Will choose Michelin Pilot Sport A/S over Goodyear F1 GSD3 this year

[outrun]

Next time I will try to get the German made GSD3's. Although the Goodyears were available from tire rack I just could not get them locally...reason being due to a massive discount I get on Michelins It would have been kewl to drive a German autobahn tire on the interstates though So what is the A/S Pilot's weaknesses? Are they quiete or noisy as heck? I did ride in a new Cadillac Deville with them installed. They were quite and buttery smooth...then again devilles are already quiet and buttery smooth *lol* Thanks and users of the Pilot A/S here?

 

[outrun]

Edit: The Pirelli PZero Nero M&S (Ultra High Performance All-Season) was actually the prime contendar. It is on North American back order last time I checked. They were rated as quiet comfortable and good all season traction. I found out about them from an "insider tip" at BITOG...oh well Italian tires would have been nice too

 

[Quattro Pete]

quote:

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Originally posted by outrun: So what is the A/S Pilot's weaknesses?

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You're in Texas. Why do you want an all-season tire? Pilot Sport A/S is not as grippy as the GSD3 because the A/S is an all-season compound. It sacrifices grip and crisp handling for the ability to handle light snow. I have not heard any reports of the A/S being noisy. I guess you should start with telling us what your expectations are, and then we can begin throwing out some tire names.

 

[Mazatrol]

Although we do have to deal with ice on the roads here in Texas at times...... all season wasn't at the top of my list when asking my local tire man about new tires for our 01 Honda Accord. I told him I wanted the best tire for tread wear and handling, but also very important.....I wanted it to be QUIET riding. The Bridgstone Touranzas that came on it are wearing fast and are very loud. His first suggestion was Michelin Harmony tires. Now I know a Honda will never have the quiet ride of a Caddy but am looking forward to trying the Michelins. The customer feedback on these tires at Tirerack also looks very reassuring. [ July 25, 2004, 06:00 PM: Message edited by: Mazatrol ]

 

[T-Keith]

Having installed both brands of tires, although not these particular models, I have to say that I've always found Michelin's tire to be of much higher quality. This new tire might be better but my experience with GoodYear performance tires(and truck tires for that matter) to be mediocre. They just don't seem to hold up very well compared to other tires. Michelins tires on the other hand are the best built and best overall tire from my experiance. I have had Pilots on my Lesabre for several years. And dispit several trips to the racetrack, months siting in an unsealed garage, plenty of abuse and alot of spinning, they've held up very well. No dry rot and no uneven wear. They get an A from me. Now if only they had a little more traction. (their only XGT h4s) -T

 

[Quattro Pete]

I try to avoid making general statements such as "Michelin is better than Goodyear". Both companies make a boatload of different tires, some of them good, some of them bad. The OEM Michelin MXV4+ Energy on my '00 Accord were horrible. Long wear and quiet ride, but very poor wet/dry grip and very soft sidewalls - not what I like. The Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tires I have now aren't all that great in the snow either. Very low performance to price index, IMO. On the other hand, their top of the line Pilot Sport and the new Pilot Sport 2 have been getting excellent reviews. Of course these are max performance tires, so don't get them if you want your tires to last more than 20K miles. As far as Goodyear, their lower-end tires are very mediocre, but at least they don't cost an arm and a leg, like the Michelins. I've had the GY GT-II, and NCT5 - nothing to write home about, just barely OK. On the other hand, their top of the line GSD3 has been getting nothing but good rep. Once my current ContiSportContact2 wear out (which will be pretty soon the way I drive ), I'll seriously consider getting the GSD3. Dunlop Sport Maxx is another one I'm considering, but it's not available in the US (yet) - it's a successor to the SP9000. And once again, everyone has different priorites and expectations about tires. Some mainly care about quiet ride and long wear. Others require maximum grip, dry and/or wet. So, what's best for me, may not be best for someone else. A "good tire" is a very relative term.

 

[outrun]

You're in Texas. Why do you want an all-season tire? Pete, Greetings to Poland. Warsaw or Krakow may I ask? As you may know I study politics. Welcome to the EU by the way The car goes up north and some summers to the mid-atlantic where there is moderate snow fall. Michelin Pilot A/S 245/50ZR16 96W I have enough experiance to know that tires are the most crucial component of the vehicle and 150-200/tire is more than worth your life for safety. Concerns, I want a luxury ride, without having to go back to OEM Eagle GA's(235/55T16 96T) for example. Under this low noise is a paramter. High Speed cornering, if I am taking a highway curve at 120 kilometers/hr I do not want sweat to much fearing a catastrophic loss of control. Or an off ramp, no screaming sidewalls. Second i want premium braking as part of the safety aspect. It has a DOT rating of "AA" which is premium correct? The Temp rating is "A". The GA's were A/B respectively UTQC 300 i believe. The UTQC is 400, so i would expect 20-30k miles if I behave acceleration/braking. wise. Hydroplane wise on my RWD I found the GA's to be deadly is not respected...meaning you had to drive very very slow wet and rain! Perhaps the channeling of the tread blocks of the A/S offer some advantage? For winter when I am back north I will put on a set of Blizzaks WS50 snow tires !! I absolutely love that winter tire!!! My car feels liks a tank in deep snow...it goes right through it!! So I figure the A/S is good for the Summer, Fall, Spring mission and the Blizzaks will take down the snow and ice. The Michelin Pilot Sports although impressive were not available. I got the Michelin A/S today after trading in my horrible Eagle HP's as a customer satisfaction partial price adjustment. Those puppies are sitting waiting to be mounted. Now all I need are two of my aluminum alloy wheels to be refinished and then its off the highway and backroads for testing

 

[Quattro Pete]

Well, given what you wrote, it seems like the MPS A/S may indeed be a good tire for you. If there is any risk of encountering snowy conditions, you definitely want at least an all-season as opposed to summer-only tire. The "AA" traction rating refers to WET traction. This means this tire is an excellent wet pavement performer. So, it might help a bit with your hydroplaning issues. As far as treadlife, a friend had them on his A4 quattro and he got about 40K miles out of them. I guess if you rotate them often, since you have RWD, you should be able to get 30-40K as well. I still feel you could do better with high speed cornering and stability and quicker steering response by going with a dedicated summer tire like MPS or GSD3, but I realize, there are always sacrifices to be made, in terms of treadlife, weather conditions, etc. FYI, I'm near Warsaw, but my company's HQ is in Krakow, so I go there quite often, too. Ever been out here?

 

[outrun]

Got them on today. Sound do not know yet have not gotten it over 100 kph yet. However suddenly the steering wheel seems much more stiff! I have read comments on the rigidity of Michelin sidewalls. So either it is placebo effect or I am in fact noticing different handling behavior.