Michelin Tire Question
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,830
Likes: 394
From: Rocky Mountains
I run Pilot Sport A/S 3 up front. I have Continental All seasons in the back.
I never drive in the snow. I got them because all seasons are also better in the rain. And the tread lasts longer. My C5 is a daily driver. I've put 30k miles on it in 2 years. I kind of doubt I would notice the improved grip with summer tires unless I was doing track days.
I never drive in the snow. I got them because all seasons are also better in the rain. And the tread lasts longer. My C5 is a daily driver. I've put 30k miles on it in 2 years. I kind of doubt I would notice the improved grip with summer tires unless I was doing track days.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
I run Pilot Sport A/S 3 up front. I have Continental All seasons in the back.
I never drive in the snow. I got them because all seasons are also better in the rain. And the tread lasts longer. My C5 is a daily driver. I've put 30k miles on it in 2 years. I kind of doubt I would notice the improved grip with summer tires unless I was doing track days.
I never drive in the snow. I got them because all seasons are also better in the rain. And the tread lasts longer. My C5 is a daily driver. I've put 30k miles on it in 2 years. I kind of doubt I would notice the improved grip with summer tires unless I was doing track days.
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread...l-season-tires
Dimensional characteristics (such as the tire’s width, aspect ratio, and rim diameter), speed capability, and other design features make summer tires more suitable and capable for increased performance in wet and dry conditions on high-performance, sports-oriented vehicles. Surprising to some, summer tires provide better performance in wet driving conditions, thanks to unique tread patterns that help evacuate water and resist hydroplaning.
Last edited by JR-01; May 21, 2017 at 07:02 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 365
From: SF Bay Area
Actually summer tires are better in wet conditions. They are quieter and have superior traction in summer. To get the maximum performance out of any sports car, summer tires are the way to go. Most C5 tires reach the expiration date before they wear out so the higher mileage doesn't matter in most cases. I still don't understand why so many people put snow tires on their Corvettes when they don't drive them in winter. Corvettes are built for high performance summer tires.
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread...l-season-tires
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread...l-season-tires
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
While the part about wet weather is true, noise and ride quality generally isn't better on summer tires. Also, Corvettes that are daily drivers (many C5s that are now getting cheap enough on the used market) will rack up miles quickly, and many will use them in cold dry weather, which all seasons will perform better in. Additionally, all season tires are NOT snow tires. They are a middle ground between snow tires and summer tires.
A/S tires are a compromise tire made to run in the snow and not in the snow, therefore they are snow tires. Almost all new cars come with all season tires so they can be driven all year round including in the snow. If you drive your C5 in the winter A/S tires are for you, however if you live in Florida or do not drive your Corvette in the winter you are missing out on a lot of performance with A/S tires. Summer tires wear pretty well, too. The way mine are wearing I should easily get 35K miles on them and at that time they will need to be replaced for age anyway.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,830
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From: Rocky Mountains
I guess I was wrong about wet traction. But Michelin advertises them as ultimate dry and wet grip. My corvette is not a weekend toy. I drive it everyday. I was mainly looking at the rated mileage when I decided to go with all seasons. The A/S 3 is spec'd to have 50% more tread life than Michelin's lower performing summer tires. 100% more life than the highest performing summer tires (PS2)
The first set of A/S 3 I put on when I bought the car only lasted about 25k miles. So with summer tires, I guess I'd have to replace them practically every year. I also ride sportbikes, and tires are a huge expense. I only get about 5-6k miles out of a set of Pirelli Corsa IIIs, which isn't even the stickiest tires Pirelli makes. The Michelin all seasons have more than enough grip for a daily driver. I think high performance summer tires would be a waste for my car. YMMV. I could see using them if I only drove it 5k miles a year or something.
The first set of A/S 3 I put on when I bought the car only lasted about 25k miles. So with summer tires, I guess I'd have to replace them practically every year. I also ride sportbikes, and tires are a huge expense. I only get about 5-6k miles out of a set of Pirelli Corsa IIIs, which isn't even the stickiest tires Pirelli makes. The Michelin all seasons have more than enough grip for a daily driver. I think high performance summer tires would be a waste for my car. YMMV. I could see using them if I only drove it 5k miles a year or something.
Last edited by Corvette#2; May 21, 2017 at 11:46 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,276
Likes: 1,096
From: Pittsburgh PA
The a/s tire is NOT a snow tire. M&S are snow tires. The new Michelin A/S will compete with most anything on the road today. UHP, Ultra High Performance.
