Michelin Pilot A/S 3's - Initial impressions

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OVERKILL

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So, we've had the Charger for a few weeks now and have had a chance to evaluate these tires as well as compare them to the Super Sports I have on the M5.

1. Wet traction: Excellent. While not quite as sticky as the Super Sport, they are absolutely top-shelf in this department for an all-season.

2. Dry traction: Excellent. Compared to the Super Sport, again not quite as sticky, but that is to be expected.They are MUCH better than the tires they replaced here.

3. Cornering: Very Good. A bit more give than the SS when going over bumps hard into a turn where traction is briefly broken. They re-adhere well, but it is not as confidence inspiring as the feeling of being on epoxy that the SS gives you.

4. Ride quality: Excellent. They are dead quiet and gobble up small bumps and imperfections not transmitting anything to the cabin. This is particularly notable when compared to the tires they replaced.

5. Balance: They balanced with minimal weight and show no vibrations at any speed at this time.

6. Appearance: They are, in typical Michelin fashion, not overly "flashy" tires. The tread pattern isn't "sexy" or designed to be eye catching.


I will update further once we get some more miles on them.
 
Good to hear! I'm looking at these when our Fit needs new tires. It has a set of Conti DWS's on it right now which I (and the wife, since it's her daily) have been happy with.

Good to note that they re-gain traction well. That can be an issue with our Fit and its twist-beam rear axle stuck practically under the rear bumper.
 
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Good to hear! I'm looking at these when our Fit needs new tires.

What size tires are you running on the Fit?
 
Sounds just like what you would expect comparing those two tires. I'm definitely gaining interest in these. Not ridiculously priced either.


Maybe I should let you use my Pilot HX MXV4s for a few weeks for a 3 way comparo!
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Good to hear! I'm looking at these when our Fit needs new tires.

What size tires are you running on the Fit?


205/50-16. Many more choices and better performance than the stock 185/55-16. That wide of a tire on a 2800 lb Honda makes it handle pretty well on smooth pavement.
 
I would agree with most of those observations but you wont even know the true differences unless you have both on the same vehicle.... so you going to buy PSS for the summer? lol

example. the traction after hitting a bump can be largely influenced by suspension design and condition.
 
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Thanks for posting.
I actually ordered a set of these for my SI.. I get them installed in about a week. I am excited to have new tires (for 3 seasons...)
 
Originally Posted By: cp3
Sounds just like what you would expect comparing those two tires. I'm definitely gaining interest in these. Not ridiculously priced either.


Maybe I should let you use my Pilot HX MXV4s for a few weeks for a 3 way comparo!


While a fantastic idea I am thinking my wife would kill me, LOL
wink.gif
 
Yeah, I have them on the CVLX and I love them much more than anything else I've had on it. They are also the only tire that I can buy a set of 255/45R18 front and 285/40R18 rear.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


6. Appearance: They are, in typical Michelin fashion, not overly "flashy" tires. The tread pattern isn't "sexy" or designed to be eye catching.

The tires (Sport A/S and Sport A/S Plus) it replaces did have a more dramatic appearance.

I'm wondering how much difference there is between the types. Some are categorized as H or V speed rated. I could have gotten an H rated version in my size for quite a bit less. I'm wondering if there are substantial differences. I also saw a photo of (I think) a 20" size of the A/S 3 and it had one more column of tread blocks.

IMAG0318.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


6. Appearance: They are, in typical Michelin fashion, not overly "flashy" tires. The tread pattern isn't "sexy" or designed to be eye catching.

The tires (Sport A/S and Sport A/S Plus) it replaces did have a more dramatic appearance.

I'm wondering how much difference there is between the types. Some are categorized as H or V speed rated. I could have gotten an H rated version in my size for quite a bit less. I'm wondering if there are substantial differences. I also saw a photo of (I think) a 20" size of the A/S 3 and it had one more column of tread blocks.

IMAG0318.jpg


Yeah, its not the diameter its the width. Like in my example the 285s have an extra row over the 255s.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: cp3
Sounds just like what you would expect comparing those two tires. I'm definitely gaining interest in these. Not ridiculously priced either.


