Ok, I know here's been a lot of talk on these and I've gone ahead and bought some so I thought I'd be a good forum member and post up pics and a review once they arrive (tomorrow). I have 18 inch tibor wheels on my trophy and went for profile 235 40 18 which are the correct size for the wheels. Before anyone pips up with their know it all opinions I know they're not wholly appropriate for the current weather, but summer is coming and I'm an optimist! Also I've plenty of experience with high performance tyres on a road car (R888's, Nankang NS2R's, Yoko AD08R's) so I'll be ok
Have to agree, all this talk about winter tyres and summer tyres drives me crazy, just drive to the conditions. Looking forward to hear what you think of them
Looking forward to your findings as i`m about to buy some. How much were they if you dont mind me asking? Cheapest i can find is £630 for 4.
Amen to that brother. Had them out this morning in icy conditions and they still grip better than the PS2's. They feel really good i am pleased with them. Nice steering feel and good grip. They actually feel similar to toyo 888R's. Not quite as sharp but for a road and track tyre they're damn nice. Wonder how they'll fare in the rain. We shall see. Pics on my Instagram guys if you're interested: lok_2015
Will be interested to see how long they last! Is there much more road noise? Also do they feel stiffer?
Important questions those Matt. If road noise and ride are similar to PS2 with slightly sharper handling then I will likely buy them to replace my PS2s on the R26. I am getting increasingly unworried about cold weather performance as I have managed to only drive mine once this year, just don't want to run it when there is salt on the roads and muck everywhere.
Also be interested to know what they are like? I'll be buying a set for my summer/track wheels. Were you tempted to go 245 instead of 235?
I've got a trackday on Sunday first time out with my cup 2s will be interesting to see how they go only done about 30miles on road but immediately a noticeable improvement on sharpness of steering and one warmed up handling
Ok so I gave them a good gunning today fast braking roundabouts etc. They are really fucking good. Braking is vastly improved the car just feels planted. Actually it feels less skittish than before too. And it absolutely sticks on roundabouts. When they do break they bite again and that combined with the diff makes for ferocious grip. Very good bits of kit! Was three degrees tonight and they still stuck. Was wet this morning and they felt fine. A little sketchy but perfectly predictable. Certainly no worse than other tyres on a wet road. You just have to be sensible with them. They are great though. Road noise is unchanged. Ride feels the same really. They just feel like the steering is more accurate and sensitive (read responsive). Really good!
Notice the RS bit is missing from my centre cap. Well it fell off and the tyre fitters have ordered me a new centre cap so good service really.
I've got cup 2's fitted to the rear of my 265 awesome road tyres and Michelin ps2 on the front also awesome tyres
lol I have Cup 2's on the front and PS2's on the back of my R26 ! Replacing the PS2's with Cup 2's soon
They look smart but the reviews on cold/wet weather driving aren't great - are they 'C' rated from that pic? puts me off as 90% of the time the roads in the UK are wet or damp!
I'll be replacing my cup 2 on the rear back to ps2 I think. I know the cup 2 aren't full track tyres more road orientated but still I think my 265 had more grip with PS2 all round on the road.
Really? Can I ask why did you put the cup 2's on the back? Would seem to make more sense to me to put the supposed better tyre on the front? Did you at least try them the other way round?
I was told to put the newest tyres on the rear so that's what I did. Maybe the cup 2 will be better when it warms up but still I preferred the ps2.
Taken from the Michelin website.... FOR COMPLETE CONTROL, FIT YOUR NEW TYRES TO THE REAR AXLE Rear wheels are not connected to your steering wheel, which makes it extremely difficult to judge their grip while driving. We recommend that new tyres or the least worn tyres are fitted to the rear wheels to ensure: Better control in emergency braking or tight corners when the roads are slippery. Less risk of losing control of your vehicle, especially on wet surfaces Better road holding, particularly in difficult situations, whether your car is front or rear wheel drive
I know that's the usual advice for 'normal' cars and drivers, so that any lack of grip from the older tyres doesn't result in a spin, but safe(r) understeer. Most people that have RS Megane's, I would suggest, don't fit into this category and I'd expect them to run the better tyres on the front, but eh oh You're going to struggle getting heat into the tyres on the rear too, which may not have helped, especially as they seem more heat dependent than the PS2's.
You think PS2's are a better tyre than Cup 2s? Why don't you run one type of tyre all round like a normal human being?
You are correct. The general advice is too restrictive. You put the best tyres where they offer the best return for grip and handling depending on the vehicle, use and expected conditions.
For me yes. So im supposed to just bin my front tyres which are only half worn if i want to try a different tyre? ok thanks for that I must not be a normal human being then
The 'correct' thing to do is to rotate the fronts to the back every few to several months to even up the wear. Been doing that for years on my cars.
In the UK at this time of year i can fully believe that the PS2's will be better. Still don't understand why people bother only fitting two of these types of tyres on a car though, Be different if it were two road based tyres but a UHP/Track biased tyre with road tyre mix is retarded IMO. Those that say, Oh but its fun having the rear end loose everywhere, Can get in the sea.
Haha... I bought four tyres yes. Will swap them over halfway through their life as my ps2 rears are almost new so I kept them. I think the ps2's definitely offer better wet grip than the cup 2's you can even tell that by the ratings on the tyre sticker, but in the dry the cup 2's are MUCH better. They feel improved immediately even in the steering sharpness etc. This week it's been zero degrees and I drove to work and the cups were fine from cold on a roundabout. It's easy to feel when they're gonna slide you just drive accordingly. Let's be honest who drives hard in the wet anyway it's not sensible. I almost want the car to be more slippy in the wet to stop me driving it hard ALL the time. I found myself going a bit too quick in the wet on the PS2's to be honest. They are good tyres! I'd certainly have them again that's for sure.
Ok just had my first track day with the cup2s on. Conditions 3-5 degrees , track damp at first but dried out after a couple of hours. So how were they, at first on damp cold track t.b. honest a little slippery as could not get any heat in them but to be expected ,went out on road pressures first for 4 laps but even that was a struggle to get them warmed up . Eventually did get some heat into them and lowered them to 29psi which seemed to be spot on . Each session they would take a good couple of laps to heat up but when warm they were mega even after 8 laps of snetterton they never went off . Altogether did 160 miles on track and the tyres are not that scrubbed. So to sum up test these tyres are worth every penny. O to say then had to drive home through a sleet- rain storm at 0 degrees coped great drive home at motorway speeds without a fuss.
No surprises there. The Cup 2 does need a bit more track temp before it gets into its zone compared to the usual semi slicks suspects. They do telegraph the grip levels well and are very progressive. Nice tyres.
I drove home in sheet rain last night and you have to be mindful but otherwise they're really aren't too bad in inclement weather.
