Michelin Pilot A/S 4 - disappoint, suggestions?

[Diggs24]

37 is stock? whoops. ive always run 35.

 

[RMinNJ]

Pretty happy with the A/S4's having just got them..car is tight with more traction than the Hankooks noble ventus s1..they replaced.

Definitely not floaty or squirmy.

 

[bentin]

Yeah will do. I only have about 150 miles on them at the moment. The grip seems to not be as good as the AS3+ I took off also. They are breaking loose in minimal wet pavement when I punch it. Maybe that will improve as they wear in.

Same speed rating for both?

 

[amsr]

Same speed rating for both?

The AS4s are 225 /40 R18 92Y XL BSW.

I'll have to look for my receipt for the AS3+, they aren't sold anymore in the stock size but IIRC they were 225/40ZR18/XL 92Y also.

 

[amsr]

Yeah idk about these tires. They do have good grip but the turn in feel and lateral stability isn’t inspiring. The initial bite on hitting the brakes is also gone. I haven’t measured stopping distance but it feels like it would be increased vs the AS3+. It’s improved somewhat but still not as good.

Are the DWS06+ improved at all in this regard? How about the Goodyear’s?

 

[bentin]

Tirerack rates them GY>Conti>Mich

I may try the GY next. I actually like my AS4 over the AS3+ in every situation. The abusive sidewall of the AS3+ was just silly, like having Hotwheels plastic tires. I haven’t missed those things for a second.

 

[amsr]

Tirerack rates them GY>Conti>Mich

I may try the GY next. I actually like my AS4 over the AS3+ in every situation. The abusive sidewall of the AS3+ was just silly, like having Hotwheels plastic tires. I haven’t missed those things for a second.

Hmm yeah I guess in my case the ride quality improvement of the AS4 isn’t enough to justify the loss in handling feel. Depends on your goals I guess.

 

[sandmangti]

Bridgestone RE980AS Plus.

 

[ckuhns]

I mean, take what I say with a grain of salt, but if your buying all season tires and worrying about their turn in feel etc, might you be buying the wrong kind of tires? They are referred to as no seasons..

 

[tigeo]

I got these tires earlier this fall - they are fantastic (PS AS 4). 235/40/18s. I've used them for some hard mountain hooning and did an 2-day HPDE at VIR with them, I can't imagine needing more tire for the street. The only downside is the ride is notably firmer than other performance AS tires I've had. I run them at 37 but could probably do 35 and improve the ride a bit - the sidewalls are just stiff. On the track they worked well/within my novice skill level but did get some mild melting as you will get with street tires on the track with no negative camber.

 

[bentin]

Hmm yeah I guess in my case the ride quality improvement of the AS4 isn’t enough to justify the loss in handling feel. Depends on your goals I guess.

If it helps, in every handling and braking category, wet and dry, the AS4 beat the AS3+ when TireRack compared them.

 

[bentin]

I mean, take what I say with a grain of salt, but if your buying all season tires and worrying about their turn in feel etc, might you be buying the wrong kind of tires? They are referred to as no seasons..

The gap between a PS4 and an AS4 is pretty thin these days. I have a GTI, not a 720s. I need to be able to drive in light snow a few times a year and temps under 40 maybe 20 days a year. That seems like a very slim window to justify snows and summers wouldn’t do the cold weather or snow duty, plus they just don’t last.

I’m more inclined to do a set of 200tw for spirited drives and track days and a set of AS for road trips and cooler weather. Oddly, regular summer tires don’t really appeal to me as they’re crap on track, don’t really add much dry grip and frequently don’t have the wet grip of the best all seasons.

 

[tigeo]

The gap between a PS4 and an AS4 is pretty thin these days. I have a GTI, not a 720s. I need to be able to drive in light snow a few times a year and temps under 40 maybe 20 days a year. That seems like a very slim window to justify snows and summers wouldn’t do the cold weather or snow duty, plus they just don’t last.

I’m more inclined to do a set of 200tw for spirited drives and track days and a set of AS for road trips and cooler weather. Oddly, regular summer tires don’t really appeal to me as they’re crap on track, don’t really add much dry grip and frequently don’t have the wet grip of the best all seasons.

Yep. When Tirerack tested the PS4S and PSAS4 the difference is small. The PSAS4 comes as the AS choice on the C8 Vette. Similar conditions here...summers aren't cutting it all the time due to temps but don't need snows at all.

 

[amsr]

If it helps, in every handling and braking category, wet and dry, the AS4 beat the AS3+ when TireRack compared them.

Yeah I’ve seen their tests. If I hadn’t just spent two years with a set of AS3+ I’d be more likely to believe them. Perhaps on a spreadsheet they are better, but my “butt dyno” liked how my car drove on the previous version better. If you watch the video where they interview the product manager they basically dance around the idea that they tilted the tire more in favor of ride and snow performance which were weak spots for the previous version. It seems in the process they gave up some of the “on rails” feeling, even if it doesn’t show up on paper. It’s ok, I was just expecting more of the same when I bought these new versions and what I seem to have got is a bit different. Frankly, most people in the market for an all season probably appreciate the new version - I was just using it as a way to get around running summers and changing to snows since we get a mild winter with a lot of shoulder season here. I probably should be doing that anyways.

I think the AS4 that comes with the corvette is also a special version for that car which has different design characteristics.

 

[tigeo]

Yeah I’ve seen their tests. If I hadn’t just spent two years with a set of AS3+ I’d be more likely to believe them. Perhaps on a spreadsheet they are better, but my “butt dyno” liked how my car drove on the previous version better. If you watch the video where they interview the product manager they basically dance around the idea that they tilted the tire more in favor of ride and snow performance which were weak spots for the previous version. It seems in the process they gave up some of the “on rails” feeling, even if it doesn’t show up on paper. It’s ok, I was just expecting more of the same when I bought these new versions and what I seem to have got is a bit different. Frankly, most people in the market for an all season probably appreciate the new version - I was just using it as a way to get around running summers and changing to snows since we get a mild winter with a lot of shoulder season here. I probably should be doing that anyways.

Funny as you are describing me at the end of your post (as vs. summer + snow) and I think the PSAS4 is fantastic. Hell they worked ok for an HPDE to me.