My latest tyres acquisition! Michelin Pilot Sport 3!

Discussion in 'Chai' started by Chai, Nov 24, 2010.

  1. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Tyres are one of the most commonly ignored components, but they are the most important. Imagine that 4 small patches touching the road.

    Ever since I lost control of my car a number of times, especially tyre locking while under emergency braking (my car does not have ABS!). So I swore to myself, nothing is more important than outright grip, whether I'm driving fast or not.

    Michelin is one of the top tyre manufacturers in the world, wrapping the rims of Porsche, BMW etc.

    Michelin Pilot Sport is the top of the range road tyres. Pilot Sport 3 was launched early this year, and it has been getting rave reviews. Usually these tyres are only available for fast cars, from 16" to 19".

    But Michelin has decided to replace the Pilot Preceda 2 series with PS3. Finally some high performance tyres for the masses by including the common 15" size. Michelin PS3 is pretty incredible. It is relatively quiet, comfortable, and yet the grip level is probably one of the best by far. Usually, you can only get 2 out of the 3 traits above. PS3 is the closest to having all 3.

    But in terms of the looks, it is probably the ugliest looking sidewall I've ever seen for a high performance tyre. The outer shoulder looks remarkably close to the budget Energy XM1. It doesn't scream high performance if you only look at it.

    Overall, PS3 is definitely highly recommended for anyone looking for the safest tyres, and a certain S4 owner. :haha: :thumb:



    Update: As you can see from the pics below, PS3 has a more rounded shoulder compared to PS2, it was intended to improve the wet performance, as one of the weak points of PS2 was the wet handling. PS3 is unusally soft for a high performance tyre, so Scott, if you like the responsiveness of PS2, you may have to look elsewhere. But in terms of grip level, it is phenomenal. Ran out of balls before I ran out of grip. Under braking, it is excellent too, no sign of stress at all.

    This is in comparison why my previous set of tyres, Falken ST115 which was pretty good, but PS3 is in another league.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Nov 25, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  2. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Since most will not be interested in my review above, I will go slightly off topic and touch on a common topic for general car owners.

    How do you maintain your tyres. It probably deserves a new thread, but since I'm still talking about tyres, what the heck!

    Lately, Adrian was talking to me about owning BMW cars. The latest E90 3 series do not include spare tyre, and they use run flat tyres instead.

    BMW is making compromises here. Without a spare tyre, you will have more boot space, reduce some weight. But you have to pay more for run flat tyres, and they are extremely expensive and harder to find.

    So how can you save some money on tyres?

    1. Ensure that tyres are checked every month, use the recommended tyre pressure by the manufacturer, usually stated in the manual, or on the B-pillar. I also use a cheap tyre pressure checker to ensure that the correct tyre pressure is applied. With the correct tyre pressure, you can prolong the tyre life span, reduce fuel consumption.

    2. Perform tyre balancing and alignment every 10k km, or at least 20k km. This is a very important step to perform, as you may end up spending even more money on tyres replacement. I have seen all sorts of uneven tyre wear, which could have been prevented if tyre alignment is performed regularly. It only costs around RM50 around here. That's way cheaper than most tyres, especially the bigger sizes.

    3. Always inspect the tyres for clues of unusual wear rates. FWD will wear front wheel tyres faster, and RWD will wear rear faster. So try to compare front left and right tyres, and rear left and right. Turn the steering wheel to either of the direction completely to fully inspect the whole surface. I've made this mistake, not knowing that the inner shoulder is completely bald, due to negative camber.

    4. If your car is has a torsion beam setup on the rear, you can completely ignore the tyres on the back. As there's nothing you can do to the alignment as they are fixed, so it will not have any unusual tyre wear.
     
  3. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Yeah, they are darn expensive! RM 1,600 (US$ 520) per tyre in BMW or RM 1,100 (US$ 355) per tyre outside. That's at least RM 4,400 (US$ 1420) per tyre change! And it seems that the run-flats would only last 30,000 km or so. :nuts:

    Hmm.. Shouldn't the tyre pressure also depend on the tyre you are using? Some tyres can support higher pressure. Can't we use slightly higher pressure with them - to improve fuel consumption?

    BTW, my latest tyre acquisition is the Dunlop EC201. They say it will help improve my fuel consumption, but IMHO, it's pretty crappy.

    It squeaks real noisily on cement/concrete floors whenever I turn the wheel... even slowly. On the highway, it's pretty noisy. And right after installing the new tyres, my car would swerve to the left, even after they balanced the tyres and checked the alignment.

    I took it to another tyre shop (selling Michelins BTW) to redo the alignment, but it didn't do anything. According to the mechanic, it's the tyre. I'll be going back to the shop to check with them what's up with these tyres. :wall:
     
  4. Falcone

    Falcone Official Mascot Creator

    Guess I'll keeping this recommandation in mind for my fuiture tyre change. :cool:
     
  5. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    Tires are very important :thumb:
     
  6. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Not really. The tyre pressure depends heavily on the weight of the car. Most tyres will work fine using the default tyre pressure. Some tyres will have lower maximum pressure, but it is more than enough. And the maximum tyre pressure is usually stated on the tyres itself.

    You can use higher tyre pressure if you feel the tyre is too soft, but I wouldn't recommend going too high or too low, as it will affect the tyre wear. Within +- 5psi is still acceptable.

    If under-inflated, the outer tyre will wear more than the center. If over-inflated, it will be the other way.

