engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

I'm due for tires very soon, most likely candidate is Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 235/45-17.

With a 400 treadwear rating, is this tire too hard to (nearly) match the dry performance of the choices for summer tires? How are its characteristics when it is half-worn down? Too much of a compromise for dry weather???

I've read what Ron430 has said about all-season tires not being what they're cracked up to be. I've been swapping the original Bridgestone RE030's off in the winter for Pirelli Wintersport 210's - I figure a good all-season might now allow me to do this for fewer months, in other words, keep the regular tire/wheel set on for a longer portion of the year, and wear out the pure winter tires less. (By the way, Pirelli Wintersports are highly recommended - haven't had any snow situations I couldn't handle, and the tires handle reasonably well, with no excessive wear - I know many recommend Blizzaks, but I didn't want Bridgestones...)

Advice from someone who's lived with them is appreciated.

GSquicksilver

wassup...

i have the michelin sport a/s on my gs4 and it runs pretty well. the only complaint i have is that when i run into bumps or cracks in roads, it does feel like my car is breaking some wooden boards or something. besides that, the control and feel is good, but nothing like an LS400 ride.

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the reply. Hey man, I don't want an LS400 ride, thanks. :-) What do you mean about breaking wooden boards? Hard ride? At what pressure do you normally run your tires?

chowder

i have 4k on A/S 235/45/17 (stock rims). came off stock re030 (infamous). btw, i tried kuhmo ecsta's for 500 mi -- horrid. had to send them packing.

bottom line, i think pilot a/s are great. highway ride is smooth and quiet. corner nicely. turn in response is excellent. only gotten them to chirp once. i'm too lazy to swap tires, but you'd think these can't match the sheer performance of a pure summer tire. i have no complaints whatsoever outside of the price.

aside: i had the irregular inside wear that lots of gs4 owners speak of. i'm watching these intently, b/c i couldn't figure out what was to blame for that problem.

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Chowder, much appreciated.

lexguynj

Man..... I have got to get these Michelin Pilot Sport A/S soon. I can't stand the OEM Bridgestone RE030s (loud and unrefined). I hope for a significant difference when I do make the changeover.

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Well, my wallet and I sprung for the set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S for the GS4 on Saturday. So far they seem pretty awesome. I just had my car aligned at the Lexus dealer a couple of weeks ago, and with the RE030's, it was still pulling me all over the place, not to mention the annoying whine. The Michelin's have instantly corrected those problems, very, very smooth.
I actually upsized a bit to 245/45-17's, since the 235's were not in stock. I went slightly wider, with a 0.3" overall rolling diameter difference, and about a 1% speedo difference. No interference probs.
Handling is excellent so far, the car is more in tune to my movements (especially with the L-tuned steering recal). They're just way better than the Bridgestones, good road feel, more comfortable on the straights, controlled damped response on lane changes, no sidewall 'ringing'. Jury is still out on how they handle in the dry on exit ramps at 60, haven't had a chance to test that out yet, and I must say that the RE030's were pretty decent at that. I still want to know how they fare against a summer tire's stickier rubber, something that Michelin advertising indicates is not a problem. I don't think I can tell this until I wear the surface off of the new tires and begin to get into the meat.
Can't wait to do some suspension mods in the spring.
Gotta go, time to show up for that second job I had to take to pay for these...