Tire Shopping: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus?

**Naaman** · 05-26-2010, 03:00 PM

Anyone used the Pilots Sport A/S plus before? Their specs look awesome (UTQG is 500, AA, A, and they're rated at 98W for the 275s and 98Y for the 285s). Seems like the best tire for my purposes, which are high performance, all season. (If I still lived in So Cal... I could keep my summer tires....

). Anyway, I want a quality tire that can handle bolt-on power and can corner at speed.

Other tires that I've seen are not rated as high for tread life (an important factor), and don't include a warranty (this one comes with 45,000 miles/6 years).

**StuntmanMike** · 05-26-2010, 03:23 PM

I used to run the regular A/S's on my Formula.

I liked them for the most part. They were awesome in the rain, I'll def givethem that. I only had them in the snow inadvertantly a few times, I got where I was going, but as with any 275 tire, it was a white knuckle ride.

I never pushed them that hard in cornering, but they seemed to stick okay. Onep lace where they didn't shine was straight line traction. They would NOT hook. Whether on the street or track, I couldn't punch it w/out wheelspin.

I tried launching off the brake at 1500rpm with them once at the track..yeah, no dice. I did a John Force style burnout all through 1st instead.

For comparrison, I just switched over to Nitto NT555's (non drag version), and these things hook like a mo-fo! I can just barely get a chirp if I leave at 1500rpm, leaving off idle, even on the street, it just hooks and is GONE.

I also think the Nittos ride a bit smoother and a quieter than the Michelins.

While the Michelin isn't a bad tire, IMO you can get something just as good for about half the price. IIRC they're like 225/ea for 275's. At least that's what I paid when I had to replace one of them. Ouch.

For what they cost, you can prob get a set of Nittos AND a set of snows or all seasons on a different set of winter wheels.

**Naaman** · 05-26-2010, 03:41 PM

Well, I looked at the Nittos, and they don't offer a tread life guarantee. I'm quite interested in NOT having to replace tires more often than once every 3-4 years (this is my daily driver).

My car is a M6, and right now it has Good Year Eagle F1s GS-D3s (285s) and those don't hook up in 1st gear at all (driver skill is likely the biggest factor). From a 15-20 mph ROLL in 1st, the car wants to go sideways when I punch it (no smoke or wheel spin, though).

So, I'm already unable to launch safely from 1st with some of the highest rated performance tires available (so I won't be attempting that for quite some time). The only reason I need an all season tire is because we get 1-2 weeks of snow here in western WA.

In any case, a 2nd gear roll is the most extreme WOT attempt I'm willing to make at this point.

You said they were awesome in the rain. That will be a big advantage here in WA.

How long have you been on the Nittos? How is the tread life?

**2001camaroSS** · 05-26-2010, 11:16 PM

KDW NT's or IIs. they are the same tire but some places have different names for them. check them out.

**blackSS01** · 05-27-2010, 03:12 PM

Funny, I was able to have my GS-D3's hook on a 5K clutch dump with full bolt ons

Only thing I could think helped was 100 degrees out and on black top.

**c5z28** · 05-27-2010, 03:57 PM

I have had the pilot all season's. Straight line traction was poor but for a tread wear as high as that what do you expect? Turns were decent, they talked to you a lot in the corners but they did hold up while they were screeching. My biggest problem is they wore out in the center the fastest, I even let the air down to 32psi and the middle was bald with tread still on the outside. I might try and be a little bolder and look into the bf goodrich kdw nt's or the goodyear gsd3's which are both cheaper and both supposedly excellent all season performance tires.

**Y2KPewterSS** · 05-27-2010, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by 2001camaroSS

KDW NT's or IIs. they are the same tire but some places have different names for them. check them out.

**Naaman** · 05-28-2010, 06:16 AM

Can't do the KDWs for now. I need something for winter driving... Otherwise, I'd just keep my Goodyears....

**StuntmanMike** · 05-31-2010, 09:07 AM

I've only had the Nittos a month or so, so I can't comment on tread life yet. Everything I read about them said it was pretty good. I expect to get 40k out of them the way I drive. Trust me, I research the hell out of anything before I buy. I spend weeks going over different forums and reviews.

And seriously, ANY 275 tire is going to be lowsy in the snow, all season or not. For the price of the Michelins, you can get the Nittos AND a extra set of dedicated snows for the winter. A 235/55 or similar snow tire is going to get you a hell of alot farther, while being safer, than an all season 275. Check the classifieds, I used to see snow tires up for sale all the time on CL or wherever.

Why sacrifice performance all year for a few weeks in the winter? Either that, or just don't drive the car when it snows.

**Naaman** · 06-01-2010, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by StuntmanMike

Why sacrifice performance all year for a few weeks in the winter? Either that, or just don't drive the car when it snows.

Not an option, unfortuneately. Also, considering how much it rains here (it's still raining every day, even though it's already June), I need a tire that is awesome in the wet.

**Naaman** · 06-06-2010, 04:46 PM

So, I got my A/S Pluses the other day and they are awesome. Driving in the rain feels just like the ground is dry. They also SEEM to be more grippy for WOT acceleration (but this could be tainted data, since my skill may have matured since I last tried a first gear "launch").

Anyway, I like 'em. I may try something less expensive in the future, but these should last me a while.