ok this just came about because i have fairly new ss on hre P40'sand they have been on the car for a year. I recently got hold of a set of pilot sports and put them on my oem carrera s2 wheels...i cant seem to reconcile that the ps seems smoother and more quiet than the ss.. The oem wheels subjectively seem to be even smoother... Is it really just a subjective thing or is it simply the general effect of putting on new tires vs old ones...

 

The age of the old tires will have an impact on how well they ride , as well as the difference in compound technology used over time. I've also noticed that as tires wear out road noise goes up which would correlate with your observations.

My next set of tires will be pilot super sports.

 

I've heard great things about the Pilot Super Sports. I will consider them when the time comes...

 

I'm on my 5th set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports on my daily driver e92 BMW.

I was running on my 997:

19x9 with 255 MPSS
19x12 with 325 MPSS


I now switched back to a Brand New set of MPS2 on my Porsche.




From my experience the MPSS will perform 80% of the performance MPS2 gives.

MPSS will also give you much more life expectancy, not only because the tire itself is Thicker and generally has more rubber (more load weight) but is also significantly Harder also and shave down alot slower than MPS2.

Another thing is that MPSS last longer tread wise, but also last longer as a tire. The compound it is made of does not start to crack the tires on the sidewalls like the MPS2.


the MPSS are EXCELLENT all around tires.

But having said that the PS2 can't be beat.
It's how you used to remember it when you had a fresh set of MPS2.

Imho still the best tire ever. but the price difference is still too steep to run them on my 40k mile/year daily driver BMW.


I guess it just comes down to how much you are willing to spend for that extra 20%.

 

I've got a thread going on this subject but not much input so Ill just continue on here, this is from the Michelin website -


MICHELIN

MICHELIN Pilot Sport is the fastest tyre on the market and the reference tyre for Porsche.

&

MICHELIN

MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport is a high performance tyre specially designed for super sport cars and ultra high performance tuning.



To me it sounds as if the SS's are higher rated, and looking at the speed rating based on sizes 235/35R 19" & 305/30R 19"they are, they are all Y rated (300kmh) except for the PS2s 305's (and 295's for that matter) they are ZR rated (>240kmh).


From what I have read it sounds as if the PS2s out perform the SSs? But if that is so why are the SS rears higher speed rated? 240kmh doesn't give me immense confidence as a speed rating..AND why does Michelin call ps2s the fastest tyres on the market if their own super sports are higher speed rated? There is just too many holes in the info on this subject for me to make up my mind.

 

Had an interesting discussion with my local tyre place, they advised I have a look at a Japanese outfit called Nitto and check out their ultra high performance tyre 'Invo' http://www.nittotire.com/passenger-t...formance-tire/


Very interesting tread pattern huh... they said these would outperform the MPS2s...and they are cheaper.

 

I will consider them when the time comes.

 

I think you might be confusing what speed a tire can withstand without failing ( speed rating) with how a tire behaves/performs when being driven at high speeds. A tire with a lower speed rating can certainly handle better than a tire with a higher speed rating. I am sure this is why the PS2 has an "N" rating and the PSS does not. Porsche may not like how the PSS handles on their cars at high speeds.

 

Im still confused as to why PS2s 235 is Y rated but the 305's are ZR rated..


And now I am confused about the load rating, PS2s 235s are load rated at 87, SS's 235s are 91. Both the 305's of either range are 102. Anyone care to chime in with knowledge on this?

 

I don't drive my 997 over 150 mph on the street, so the ZR speed rating doesn't bother me. I have tried many tires on Porsche's and I have yet to find one that handles better than the PS2. For track use, a dedicated track tire makes more sense.

 

I think there is a typo in Michelins website http://www.michelin.com.au/Products-...Sport_PS2.html


The 305 here says ZR rated but on here http://www.michelinman.com/tire-sele...2/tire-details its Y rated... go figure.