    If you want lower fuel consumption, pump more air into the tyres as it will reduce rolling resistance and reduce grip, but the ride will be slightly harsher.

    The reason why tyre manufacturer recommends checking pressure every month, is because tyre pressure can vary a lot in just a month. My tyres lost up to 5psi in less than 2 months. Just imagine if you don't pump regularly, easily 10psi lost in just a few months.
     
  7. Trinity

    Trinity Little Kiki Staff Member

    How about a picture of one of your new tires?
     
  8. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Yeah, I have it, I will upload it when I'm back home.
     
  9. Trinity

    Trinity Little Kiki Staff Member

    Wait a second... Did you just say those Michelin ps3's are $520 each?
     
  10. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I think it's closer to US$ 355 if you get from tyre dealers.
     
  11. Trinity

    Trinity Little Kiki Staff Member

    Damn!!! That is some serious cash!!!:shock: :faint:

    The most I've paid for a tire was ~$79 usd.

    All the same I bet you will love them.:)
     
  12. Ishtim

    Ishtim Super Moderator

    So the age old question:

    Compressed air OR nitrogen? :shhh:
     
  13. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    LOL "a certain S4 owner"...

    I'm running Michelin Pilot Sport 2s right now. On the track, it had phenominal grip in the dry and wet (it was almost impossible to get it to oversteer on a wet skid pad with all the nanny stuff turned off!!!)

    I will definitely try out the PS3s when my PS2s (being phased out) are worn out (anyone want to take bets how many track days will it take? LOL!). My size 255/35ZR19 96Y are $395 shipped for PS3s (per tire).

    And yes. Good tire inflation is key (as well as alignment and balanced setup). It sometimes defies all logic when I see a car in front of my driving with a wobbling wheel/tire. I can find the slightest vibration by the feedback through the wheel (and my ass).

    When I was on track, I saw some people were running nitrogen in their race tires.

    @Adrian, forget beemers man. Audi!!! One word of warning though, you won't look back after getting behind the wheel of one (having tried current beemers, mercs, and coming from a family of Toyota/Lexus die-hards - and by family, I mean my dad LOL!). Driver's feel I think is a toss between Audi and BMW (though handling, one might have to give to Audi, while steering, it's still BMW - but not by a lot). Seats and interior quality, hands down Audi has it over BMW (they've been slacking in the quality dept lately). And quattro is simply the best (with sport rear diff - if you can get it there). This is comparing the current 5 series to the A6 series, the S4 with the 335is. Heck, you even feel like man just closing the door (sounds like you're closing a vault - it's that solid). But don't take my (now biased) word for it. Try em all out. They sell the A4 there.
    YouTube - Audi The Spell 2010 Commercial
    YouTube - Audi A4 "Separation" Commercial
    YouTube - Audi A4 "Progress is Beautiful" commercial HQ
    YouTube - Audi Superbowl Commercial Starring Jason Statham (another awesome ad - the A6 is such a nice car!!!)

    And quite frankly, styling wise amongst the the three main german luxury brands, it's definitely Audi hands down (though I think it is somewhat reflected in the price). Also BMW has skimped their quality parts lately (with softer interior) so that as soon as the warranty/free service periods ends, EVERYTHING starts getting worn out (so you'll be paying out of pocket). This was advice from my BMW owner friend (has a E46 M3) and has been criticized in some auto magazines as well.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2010
  14. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    Audi built quality have been good recently :thumb:
     
  15. Trinity

    Trinity Little Kiki Staff Member

    What is your opinion on corvette cars? My friend has a c-5 that's a few years old. It has over 400hp. And he said it does 1/4 mile in low 12's.

    A match for you car?:think:

    edit: just found this, video Corvette Z06 vs Audi R8 - track, r8, v8 - videos kewego

    Not quite apples to apples. But still close.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2010
  16. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    I actually really love vette's... Especially the C6 (and Z06). The Z06 has the straight line capabilities of an American car, and can actually handle well in corners as well.

    My S4 isn't really meant as a drag car (not a lot of German/European cars are really).

    Plus the Vette is a pretty much a proper 2 door sports car and I'm just a humble family sedan... :angel: (well a sports sedan anyways... :p ).

    The only 4 door American sports sedan that would give me trouble in the straight and in the corners is probably the CTS-V. At least that's the only one that comes to mind.
     
  17. Trinity

    Trinity Little Kiki Staff Member

    I like drag racing. And the hottest looking and fastest ride. But I think I'd prefer an all wheel drive car like yours.:)
     
  18. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    Straight line speed and off the line prowess (AWD FTW!) is definitely a strong attraction, but for me, what really does it is the cornering feel of a car. How it handles corners, how it gives feedback to the driver, the tight feeling as you start adding power to exit a corner. That gives me an even bigger buzz. :beer:

    Which is why I really appreciate how tires can factor into handling now as well (my reluctance to give up my Max Perf Summer tires for All Seasons). So for now, looks like I'll have to get a set of All Season tires and *cough* new wheels for my current Max Perf Tires... :p
     
  19. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I just found out that there's a new product from Michelin that is a true replacement of Pilot Sport 2, Pilot Super Sport! Only available from 18"! So the Pilot Sport 3 is for the poors, so to speak!

    Sad news, Michelin has recently raised the price for all Pilot Sport 3 range... Thank god I got it just a little earlier. Up to 10%. I've uploaded some pics of PS3, Trin.
     
  20. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Never bothered with Nitrogen.
     

Share This Page