Good experience with Michelin PS4S on a GT3

[blueSL]

Tyre change time for my 991.1 GT3 and instead of carrying on with the Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, I replaced them all with Pilot Sport 4S which are a conventionally treaded tyre compared to the semi-slick originals.

They are a bit of a nightmare in the wet, what shallow tread there is is not good at clearing water and I am sure I’m not alone in having had a few heart-stopping OMG moments when the car threatened to aquaplane. They are of course brilliant in the dry, if you can get them hot enough, and so are well suited to track days.

Have to say the 4S’s are a revelation and have redefined my enjoyment of the car and here on a driving trip to a very wet Scotland have already proved themselves.

I am sure there are those who persevere with the Cups in the wet as a sort of badge of honour and all credit to them but for me, the 4S’s are a better compromise. So much so that a second GT3 I have, a 991.2 manual, is getting its Cups replaced early with the same.

[franki68]

blueSL said:

Tyre change time for my 991.1 GT3 and instead of carrying on with the Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, I replaced them all with Pilot Sport 4S which are a conventionally treaded tyre compared to the semi-slick originals.

They are a bit of a nightmare in the wet, what shallow tread there is is not good at clearing water and I am sure I’m not alone in having had a few heart-stopping OMG moments when the car threatened to aquaplane. They are of course brilliant in the dry, if you can get them hot enough, and so are well suited to track days.

Have to say the 4S’s are a revelation and have redefined my enjoyment of the car and here on a driving trip to a very wet Scotland have already proved themselves.

I am sure there are those who persevere with the Cups in the wet as a sort of badge of honour and all credit to them but for me, the 4S’s are a better compromise. So much so that a second GT3 I have, a 991.2 manual, is getting its Cups replaced early with the same.

Snap and snap ,the level of traction in the wet is night and day,the PS4’s are much better for the road.

[TB993tt]

I swapped the stty Pirellis on my 720S almost immediately but persevered with Cups on my 7GT2 for way too long, PS4S transformed the amount of grip and traction, wish I'd swapped 10 years ago, or whenever the 4S came out.

[Twinfan]

PS4Ss get pretty hot quickly so if you're going to use them on track in the summer, be aware of tyre pressures. Cup2s win here as you might expect.

For a pure road car though, and in the cold and wet, PS4Ss do indeed rule.

[Cheib]

I indulged myself when I bough some BBS FI-R’s for my car. Cup 2’s on the BBS’s for summer….and PS4S on the OEM wheels for winter.

[Taffy66]

I drove my RS for over a 100 miles on Sunday partly in torrential rain. I find them OK in the wet as long as ambient temps are well into double figures and avoid standing water. However I switched my 458's tyres to K1 MP4Ss and they were quite miraculous in biblical wet conditions. I also drove my 812 last week in extremely wet conditions on its standard Pirellis and in Wet mode was pretty good.
Both the RS Cups and 812s Pirellis are OK in the wet if driven with caution but the MP4Ss are in a totally different league in my experience.

[993rsr]

Cup2’’s fine in the wet unless it’s cold:

[Twinfan]

993rsr said:

Cup2’’s fine in the wet unless it’s cold

The newer N1 spec Cup2s are rated a lot lower for wet weather performance compared to the older N0, if that's what you're running on your CGT.

[Cheib]

Although re Cup2’s in the wet I did a day with an instructor at Milbrook in my GT3….so was able to explore limits of the car more safely and on a variety of surfaces. Have to say it changed my mind about them…as Taffy says as long as it isn’t cold and/or there is standing water there is plenty of grip. Caveat to that is dependent on your driving style….which I learn a lot about during that day at Milbrook.

[garystoybox]

Taffy66 said:

I drove my RS for over a 100 miles on Sunday partly in torrential rain. I find them OK in the wet as long as ambient temps are well into double figures and avoid standing water. However I switched my 458's tyres to K1 MP4Ss and they were quite miraculous in biblical wet conditions. I also drove my 812 last week in extremely wet conditions on its standard Pirellis and in Wet mode was pretty good.
Both the RS Cups and 812s Pirellis are OK in the wet if driven with caution but the MP4Ss are in a totally different league in my experience.

Just a quick update Taffy, finally got round to binning the almost new Pzero and putting the MP4S on my 812. I’d found the Pzero to be fine all summer, very grippy, but as predicted became a bit of a handful even in wet mode last week on the damp leaf strewn roads. Just have that bit more confidence after the switch. Initial thoughts are that it has been £1,250 well spent. Still think the Pzero is a good dry weather summer tyre though.

[TB993tt]

993rsr said:

Cup2’’s fine in the wet unless it’s cold:

OK for nat asp Pork but no good with proper turbo torque

[jh001]

I have a set of GT3 wheels fitted with PS4S (20/21) tyres which have very little use for sale if anyone is interested. Also have an almost new set of Dunlop Sport Maxx Race 2 available.

[blueSL]

Good to hear others like the tyres as well, not just my wishful thinking! Driving around the top of Scotland today in atrocious conditions just confirmed how good they are for road use. They are billed as being for occasional track use too though clearly wouldn’t suit frequent use.

All good and I’ve ordered a set for my other car. Is there a market for secondhand cups I wonder?

[caminator11]

Cup2s are okay in the wet but as OP suggests PS4S are a revelation.

I don’t think there’s a better tyre for use in mixed conditions.

[Andy OH]

I've been using PS4Ss on my 981 GT4 for 18 months and I couldn't be happier with them. They are a fantastic tyre and the Cup 2's are in the garage and only used for track day work.

[Desert Dragon]

Are these available in 993 RS and 996 GT3 sizes yet? They'd transform all year round usability.

[Geoff39GL]

993rsr said:

Cup2’’s fine in the wet unless it’s cold:

You should be ashamed taking it out in the rain