das2.7t

Just arrived today. I have been very happy with my Pilot Super Sports as my summer tires and am excited to see how much better these are. If anyone else is interested, I found an incredible deal here in the US. Tire Rack is $282 per tire (for 255/40R19), Costco is $250 per (when they can sporadically find them) and Discounted Wheel Warehouse (in Fullerton, CA) came in at an incredible $206 per tire. I thought it was a misprint. While it took a few weeks for them to come in, they just arrived at the house. Shipping was $10 per tire.

I'll post some pics once they are installed and give a ride report a week or two later with my impressions on the new tire vs. my existing Pilot Super Sports.

porksoda

Yes please, looking forward to your review on the tires. I am thinking either these or the contis for mine as well (I will do stage II after warranty is over).

das2.7t

Ok, so here's the deal. I've had the tires on for a few days now. My last three sets were all Michelin summer tires; Pilot Sport PS2's --> Pilot Super Sports --> Pilot Sport 4S's. Each iteration has gotten progressively better. The difference between the PSS and 4S are quite remarkable. The 4S's are much quieter and this is after Michelin had already taken a quantum leap from the previous generation. The 4S's track better over grooved pavement and longitudinal cracks and height variances between lanes and road patches. Completely gone is the road imperfection steering that takes place with most tires with wide circumvential grooves. Not sure how they do this since the wide grooves are still there. Maybe it's the small steps they've introduced on the groove side of the outer tread blocks.

The tires are super sticky and feel almost like a set of dedicated track tires. Much of the hardness/harshness of the PSS's is gone. The almost feel like a set of tall-block all seasons in the ride comfort as bumps and transitions are much more muted and less harsh. They really start to shine, though, in hard cornering. The improved grip (over the already excellent PSS') is remarkable. In addition, imperfections in a sweeper are swallowed up much more graciously with less chatter if there is a big bump on a turn.

I've not done any real high-speed stuff on the tires but 0-80 and everywhere in between fell solid and stable. It rained chilly 40F buckets yesterday here in the Mid-Atlantic. The tires' ability to evacuate massive volumes of water was noteworthy. It appeared that the water was being pushed out much more laterally as you could no longer hear the evacuating water hitting the inside of the fenders. Only when there was deep water building up in highway ruts and I was going over 70mph did I sense the tread struggling to stay planted to the road. Wet performance was a bit unnerving but in a good way. I've become used to a predictable amount of drift on wet roads due to the lessened adhesion created by the wetness but the silica compound in the tire, especially with the revised compound on the outer 1/3rd of the tread, creates a much more stable turn in wet. It will take me a little time to get used to that and I'll have to watch for a false sense of security until I can find out what the new limits are.

So, first impressions are pretty impressive, which is noteworthy since the PSS's were already pretty awesome. My test drive ends in two days as I am putting the Blizzak's on the car on Friday since our first 20's lows hit this weekend. I love the cold and snow but have to say I am a bit disappointed to be taking this rubber off the car so soon. Hit me up with any followup questions you all have.
DAS

Tinbad

Great writeup, thanks for taking the time to share your experience! These are now top of the list when replacement is due for my S6. I’m lucky to be able to drive summers year round too..

superswiss

Just curious about how you compared the two tires. Did you compare them against your worn set of PSS or how you remembered the PSS when they were new? Obviously, the more a tire wears the more its properties change. Less tread means less water can be evacuated for example and less flex the tire has. A new tire with full tread depth has quite a bit of flex which could be why you think the P4S reacts less to grooves etc. In my experience new tires vs worn tires always makes a big difference even if it is the same brand and model. It'll be interesting to revisit this once your set of P4S has worn down.

porksoda

das2.7t: thanks for the input/review. What air pressure were you running on all 4s? I am assuming they were 20"?

KevinGary

Great write up. I will be getting a set in the spring when the warm weather returns.

das2.7t

I tried to base the comparisons on my memory of the PSS' at the beginning of their life but will be the first to admit that the memory is likely influenced by my experience with the tires later in their life. Especially regarding road noise. I do remember the PSS's tracking a bit over grooves, even when new, so the change with this set is a welcome addition. I've since looked at a couple of reviews on the PS4's and they seem to be in line with what I am seeing. That said, I only ran them for a week before the cold set in here in Maryland and I had to swap to my winters. It will be interesting to see how my impressions (possibly) change once I run them a bit more in the Spring.

das2.7t

I'm actually running 19" Rotors for my summer setup. I've found that the 20" setup is a little harsh for my liking.

I run 36psi. I think your 20's are a bit higher.

Here's the swap in progress........

porksoda

Update, i got the 4S on my car and they are fantastic tires. Surprisingly ride is smoother than the oem pirelli's on my 20". They turn and grip like crazy. I think i can push them harder than the car and the seat can handle!

Best summer tire i have used so far.