Last edited by Fcar 98; May 22, 2017 at 04:19 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
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From: Wisconsin
Any tire that is designed to run in snow is a snow tire. All season tires are designed to run in the snow. Summer tires are not. A/S tires will not compete with Ultra High performance summer tires in the summer. Summer tires have a better compound and tread design for summer use.. A/S are a compromise. That's why they can be used in all seasons. There is plenty of information on tire manufacturers web sites about the difference in the tires. It is enlightening stuff.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,276
Likes: 1,096
From: Pittsburgh PA
Any tire that is designed to run in snow is a snow tire. All season tires are designed to run in the snow. Summer tires are not. A/S tires will not compete with Ultra High performance summer tires in the summer. Summer tires have a better compound and tread design for summer use.. A/S are a compromise. That's why they can be used in all seasons. There is plenty of information on tire manufacturers web sites about the difference in the tires. It is enlightening stuff.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
Believe what you want. I did not make this stuff up. Both A/S and Run flats are compromises. Summer tires are not, they are made for one purpose.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 365
From: SF Bay Area
Actually summer tires do not have the aggressive tread of A/S tires and are quite a bit quieter and have all around better performance in summer..
A/S tires are a compromise tire made to run in the snow and not in the snow, therefore they are snow tires. Almost all new cars come with all season tires so they can be driven all year round including in the snow. If you drive your C5 in the winter A/S tires are for you, however if you live in Florida or do not drive your Corvette in the winter you are missing out on a lot of performance with A/S tires. Summer tires wear pretty well, too. The way mine are wearing I should easily get 35K miles on them and at that time they will need to be replaced for age anyway.
A/S tires are a compromise tire made to run in the snow and not in the snow, therefore they are snow tires. Almost all new cars come with all season tires so they can be driven all year round including in the snow. If you drive your C5 in the winter A/S tires are for you, however if you live in Florida or do not drive your Corvette in the winter you are missing out on a lot of performance with A/S tires. Summer tires wear pretty well, too. The way mine are wearing I should easily get 35K miles on them and at that time they will need to be replaced for age anyway.
Any tire that is designed to run in snow is a snow tire. All season tires are designed to run in the snow. Summer tires are not. A/S tires will not compete with Ultra High performance summer tires in the summer. Summer tires have a better compound and tread design for summer use.. A/S are a compromise. That's why they can be used in all seasons. There is plenty of information on tire manufacturers web sites about the difference in the tires. It is enlightening stuff.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
Um, no, not really. Modern A/S tires have 90-95% of the performance of summer tires. That isn't "a lot" of performance.
No. All season is all season, winter is winter. All seasons are designed to compromise between snow and dry/wet performance with a heavy bias towards dry/wet. Winter tires are all out snow performance.
No. All season is all season, winter is winter. All seasons are designed to compromise between snow and dry/wet performance with a heavy bias towards dry/wet. Winter tires are all out snow performance.
Modern A/S tires and runflats will never have the same summer performance as a tire specifically designed for summer driving. In order to make tires winter capable some summer capabilities have to be compromised. Common sense. Believe what you want.
I have had many sets of both and there is a big difference in performance on the track and on the street.
Last edited by JR-01; May 22, 2017 at 02:46 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 1,660
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From: SF Bay Area
All season tires are designed to run in snow and also work well in summer. You can call them what you want. Just a name. Summer tires are not designed to run in snow. A/S are winter rated tires. Summer tires are not.
Modern A/S tires and runflats will never have the same summer performance as a tire specifically designed for summer driving. In order to make tires winter capable some summer capabilities have to be compromised. Common sense. Believe what you want.
I have had many sets of both and there is a big difference in performance on the track and on the street.
Modern A/S tires and runflats will never have the same summer performance as a tire specifically designed for summer driving. In order to make tires winter capable some summer capabilities have to be compromised. Common sense. Believe what you want.
I have had many sets of both and there is a big difference in performance on the track and on the street.
Michelin A/S3 Plus: Slalom time: 5.10 Dry, 5.57 Wet. Cornering: 0.93 G dry, 0.79 G wet. Stopping distance: 80.40 ft dry, 106.90 ft wet.
Michelin PSS: Slalom time: 5.00 Dry, 5.44 Wet. Cornering: 0.92 G dry, 0.78 G wet. Stopping distance: 78.10 ft dry, 111.90 ft wet.
I guarantee you the daily driver will not notice these minuscule differences unless they're professionals, while things like cold weather traction and higher tread life would definitely be noticeable. The true track tires will significantly compromise wet weather capabilities and are not very suitable for a daily driver Corvette.
Last edited by Tsumi; May 22, 2017 at 03:02 PM.
Former Vendor
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St. Jude Donor '11-'12
while we do typically use the same car for testing we do change the cars every other year. The two tests that you were completed using the same 2014 BMW 328i sedans. With that said atmospheric conditions can cause variations in our test data. Those test resutls should only be used to compare the tires within the test as most of the variables have been eliminated or reduced as much as possible. In short the PSS handles noticeably better in both the dry and wet than the AS3+ providing temps are above 45 degrees.