Bridgestones v Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

[Ken Figenus]

Philip0 said:

According to Michelin, compared to Bridgestones, they stop better, grip better and last longer, so it appears to make a real difference, not least to safety..

Big fan of PSS. The lack of wet handling info really has my nose twitching though. If it was better they would have a 5th nice picture surely?

This said I was astounded at the PSS back in Dec in sub 5 degree temperatures and wet roads during a 200 mile A road drive. Its tenacity and grip was way beyond what I would have expected - Rapide's jolly good setup of course takes a lot of credit too Superb match.

[jon-]

Ken Figenus said:

Philip0 said:

According to Michelin, compared to Bridgestones, they stop better, grip better and last longer, so it appears to make a real difference, not least to safety..

Big fan of PSS. The lack of wet handling info really has my nose twitching though. If it was better they would have a 5th nice picture surely?

This said I was astounded at the PSS back in Dec in sub 5 degree temperatures and wet roads during a 200 mile A road drive. Its tenacity and grip was way beyond what I would have expected - Rapide's jolly good setup of course takes a lot of credit too Superb match.

PS4S vastly improves the PSS wet handling.

[huntsen]

Enquired today at Costco Watford about supplying 2 rear PS4Ss for my V8V.
Was told that they could supply them, but Michelin aren't making them available for 8 weeks. No prices yet.

[AWV12]

Upgraded the Bridgestones on my DBS years ago to Continental SportContact 5, with a much better ride (handling, aqua planing, etc) as a consequence.

Will need new tires this year, either go for Conti SC 6 of Michelin 4S.

[divetheworld]

AWV12 said:

Upgraded the Bridgestones on my DBS years ago to Continental SportContact 5, with a much better ride (handling, aqua planing, etc) as a consequence.

Will need new tires this year, either go for Conti SC 6 of Michelin 4S.

4S not available in V12V and DBS sizes yet....

[GenialZ]

huntsen said:

Enquired today at Costco Watford about supplying 2 rear PS4Ss for my V8V.
Was told that they could supply them, but Michelin aren't making them available for 8 weeks. No prices yet.

Just had rear PS4Ss fitted at Just Tyres Buckingham on my N430. About £50 more each than Bridgestones. Early days yet. Trip to Italy coming though. 10k first pair, 15k second pair of Bridgestones. Will 20k be possible?

[DB9VolanteDriver]

AWV12 said:

Upgraded the Bridgestones on my DBS years ago to Continental SportContact 5, with a much better ride (handling, aqua planing, etc) as a consequence.

Will need new tires this year, either go for Conti SC 6 of Michelin 4S.

Don't you mean Pirellis, not Bridgestones?

[klmc]

Just ordered 4S for Vanquish - should be getting them in a week - will keep you posted.

[Omaruk]

Ok late to the party on this. Changed from Bridgestones to Michelin super sport. What a difference!, tyres feel much more compliant making the ride better and losing that slightly skittish harshness, grip levels improved but much more progressive when exceeding the limit.

[divetheworld]

divetheworld said:

AWV12 said:

Upgraded the Bridgestones on my DBS years ago to Continental SportContact 5, with a much better ride (handling, aqua planing, etc) as a consequence.

Will need new tires this year, either go for Conti SC 6 of Michelin 4S.

4S not available in V12V and DBS sizes yet....

Looks like sizes have just been updated, now listing 295/30/19!!

[mrpseudonym]

divetheworld said:

Looks like sizes have just been updated, now listing 295/30/19!!

Excellent! Was just about to press the button on purchasing the PSS, read a bunch of reviews and will hang out now for the 4S

Edited to add: bugger, not in Australia yet

Edited by mrpseudonym on Monday 13th March 07:44

[divetheworld]

mrpseudonym said:

divetheworld said:

Looks like sizes have just been updated, now listing 295/30/19!!

Excellent! Was just about to press the button on purchasing the PSS, read a bunch of reviews and will hang out now for the 4S

Edited to add: bugger, not in Australia yet

Edited by mrpseudonym on Monday 13th March 07:44

Yeah, they're listing those sizes but not available. No estimated dates either.
Not worth holding out for over a PSS.

[drac]

These PS4S tyres are made in the USA. They are available in 235/275, 245/285 & 255/295 combinations for all vantages on tirerack.com in the states. I'm in NZ and they are not expected here until Q4. I have just had a set of 245/285's delivered from the US and will have them fitted this afternoon.

I went for the PS4S rather than the PSS because the price difference verses getting the PSS locally was minimal and the wet weather grip is meant to be greatly improved with the newer tyre. They have worked out about 500GBP dearer than the bridgestones (1580v1080GBP) but I wanted to try them as I love Michelins on my Lotus.

I will report back.

[mrpseudonym]

drac said:

These PS4S tyres are made in the USA. They are available in 235/275, 245/285 & 255/295 combinations for all vantages on tirerack.com in the states. I'm in NZ and they are not expected here until Q4. I have just had a set of 245/285's delivered from the US and will have them fitted this afternoon.

I went for the PS4S rather than the PSS because the price difference verses getting the PSS locally was minimal and the wet weather grip is meant to be greatly improved with the newer tyre. They have worked out about 500GBP dearer than the bridgestones (1580v1080GBP) but I wanted to try them as I love Michelins on my Lotus.

