Best Tire EVER

Bruce Bartlow

Bruce Bartlow

Late apex everything
1,599
865
Sacramento, CA
Vehicle Model
Rented a C8 for a week (what a monster) ended up buying a TLX. Beautiful car inside and out. Killer stereo. Handles better than it should given its weight. Not my dream car, just a Honda Accord in a tux.
Body Style
Sedan with the backseat of a two-seater
Finally sprung for the Michelin Pilot Super Sports discussed here:

http://www.caranddriver.com/compari...mmer-performance-tires-tested-comparison-test

Without question these is the best, most bodacious, bitchin' bad-*** tires I have ever owned. Wow. Here I am in the middle of a monster California storm and these "monsters of grip" (as Car and Driver put it) are giving me complete and total control like it's bone dry, 85 degrees outside, driving an Indy car. Okay, a little hyperbole there. But I am just stoked.

Do note.... they were installed on a much heavier 2009 Honda Accord EX Sedan, not exactly the light and already nimble Honda Civic. So if these Pilot Super Sports (PSS) can dramatically change the character of my beloved but bloated Accord, I can't imagine what it will do for our SI's and other Civics, especially those with upgraded suspension.

I expect anyone who tries them will be stunned.

Size: I went with 225/45/17 for the Accord. The stock SI is 215/45/17. Going with 225/45/17 for the SI as well would add a conservative .4" tire width.

Price: Even the larger size was $176/each at Americas/Discount Tire, less Michelin's frequent $70.00 rebate. The smaller stock size is $164.00/tire. If these last 30,000 miles, as advertised, they could be best value in ultra high performance tires in the history of the known universe. Unbelievable.
 
That's great feedback! They're on my top 2 list, I am also considering Nokians (Nokian Z G2) as well based on my winter tires where I see a huge difference between the X Ice and the Nokians, and the X Ice are a pretty good tire.
 
I drove a 2013 FR-S equipped with them..... and it was freaking amazing the amount of grip they had. Acceleration, braking, cornering... just a well rounded performance tire. I want to move to 17" wheels with the Pilots in the summer.
 
I'll wet my pants if I ever drive a 50/50 weight distributed car with these tires. I'll ask my brother to get these for his RX-8.
 
KennyGS said:
I'm putting a set of these on the vette this spring/summer. Can't wait.
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Can't imagine a better tire for a Vette. Unfortunately, prices go ballistic for larger sizes. I noticed that even the 18" tire is $400.00 more per set. Save up!
 
Ahhh the joy of summer tires, mine came with the all seasons... But when they're gone
 
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Michael Hurd said:
I drove a 2013 FR-S equipped with them..... and it was freaking amazing the amount of grip they had. Acceleration, braking, cornering... just a well rounded performance tire. I want to move to 17" wheels with the Pilots in the summer.
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Be aware these tires are totally dangerous in snow. Seriously, even light snow. I tried them last month at Lake Tahoe, CA... absolutely no traction. So for anybody on the upper East Coast, don't kid yourself -- this is a summer/fall tire at best.

Otherwise, :hitit: These tires will inspire confidence you shouldn't have.
 
These PSS's are on my 'test vehicle', a much heavier '09 Accord.... front/rear pics after 5,300 miles. Rear's look fine.. front's not so good. Will measure trend depth next time... but doubt they're good for 30,000. Even 25.
 

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Obviously, it depends on how hard you push your car, as well as inflation, and alignment. Some people could destroy a set of tires in an afternoon on a track driving near the limits of adhesion.
 
Michael Hurd said:
Obviously, it depends on how hard you push your car, as well as inflation, and alignment. Some people could destroy a set of tires in an afternoon on a track driving near the limits of adhesion.
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Good points. Alignment recently checked and always run at max inflation. 80% is modest around town driving 5 miles or less, other 20% is total freeway. Nothing too hard, although i do push'em occasionally just to put a smile on my face. They is my First summer tire... and i am definitely in love. Not sure i can ever go back. After they're gone, I may have to take the bus. :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:
 
Michael Hurd said:
I drove a 2013 FR-S equipped with them..... and it was freaking amazing the amount of grip they had. Acceleration, braking, cornering... just a well rounded performance tire. I want to move to 17" wheels with the Pilots in the summer.
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Michael... you still planning on buying these 17" PSS's for the summer? (The 17's are relatively cheap at $170/tire) From your experience with the FRS, you seem to know what they can do. Tell us more if you can...
 
I am still planning on going larger, originally planning on going with 17's, but still toying with the idea of going to an 18, although the streets aren't terrible here, there are some ugly potholes. I would ideally like to pay down some bills first before diving in and spending a whack of money, so it may not be this summer, possibly next though. I have been looking on the local free ads for 17" Si take-off wheels, but nothing at the moment.

My friend Mike's FR-S drove like nothing I have driven before, it was like driving on rails. Turn in was immediate, no lag or tire squirm noticed at all. Most of all, even with a stiff suspension in the car, it RODE fantastic. ( Started off in Chicago, drove to Thunder Bay, Ontario with a stop in Detroit, Toronto, then on to Ottawa, a day trip to Montreal, then to Thunder Bay )

The car's braking abilities surprised me with the amount of grip the tires could generate, it was like you were driving on soft compound race tires. As far as cornering goes, I didn't push his car as hard as he did when he was behind the wheel, but I would have to say it was better than his supercharged Miata, mind you the suspension bushings were getting pretty worn when we were playing in that car. I wasn't comfortable enough with the car to push it. ( FR-S )

Tire noise was very minimal as well, they were well behaved, even over expansion joints. Unlike some other cars I have driven with performance rubber, you never felt the rear of the car skate sideways over a diagonal joint in the road.

The tires reminded me of the 205/65R15 Pirelli P600's I had on my Olds Cutlass many moons ago. With cheap all seasons, the car rode not half bad, but handled like a shopping cart. With the premium Pirelli rubber, it rode great, handled great and stopped shorter than with the all seasons, also less dive when braking.

Same thing on my 1993 Caprice... I had access to an almost unlimited supply of 1/2 worn Goodyear Eagles that the cops had used on their cars. With run of the mill all season tires, if you really pushed the car hard in the corners, the tire would 'fall over' on the sidewall. With the Goodyear Eagles, the car was a totally different animal, stiff bead filler and a bit harder tread compound. Even at 4200 pounds + it wasn't half bad, considering. Tires really can transform a vehicle!
 
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Bruce Bartlow said:
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Good points. Alignment recently checked and always run at max inflation. 80% is modest around town driving 5 miles or less, other 20% is total freeway. Nothing too hard, although i do push'em occasionally just to put a smile on my face. They is my First summer tire... and i am definitely in love. Not sure i can ever go back. After they're gone, I may have to take the bus. :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:
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Max inflation? As in the maximum specified on the sidewall? (50 PSI ) I would never run that high a pressure. You should bump the tires up slightly over the door jamb rated pressures if you are driving at high speeds, or have increased loads, or both. Also, you may have better performance cornering with slightly higher pressure in the front, IF your camber is near 0 degrees / low. It will help to combat the tire falling away from the rim at high lateral loads.
 
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