Maybe I should let you use my Pilot HX MXV4s for a few weeks for a 3 way comparo!


While a fantastic idea I am thinking my wife would kill me, LOL
wink.gif



Sorry, typo...I think it is MXM4.

She sure would especially if she hit any standing water on the MXM4s....terrible.

Not really a fair comparison, mine are not in the same class at all. I wouldn't wish these on you or your wife after rolling whats on your cars. I was hoping to get away from performance tires and drop down to a touring/grand touring style tire but if these are an indication, they just don't handle water as well as I would like. The AS/3 looks better equipped but then looking at the MXM4 tread I wouldn't expect it to be as bad as it is.

Looking forward to future updates.
 
the pilot hx mxm4 is a oem pile of poop.
below average at best... way below michelin's average tire.

primacy mxm4's are a totally different animal.

These were on the short list of tires for the 2011 forester.. but I went cheap.
 
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just wait until winter.... hopefully you have snow tires.

aside from maybe the compound... the lack thereof serious siping makes me think it's a 3-season tire.
 
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
just wait until winter.... hopefully you have snow tires.

aside from maybe the compound... the lack thereof serious siping makes me think it's a 3-season tire.



Not all all-seasons have siping... only the better ones that are actually good in winter conditions.

Just look at your average chinese tire, or UHP all season.. they have very little siping because its detrimental to "performance" driving.


These michelin's couldnt outperform other manufacturer's max performance summer tires if they were siped.
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
just wait until winter.... hopefully you have snow tires.

aside from maybe the compound... the lack thereof serious siping makes me think it's a 3-season tire.



Not all all-seasons have siping... only the better ones that are actually good in winter conditions.

Just look at your average chinese tire, or UHP all season.. they have very little siping because its detrimental to "performance" driving.


These michelin's couldnt outperform other manufacturer's max performance summer tires if they were siped.


They are classified as all-season from Michelin though, so people will use them in the winter time. they only get the M+S because of them meeting the minimum void to tread ratio that is needed for the M+S designation.

so, regardless, people will use these tires year-round, including snow. Michelin says it's suitable also.

http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector...3/tire-details#
Quote:
The Pilot Sport A/S 3 is Michelin’s ultimate Ultra High Performance All-Season tire combining summer levels of wet and dry grip with cold weather and light snow mobility.


I would expect them to fall behind the Continental Extreme Contact DWS in the light white stuff.
 
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Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
They are classified as all-season from Michelin though, so people will use them in the winter time. they only get the M+S because of them meeting the minimum void to tread ratio that is needed for the M+S designation.

The requirement is something like a 25% void, and a lot of tires designed to evacuate standing water actually meet that regardless of whether or not the tread compound is suitable for colder weather and/or snow/ice.

Almost no tire manufacturers slap on the M+S label simply because it meets the technical definition based on the void ratio. It's going to include the tread compound as well as the carcass design. I remember getting the infamous Pirelli PZero Nero M+S tires for my WRX. They were really good in dry and wet conditions, but flaky in the snow. I contacted Pirelli USA and asked them about what made it "all-season". I was told compared to their PZero Nero summer tire, the M+S version (with an identical tread pattern) had a carcass designed to present a smaller contact patch (to reduce floating) and had a tread compound that would stay softer in cold conditions. It was still a disaster waiting to happen in snow. I'm surprised I managed to stay on the road.
 
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
so, regardless, people will use these tires year-round, including snow.

Of course, but they won't be very happy with them in snow.

All-season is a very broad category. Some all-seasons do well in snow. Others, not so much.
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
It was still a disaster waiting to happen in snow. I'm surprised I managed to stay on the road.

Heh... it's why I don't use my Bridgestone RE970 in winter, even though they're all-season, too.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
It was still a disaster waiting to happen in snow. I'm surprised I managed to stay on the road.

Heh... it's why I don't use my Bridgestone RE970 in winter, even though they're all-season, too.
smile.gif



The RE960 was actually quite acceptable in the snow. That's what I got after I noticed heavy inside wear on my Pirellis.
 
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