Writing about the
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 given
81% (225-45-17-)
Driving on
a combination of roads for 2000
spirited miles
This is the second RS3 I’ve owned, and up until now I’ve kept to the stock Pirelli Zeros. The stock tyres were fine, but had a habit of tramlining white lines, which I grew to find annoying. Time for a change!
I wanted a summer tyre that performed well in the wet (hey, this is the UK), so after reading lots of reviews, thought I’d give the Sports a go.
The bad bits first: they do wear faster, and they do make more road noise, especially on hard surfaces (like the patches of concrete on the motorway). They are also notably squarer and wider than the Pirelli for the same tyre size (I have 255/30 on all four wheels), so if you are running tight clearances on the Pirellis, you’ll likely be rubbing with the Sports. I’d also say that the performance degrades faster in the cold than the Pirellis too. Not a problem for me, as I tend to swap to winters though.
So, the good bits: no more tramlining. And the wet performance is much better than the Pirelli: feels very stable in standing water. The grip on hard corners is also better, and I thought the tendency to bump-steer was reduced.
The feel between the two tyres is actually pretty different. I’d say, when unloaded (such as in a straight line) in general the Pirelli feels more stable at speed. However, this is more of a “feel” thing, as when I have actually pushed the car hard, the Sports feel like they are more controlled, and the breakaway point is more predictable.
Note: try running the Sports at the higher tyre inflation values. For me, the low values just feel vague and floaty, whereas the higher ones feel more precise.