So, following my last scheduled service (2 yr.) I was advised that I would probably need new tires sometime before the next service date. I've been doing a bit of research and am interested in what's being written about the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. According to the press that's out about this tire, Michelin's aim was to firmly establish itself as the leading and best tire manufacturer for high performance vehicles. I was a long-time Michelin fan before joining the Porsche family and am seriously considering the PS4S as replacement for the Pirellis on my GTS when the time comes. Just wondering if anyone here has already made that switch. Thanks.

 

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars...sport-4s-test/

the ? is why would you not get them? unless $ is the issue.

 

That was one of the articles I came across doing my research...thanks. And the price is not a problem...Tire Rack prices a set for my car at just under $1400. However, the reason for my post is to ascertain what experience members here have had, particularly in situations where they switched from Pirellis.

 

I made the switch from the OEM Pirellis in late March. Frankly, I'm a Michelin guy and hated the Pirellis on the CPO 991 C2S I bought.

As much as people would think I'm crazy, my local Discount Tire is my tire shop. They take good care of my business/ fleet cars, and are right next to my office. I just insist on the shop manager to do my tire installs on my Porsches. Frankly, they have always done a great job and I somehow do trust them with my 991 (and my previous 911s), but its mainly due to convenience for me.

I ordered the 4S tires in late March, and they had to special order them direct from Michelin. No other discount tire had them at the time, which I'm sure isn't the case any longer. Given the 20" dimensions + the name Michelin, I knew they weren't going to be cheap, but after reading the 4S reviews and always preferring Michelin's I was looking for an excuse to take the Pirellis off.

My first experience with them was at Barber Motorsports park for PCA DE weekend in April. They performed wonderfully. I'd obviously have preferred my slicks, but due to lack of a trailer/ friends going, I didn't have a choice that weekend. The tires truly performed, and I was pushing myself and the car that weekend (frankly the car wasn't pushed... I was just trying to improve my lap times on day 2). The tires gave me a lot of confidence, although conditions were pretty ideal generally. That being said, the tires are comfortable on the interstate and very grippy around corners.

I've had various sets of tires over 3 911s: Michelin PS2, OEM 991 Pirellis (forgot the model), Bridgestone Potenza, and now these 4S tires. They are by far the best road tire that I've had on any 911, and I can confidently say they performed well on the track too. No question. I HIGHLY recommend them.

 

Thanks RON1X! Yours is exactly the type of testimonial I was hoping to hear. I had Pilot SSs on my M6 and I still remember the superb grip and handling aspects of those tires. I'm certain I'll be making the switch to the 4S tires when the time comes.

 

According from a PCNA engineer I met in a Porsche event, the tire is one of the factors the PSM takes in consideration to correct the car dynamics. Therefore the N rated tires will fall in a similar spec. For the 991, Michelin refused to spend money in R&D and produce a dedicated tire, keeping the GT tires as their only 20� summer option. Allegedly, the P0 has a lateral Kevlar band that add to roll resistance.

With that said, I cannot recall a such bad tire as the Pirellis. The rain performance is null. My Michelin Alpins perform better at mild temperatures. I too shall follow the path of the 4S...

 

The Pilot Super Sport has been our most commonly recommended tire of the past few years and the Pilot Sport 4 S is a very, very worthy successor. I haven't done a same-day, same-car comparison of new PSS vs new PS4S but I've used the PSS on my personal cars in the past and am now using the PS4S on my own car after seeing how happy our customers were upon making the switch. It isn't hugely different than PSS and doesn't immediately feel any different which is probably a good thing, it seems to be a PSS that does a little better in both dry and wet and also lasts a little longer.

I would rank both PSS and PS4s ahead of the N0 and N1 P Zeros in terms of grip, longevity, and ride comfort.

 

I have the tire and wheel protection package.

If I change to the 4s's eventually will they then be covered or are they not "official" Porsce approved tires?

Pretty sure the protection package is 3rd party even though purchased st the dealer.

 

Any tires should be covered

 

The August "Car and Driver" has a comparison of the top 5 street performance tires and rates the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S as the best of the bunch.

 

BTW Costco has the Michelin 4s cheaper than TireRack, although I wouldn't have them put the tires on. I love my 4s tires and they are much quieter (road noise) than the P0s. Had dealer put mine on.

 

^you bought tires at Costco and brought them to your dealer to install? How much less were they?

 

For 4 tires it was $259. Had to look it up.

 

Im only see the pilot super sports on costco's website not the 4s. Did they special order them for you? Id like the newer technology of the 4s tires

 

I would call Costco, they did not list on the website all the tires they carry. I know I went to my local Costco (Nashua, NH) and asked them in April this year and they could get them. I never thought of even going to Costco thinking they would not carry or sell those high performance tires so I bought mine at TireRack.