Have your eye on a set of nice summer tires but don’t know the pros and cons of each? There’s “ultra high performance,” “extreme performance” and “max performance” for a start, all of which seem to mean the same thing. Well, there are a few ways you can figure out which are the best for you. Reading reviews is one way and watching reviews is another.
Tyre Reviews is back again, this time testing out and explaining the differences between the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s, the Pilot Sport 4Ss and the Cup 2s. These are tremendously popular tires (though they’re a little pricey), so knowing what’s up about each of them is important.
(And yes, we’re aware that this test is just limited to Michelin-brand tires; for that matter we can’t say for certain whether or not this is a Michelin-sponsored video, so take it with a grain of salt. This is the internet. That doesn’t mean that other perfectly good companies, like Continental and Pirelli, don’t make perfectly good tires, too. These are just three of Michelin’s popular summer tires and it’s a test to see what each one is good at.)
Using a Ford Focus ST as the control vehicle, host Jonathon Benson tested the tires using four different categories: wet, dry, subjective and road.
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For the wet handling test, the Pilot Sport 4Ss seemed to come out the best in terms of braking and handling, though the Sport 4s felt the best.
For the dry handling test, Benson found that the 4Ss started to overheat slightly after prolonged track-use, which is important to note because these are tires that a lot of people would consider bringing to a track day. The Cup 2s, of course, were the clear winners for this test. Subjective handling was superior; he always knew what the car was doing while in motion.
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Of course, the Pilot Sport 4s were the quietest and most comfortable for every day use.
For pure, dry track day usage, Tyre Reviews found that the Cup 2s were best. These are the tires that come with your Ferrari 458 Speciales and Porsche 918 Spyders; they’re meant for the track. They gripped great and performed well under braking. Not so much in the wet, though. Which is to be expected. That means that if you want a sportier but comfortable and quiet daily tire, and you live in a place where it rains, then the Pilot Sport 4Ss could be your best bet.
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As always, it’s all about how you want to use the tires and being realistic about your environment. Check out the video for the in-depth shakedown.
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