UGAALF

I did a search of the forum to see if anyone had offered any info regarding the Pilot Sport A/S 3 tire and did not find anything, likely because it is a relatively new tire from Michelin. A tire dealer has recommended this tire on my 2002 sc430, and before I pull the trigger, I wanted to see if anyone on the forum has the tires and get their thoughts on them?

ALBINO

I have the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's. I bought them from Costco when they were on sale. They did a great job making sure my rims were not scratched and the sensors were not damaged. The nitrogen air that they put in the tires works well. The ride is fantastic.

UGAALF

Thanks for the feedback!

sixonemale

I also have the same question, I'm contemplating going with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, not to be confused with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires. I currently have the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires with about 25,000 miles on them and have had them rotated every 5,000 miles. During the last rotation I noticed slight cracking and odd tread wear on or near the outer treads of the tires - keep in mind that I have my car aligned to eliminate the typical or common inner tread wear that occurs with a SC. The person at the tire shop said that they are known for outer tread wear and sometimes come in with where small chunks of rubber have peeled off on the outer treads. As far as them showing cracks after only 25,000, they looked at the manufacturer date and found it was 2011, not that old. They have been great tires, but I’m now ready to move on from a directional tire pattern to non-directional. When driving with non-directional tread tires I did get better gas mileage and I also know and understand that they should maintain a quiet ride.

From past experience, Michelin stands very much behind their product and as the tires salesman said, I should be getting a significant amount credit back for my tires this coming Monday, since Michelin was closed on Friday afternoon - west coast or in the eve on the east coast. I have read lots of reviews of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 tires that all seem to be at least good, and even some say these may even be replacement for the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires.

If anyone has any input or experience with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, it would be great to hear how they ride, handle, etc., on a SC.

PS for what it's worth Consumer Reports rated them the Number 1 UHP all season tire

UGAALF

I wound up putting the AS3's on my SC 430 about six weeks ago and am very happy that I made that choice. Obviously, i cannot speak to the wear, with about 1,000 miles on the tires, but the ride and handling is great.

sixonemale

Thanks for the feedback, it appears they are living up to their rating. CR’s rates the tread life is better than average, which is a pretty good rating for UHP all-season tires. Rotating UHP tires is paramount for extending tread wear. One of the main reasons I like Michelin tires besides their wet and dry weather grip, is that the sidewalls seem to be sturdier than most brands and on a low profile tire that is extremely important to me.

I had the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's put on the car today and compared to the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires, they seem to be significantly quieter on the freeway, especially on lanes with rain grooves. They also seem softer, but that could be due to new and more tread, but time will tell. On surface roads with smooth pavement the A/S Plus tires were fairly quiet and these are at least the same, perhaps quieter. On course/rough surface roads the A/S 3's seem to be significantly quieter than the A/S Plus's were. In summary, my first impression on the A/S 3's is much different than my first impression of the A/S Plus's, much more favorable and what I originally expected from the A/S Plus's, but was never able to get out them. The Quiet factor is huge for me and these are very quiet tires.

Note: To all those who own A/S Plus tires, the A/S 3's have replaced them. If you have significant tread wear on your A/S Plus's from the about the middle of your tires to the edges, Michelin will give you significant credit toward buying a new set tires of your choice and it does not have be Michelin, but as of now, I would highly recommend the A/S 3's.

igorxx

I also have that same tire. Very pleased with the ride and wear. I would recommend having the tire camber front -0.4 degrees Rear -0.9.degrees It possibly wont turn quite as well but you will get a lot less wear on your tire.

mujinzoo

Agree with previous posts on AS3s re ride, etc...just replaced the run flats, but didn't get the "wow" from the change. Definitely better but for me it was probably about expectations. Should stay out of the 460.

tromly

My friend just got a set, he agrees with you!

ALBINO

My car sat for almost six months while I was overseas. I had the battery tender connected and the car never moved. When I returned it started immediately and there were no flat spots on the tires. Went to Costco and had them check and fill the tires with nitrogen (free). All four of the tires lost exactly four pounds of nitro. The tire tech said that was great that they all lost the same amount.
I would recommend these tires and recommend that you use the nitro to fill them.
This combination makes this ride like a LEXUS.....LOL

tfeni52355

Not trying to knock the Michelin's. They are great tires. But as a potential option:

I recently put a set of Nitto Motivo tires on my wife's SC. They replaced a set of set on Nitto 555 Xtreme directional rotation tires that we got 30K miles out of. With a staggered 20" setup and no rotation I was quite impressed we got that kind of mileage out of them. They handled great and were extremely quiet up until the last few thousand miles when they became noisy due to wear and cupping which I would expect from any tire.

I am looking forward to being able to rotate side to side with the Motivos'. Also the 50K miles warranty is a nice enhancement as well. The tires are just a tad stiffer than the 555 Xtreme but still very quiet and certainly able to handle any driving condition we'll throw at them.

I paid just over $900 at Discount Tire. FWIW.

Enjoy your ride!

sixonemale

I wish you the best with your new Nitto directional tires. After lots of research, especially on the side wall of Michelin tires vs. other tires, it was one of the main reasons I chose them, plus I've had very good handling and wear all the Michelin tires I've owned.

You may want to exercise some caution with the staggered 20" set-up. This is a link I found in the forum quite sometime ago with a 20" set-up, but with different Nitto tires than the ones you have mentioned: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...-stranded.html

npestana

I had the Continental Extreme Contact 245/40 ZR 18 93Y on my 2002 SC430. They were purchased by the previous owner and I wasn't sure how many miles were on them. I drove with them for about a year and was satisfied but not wowed even though they are a well regarded tire. When I rotated the tires I discovered that the rears could not be balanced, probably due to pot hole damage. I had no experience with wheel straightening shops but decided to take a shot. Well they were better but not Lexus smooth. The shop felt that the tires had been damaged running them for an unknown amount of mileage had worn the inside tread on both tires that were on the rear now on the front. After about a 1/2 year of use (I couldn't initially throw them out as they looked less than 1/2 worn). I finally broke down and went for the Michelin A/S 3 + extra for the 500 AA A rating. At the same time I had the upper control arms replaced as they were showing play. I also had the alignment guy stand up the rear tires to reduce shoulder wear. Expecting a better ride I was surprised to get improved handling. The tires do not give the typical Michelin boulevard ride that I get on my LS but they are not the + extra type on that car. Plus a much more luxury suspension.
To sum up I am very happy with the handling as one should expect on a two seater. The turn in and tracking is excellent. I would say as good if not better that my 2002 Miata although I am far from expert in this area. I have less than a 1,000 miles on them and do note they also have a firmer ride but not harder than the Continentals. I have read that the previous A/S 3+ change character after a few thousand miles and await hopefully the new version won't have that characteristic.

Jabberwock

I also installed the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 a few months ago. Purchased from Costco on sale. Costco does a great job on tires. The handling, braking and ride on the Pilots is very good and super quiet. Highly recommend.