Opinion on Michelin PS4S VS Michelin PS Cup2's

[up4speed]

I am currently running the PS4S on street and track. I really liked them on the track, but not totally happy with the way they were wearing. I know that a big part of my issue is that the car can use more camber, but I am going to leave it stock for now. I drive it very fast on the track, but I'm generally a very smooth driver. I have about 6 track days on them, and the tire has an amazing amount of tread left, but the edges are wearing very quickly. I even run a little more pressure than I would like (38-40 hot), so I can preserve the edges a little better. On the last track day I did (New York Safety Track, a hard track on tires) the front right tire started to lose pieces off of the edge of the tread (in one small spot, see photo). I actually went out one more time, since it was the last session of the day and the damage was minimal, however, I drove VERY conservatively, and I also cut the 20 minute session a little short. After returning to the pits, I discovered that the same tire lost a lot more rubber off of the edge again! If it wasn't for the chunking, I feel like I could have easily done 2 or 3 more track days on that set of tires. Does anyone know why that happened? I was thinking that possibly the tires were heat cycled out. What do you guys think? If that was the case, do you think it's better to go with the Cup 2's? Will they handle heat better? If so, maybe they will actually last longer, since I'm more concerned that they can handle high heat and abuse rather than high street mileage. I considered buying the Hankook RS4's since they get very positive reviews for the way that I need them to perform, but nobody has them available at this time.
Thanks for any advice. I'm looking to make the move in the next day or two so I don't lose any track days coming up.

 

[Mini7]

I used MPS4S for two seasons but I quickly added camber for this reason.

Going to a higher grip tire will cause the car to roll even more. If the track bug has bitten and you are going to do this for the long term, you will need to add camber. Running higher tire pressures will help a little.

A different tire with stiffer side walls will also help.

 

[R Golf]

I used MPS4S for two seasons but I quickly added camber for this reason.

Going to a higher grip tire will cause the car to roll even more. If the track bug has bitten and you are going to do this for the long term, you will need to add camber. Running higher tire pressures will help a little.

A different tire with stiffer side walls will also help.

This.

Your wear is actually very good for driving PS4's hard for 6 track days with no camber. I went from PS4S's to Cup 2's purely for more grip. I have -2.4 degrees camber. I noticed they were a bit faster but had no difference in wear. I was getting 4-5 days out of them with the camber (track & weather dependent).

I recently went to Falken 660's and am very happy with them. They grip as well as the Cup 2's, maybe better, are a lot cheaper, wear better, and hold heat better in a session and during a track day. I recently set new personal bests at Lime Rock and Summit Point both of which I have run numerous times with Michelins. They are not as good on the street as either the PS4's or the Cup 2s, but I find them acceptable and the trade-offs make it well worth it.

 

[up4speed]

This.

Your wear is actually very good for driving PS4's hard for 6 track days with no camber. I went from PS4S's to Cup 2's purely for more grip. I have -2.4 degrees camber. I noticed they were a bit faster but had no difference in wear. I was getting 4-5 days out of them with the camber (track & weather dependent).

I recently went to Falken 660's and am very happy with them. They grip as well as the Cup 2's, maybe better, are a lot cheaper, wear better, and hold heat better in a session and during a track day. I recently set new personal bests at Lime Rock and Summit Point both of which I have run numerous times with Michelins. They are not as good on the street as either the PS4's or the Cup 2s, but I find them acceptable and the trade-offs make it well worth it.

Thanks for the Falken 600 recommendation. It sounds like a win/win if they are cheaper, last longer and stick better!!

 

[pseudorealityx]

Some form of camber adjustment will pay for itself VERY quickly in terms of tire wear. What is keeping you from modifications? There's a few ways to get more camber. From the simplest of just replacing the front LCA bushings with offsets (it's 5 all easy to get to bolts), to the CS knuckles if you don't trust non-oem solutions, to actual camber plates, which would provide the best adjust-ability.

 

[up4speed]

Some form of camber adjustment will pay for itself VERY quickly in terms of tire wear. What is keeping you from modifications? There's a few ways to get more camber. From the simplest of just replacing the front LCA bushings with offsets (it's 5 all easy to get to bolts), to the CS knuckles if you don't trust non-oem solutions, to actual camber plates, which would provide the best adjust-ability.

