better. @nickfrog stupid question perhaps, but what is the negative effect of having some shoulder wear? After 1-2 trackdays, it's still fine for road use no?
Still road legal indeed as it only affects a small proportion of the contact patch. But the problem is that not only it's not great in the wet as you're effectively removing the rain channels there but the life expectancy of your tyre is reduced because there will quickly come a point where these is no rubber left at all on the shoulder and still 4/5mm on the rest of the tyre, which you have to bin.
Nick - that's really disappointing. A friend ran a set on his focus RS and it destroyed them in no time. He'd been in contact with Michelin and ran the advised pressures which were incredibly high at 40+psi. He actually got another complete set from them for free, he may be driving slightly more sympathetically but they seem to be lasting better. I ran my set on an e46 M3, so strange how the results differ so much. Another friend got mega mileage from them with a GT3, not being kind to them either. Strange!
As you say it depends on so many parameters! One of them being the load rating - the higher it is, the less the sidewalls "rolls over". It's entirely possible that the PS4s will prove less prone to the issue. It's only really an issue on track which those tyres aren't really designed for.