I will report back.

Now this is why we have forums, for useful information like this. Thanks Drac. I just went to the site and they have the 4S in stock for the DB9. Can I ask what you paid in shipping?

Edited to add: looking fwd to your report

Edited by mrpseudonym on Tuesday 14th March 08:37

[drac]

mrpseudonym said:

Now this is why we have forums, for useful information like this. Thanks Drac. I just went to the site and they have the 4S in stock for the DB9. Can I ask what you paid in shipping?

Edited to add: looking fwd to your report

Edited by mrpseudonym on Tuesday 14th March 08:37

The shipping was 450USD, they took 10days to arrive to my rural address but included 2 weekends.

I've only done 30km going easy on windy roads with them so far but there are a couple of instant observations. Compared to AM9 Bridgestones, which were not worn out but were nearly 4 years old. They ride better, the Bridgestones always felt too hard, like they weren't working with the surface of the road. The PS4S tyres seem to flow better, they seem more consistent front to back.

I did weigh them.
Michelin PS4S
245/40R19 11.1kg
285/35R19 12.8kg

Bridgestone RE050A AM9
235/40R19 Used 10.6kg(unsure of new weight tirerack list as 26 lb(11.8kg)
275/40R19 13.2kg(new, weighed when I had to buy a new rear due to tyre damage)

I also weighed the MY2010 sport pack wheels. (Previously I haven't been able to find this sort of info on the web.)
19"x8.5J fronts-10.3kg.
19x9.5J rears-11.2kg.

Edited by drac on Tuesday 14th March 20:12

[telum01]

drac said:

I did weigh them.
Michelin PS4S
245/40R19 11.1kg
285/35R19 12.8kg

Bridgestone RE050A AM9
235/40R19 Used 10.6kg(unsure of new weight tirerack list as 26 lb(11.8kg)
275/40R19 13.2kg(new, weighed when I had to buy a new rear due to tyre damage)

I also weighed the MY2010 sport pack wheels. (Previously I haven't been able to find this sort of info on the web.)
19"x8J fronts-10.3kg.
19x9.5J rears-11.2kg.

Thanks so much for weighing those wheels. I've been wanting to know for a while how much they weighed!! But are you sure those are only 8.0" in front? They aren't 8.5"?
Standard 7-spoke wheels, 19x8.5" front are 11.23 kg
Standard 7-spoke wheels, 19x9.5" rear are 12.53 kg
Good to see the lightweight Sport Pack wheels are actually a lighter weight!

[drac]

Sorry Richard, my bad, yes 8.5J front.

Post edited for correction.

[AWV12]

DB9VolanteDriver said:

AWV12 said:

Upgraded the Bridgestones on my DBS years ago to Continental SportContact 5, with a much better ride (handling, aqua planing, etc) as a consequence.

Will need new tires this year, either go for Conti SC 6 of Michelin 4S.

Don't you mean Pirellis, not Bridgestones?

SOrry, you are right, the Bridgestones where on my previous V8 Vantage (that U also upgraded to Conti SC). The Conti's on my DBS are SportContact 5P (with MO certification = Mercedes OEM).

divetheworld said:

divetheworld said:

4S not available in V12V and DBS sizes yet....

Looks like sizes have just been updated, now listing 295/30/19!!

Indeed, and over here also in the correct 20 inch sizes:
- 245/35/20 (front)
- 295/30/20 (rear)

[drac]

Progress Report.

Up until this morning I had done about 180km on the PS4S. All the signs were positive, nice ride, positive steering feel and it seems improved economy.
I checked there pressures this morning, they were all 2-3PSI low and so I corrected them back to book for the purposes of this comparison. Then the family and I went out for lunch. I took the AMV with the boy and the wife took the Elise with our daughter.

The place we chose for lunch was 52km away but on some pretty torturous roads. Previously have driven this road in the Vantage, and being kind to it, I decided it was too much car for the road. In the past, I have become a little frustrated feeling like I needed to reign in the weight of the Vantage but I also decided that there was too much rebound in the suspension set up of the car so that mid corner bumps would unsettle the car throwing it off line. I now believe that the Bridgestone's stiff sidewalls have previously contributed greatly to this problem. You can still feel this characteristic but its much milder, not upsetting the car and your chosen line. I also was frustrated with my DSC, I thought it was far too intrusive on my MY2010 car and had frequently turned it off. Not today, I didn't need to. It seems too have disappeared, I drove it pretty hard and I don't think it came on once.

I can't yet comment on wet weather behaviour and although it seems fine cruising along on the A road equivalent I have no experience of the motorway blast. I have however made a verdict on these tyres. For me and the type of driving I do, on the roads around me, they are a massive improvement. To the point that they have completely changed the car. I really hope they wear well, and grip in the wet because if so they will be perfect. If I get 30,000km out of them I would be delighted.

I put Michelin PS3 on my Elise about 2 years ago and think they are the best all round tyre I have ever used on that. I'll be updating to PS4 soon. So bravo Michelin, well done, you're on a roll and I'm a fan.

[Philip0]

Great review, thanks! Looks like the Michelins are winners.

Edited by Philip0 on Sunday 19th March 07:34