I guess it's that I wanted to keep the drivability and stock feel on the street. To be honest, I didn't know anything about the lower control arm offset bushings. This sounds pretty interesting. I always thought that camber plates were my only option.
Will the offset bushings affect the day to day drive, or steering feel in any way? Is it easy to do, and will I need an alignment afterwards? Please give me any info you can, along with links to the bushings if you can. I really appreciate any help! I wasn't too into modifying it, but I'm also not totally opposed, if it will still feel stock, and extend the life of the tires substantially.

 

[Half fast]

Some form of camber adjustment will pay for itself VERY quickly in terms of tire wear. What is keeping you from modifications? There's a few ways to get more camber. From the simplest of just replacing the front LCA bushings with offsets (it's 5 all easy to get to bolts), to the CS knuckles if you don't trust non-oem solutions, to actual camber plates, which would provide the best adjust-ability.

100% Good chance that it pays for itself on the first set of tires, depending on what route you go and what tires you use.

I've got fixed camber plates installed and they gave me 2.5 degrees of camber in the front (extra 1.5 degrees) without making any real difference in how the car drove on the street. I do have solid or poly bushings all around and engine/transmission mounts though, so it might be harder for me to tell a difference than it would be on an otherwise stock car. So, those are another option as well. The only difference I noticed is that the car has a tendency to get "stuck" in the tire tracks/ruts on the highway more than it used to before. But, even that is barely noticeable and only on the most uneven highways.

 

[up4speed]

I decided to try the Cup2's this time around, since Costco had them (and I had a $200 off coupon). I really liked them, and I cut an average of 2 seconds off of my lap times at New York Safety Track compared to the MPS4S,
But 1/2 way through the day it started raining and then my lap times were 2 seconds behind the MPS4S's. I decided that the next set I buy will be the set that I get more track days out of. (or I may try the Hankook RS4's if I can get my hands on a set)

Here is a video of me attacking cars that I have no business attacking in a GTI, LOL:

 

[jimlloyd40]

Very nice. What speed were you hitting in the straight away?

 

[up4speed]

Very nice. What speed were you hitting in the straight away?

Thanks! According to Track Addict App 104.4 MPH. I usually hit about 108 when nobody is in my way, lol

 

[HelloNewman]

Had a set of P3S pretty disappointed in them. They performed well, but they were $$$, only lasted 25k miles despite perfect alignment/rotation schedules and they started to get noisy after a while. Currently on a set of Continental DWS06 and I am really happy with them so far. They appear to be wearing much better and have no weird wear patterns, they are quieter, handling is the same but they seem to hook better, lower noise, better ride quality, and they are significantly less expensive.

 

[MonkeyMD]

I decided to try the Cup2's this time around, since Costco had them (and I had a $200 off coupon). I really liked them, and I cut an average of 2 seconds off of my lap times at New York Safety Track compared to the MPS4S,
But 1/2 way through the day it started raining and then my lap times were 2 seconds behind the MPS4S's. I decided that the next set I buy will be the set that I get more track days out of. (or I may try the Hankook RS4's if I can get my hands on a set)

Here is a video of me attacking cars that I have no business attacking in a GTI, LOL:

Looks like a blast. Corvette and Ferrari lines were not very good. I imagine novices.

 

[up4speed]

Looks like a blast. Corvette and Ferrari lines were not very good. I imagine novices.

Yes, it's a great track. A lot of fun!

 

[11Mk7]

A different tire with stiffer side walls will also help.

Any suggestions for another Max Performance tire like the PS4S but with a stiffer sidewall? Asking as someone looking for a daily tire that can hold up to 1-2 HPDEs a year on stock suspension without destroying the outer tread. Don't care at all about lap times, just a tire capable of holding up at the track while also being suitable for dailying (i.e. good in rain, not insanely loud, etc).

 

[tripleS]

Any suggestions for another Max Performance tire like the PS4S but with a stiffer sidewall? Asking as someone looking for a daily tire that can hold up to 1-2 HPDEs a year on stock suspension without destroying the outer tread. Don't care at all about lap times, just a tire capable of holding up at the track while also being suitable for dailying (i.e. good in rain, not insanely loud, etc).

Maybe the new Bridgestone Potenza Sport? I believe it's their new PS4S competitor and I'm eyeing it for my mk7.

To be honest though most any of those 300tw category tires should hold up OK to 1-2HPDE days a year unless you're totally sliding around a lot.