Another vote for the Pilot Super Sport here. It grips for days in dry and wet, is lighter than almost anything else you can buy (a big deal as tire mass is the most consequential on the whole car), and lasts longer than just about anything else that comes close performance-wise.
Don't be swayed by the cheaper tires that are "almost as good." They aren't. They might come close in every area, but falling a little short in every respect means falling way short overall. The price difference is never worth it -- unless you just can't afford the upfront cost, in which case you're probably driving the wrong car.
Very, very few street tires even come close. The Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 and RE-71R might have better dry grip when hot, and they definitely have firmer sidewalls. But they'll be worse when cold and much worse in the wet, and they're significantly heavier. The Michelin Pilot Sport AS3 is the only tire that truly compete as an all-rounder, and probably has the edge in the wet. But it's softer and squirmier, has less dry grip, and doesn't last as long under hard use.
As for how the Pilot Super Sport performs after a lot of miles... I've had sets down to the wear bars, and they still refused to hydroplane. Other tires might take longer to get to the wear bars, but they start to suck after 20k-30k miles anyway, so they don't actually offer any more usable tread life.
So, yeah. Pilot Super Sport for sure. At least until the Pilot Sport 4 comes out, or some other competitor really steps up their game.
Don't be swayed by the cheaper tires that are "almost as good." They aren't. They might come close in every area, but falling a little short in every respect means falling way short overall. The price difference is never worth it -- unless you just can't afford the upfront cost, in which case you're probably driving the wrong car.
Very, very few street tires even come close. The Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 and RE-71R might have better dry grip when hot, and they definitely have firmer sidewalls. But they'll be worse when cold and much worse in the wet, and they're significantly heavier. The Michelin Pilot Sport AS3 is the only tire that truly compete as an all-rounder, and probably has the edge in the wet. But it's softer and squirmier, has less dry grip, and doesn't last as long under hard use.
As for how the Pilot Super Sport performs after a lot of miles... I've had sets down to the wear bars, and they still refused to hydroplane. Other tires might take longer to get to the wear bars, but they start to suck after 20k-30k miles anyway, so they don't actually offer any more usable tread life.
So, yeah. Pilot Super Sport for sure. At least until the Pilot Sport 4 comes out, or some other competitor really steps up their game.
