Time for tires . . . again

37,000 miles on factory Michelin PSS and decided to attract foreign objects to the rear passenger side tire to the tune of two screws and two nails . . . sigh. The suggested replacement tire is PS4S. 225/40ZR18 and 245/35ZR18 - all at around 6/32. I love the turn-in and wet grip is fantastic. At an eye-watering 11 bills a set (mount and balance included), I need something a bit more affordable.

I've heard and read reviews that average out to middle of the road for Kumho PS91 (about a 2 point behind in the TR reviews) . There was also a mention of Federal Evoluzion ST-1. At $650 and $450, respectively, I wouldn't mind if they lasted half as long as the PSS. I could just replace the rears with PS4S and get the fronts done later (still expensive as E36 M3!)

No AutoX or track days for this car. It is strictly DD. What say ye?

I had PS4S on my daily and loved them.  Great handling in dry and wet conditions.  Switched to AS3+ as I moved to a place where sub 40F temps are common, not a good temp for the PS4S.

The PS4S have a treadlife warranty, maybe 25K miles.  I received 55% credit towards AS3+ because of the early wear.  The warranty details are different for a staggered setup like yours since you can't rotate the tires.

Michelin makes the best tires in my experience. Nothing seems to ride and drive as nice, or have better nvh amd strike a compromise between all else. Worth the money for me. 

The Continental ECS is considered the poor man's PS4S in many circles. 

If your car came wearing PSS from the factory, you should probably spend the money and have proper tires for whatever this performance car is IMHO

Everything else will be a compromise over the PS4S. Either louder, worse ride, etc.

The Continental ECS are very good. I did a wet track day with them and could consistently pull 1G in the corners on stock size ECS' on a stock suspension 2015 WRX.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

The Continental ECS is considered the poor man's PS4S in many circles. 

As a caveat to this recommendation. These tires wear VERY quickly. They're a very soft compound all the time unlike the PSS and PS4S which need a bit of heat to get to peak performance.

37K on PSS?  Holy smokes . . . that seems like incredible wear.  I'd do a cost per mile analysis -- I can't imagine the Michelins are that much more if they wear like that.

I'm at 10000 kms on the PSS on my M2.  They won't see 20000 kms . . .

I went with the Federal Evoluzion ST-1 on my wife's DD. 245 front, 285s rear. 2 years, 16K miles, and wearing very well. 

ZOO said:

37K on PSS?  Holy smokes . . . that seems like incredible wear.  I'd do a cost per mile analysis -- I can't imagine the Michelins are that much more if they wear like that.

I'm at 10000 kms on the PSS on my M2.  They won't see 20000 kms . . .

Agreed.  37k from any tires short of ones with rubber harder than a rock would be tough to achieve under either of my cars with my driving style.  I'm happy enough if a set of summers makes the 20k mark...

ZOO said:

37K on PSS?  Holy smokes . . . that seems like incredible wear.  I'd do a cost per mile analysis -- I can't imagine the Michelins are that much more if they wear like that.

I'm at 10000 kms on the PSS on my M2.  They won't see 20000 kms . . .

I've owned the car for the last 4000ish miles. According to couple I bought it from, they are indeed the factory rubber. Based on my last set of Michelins, I still not sure how they lasted this long.

Nothing to contribute, but following just to get more opinions on whether Michelins are worth the premium. My 128i DD is due and the leading contenders are the DWS 06 and the A/S3+. Struggling to decide if the $100 premium on the Michelins is worth it in quality and treadlife.

Sorry OP, didn't mean to sidetrack your thread. Carry on.

Falken FK510 is a nice value tire choice and has great dry/wet performance only a smidge behind the PS4S and ECS. Tire rack has 225/45ZR18 for $134 and and 245/35ZR18 for $145. I had some for a bit, they were good. You can find tests on tirereviews.co.uk which compare them to some of the premium tires so you can make an informed decision.

Lots of people like the Firestone Indy 500 - I have a set, they have a great feel. The wet performance is a bit worse, but the feel may be worth it. They're $145 and $192 respectively.

In for discussion of ECS vs. PS4S...  I'll need to buy new summer rubber for the ZL1 in the spring, and I'm down to these.

I'd love to hear any comparisons from folks who have driven both on a car with some power.  I have ECS on our street Miata, and like them, but it's the polar opposite of the ZL1.   

Oh, and $1100 for a set of PS4S??  I'd be happy to pay that...   Add ~$600 for the sizes I need! 

^ There's a GRM article where they tested those on a MP4-12C...

In reply to Snrub :

Thanks!

mazdeuce - Seth said:

The Continental ECS is considered the poor man's PS4S in many circles. 

True, but they have temperature constraints.   I recently emailed Continental and they are saying they don't recommend Extreme Contact Sports be driven at temps below 45 degF. 

Here is their complete answer to my question about operating below 45 deg F:

• If the vehicle cannot be blocked up from the storage surface, completely unload the vehicle, so minimum weight will rest on the tires. The storage surface should be firm, reasonably level, well drained, and clean.
• In cases where the tires will be supporting the vehicle, it is permissible to inflate the tires to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall. Be sure to return the inflation pressure to recommended usage pressure before operating the vehicle.
• In cases where the tires will be supporting the vehicle, it is recommended that the vehicle be moved every month to minimize ozone cracking in the bulge area and also to minimize a "flat spot" from developing. If the tires do develop "flat spots," they will usually disappear in a short period of service.

Conti is being a bit overly conservative with that 45* number IMO.  I've driven my set of ECS down to right about freezing (but not below).  At 35, they're not even sketchy in the wet, just down slightly from their warmer temperature grip.  As in, they're unusually cold tolerant for a summer tire. 

Good feedback! Keep em coming. I think all of us can benefit.

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

Any feedback on wet weather perfomance?

rslifkin said:

Conti is being a bit overly conservative with that 45* number IMO.  I've driven my set of ECS down to right about freezing (but not below).  At 35, they're not even sketchy in the wet, just down slightly from their warmer temperature grip.  As in, they're unusually cold tolerant for a summer tire. 

A while back, I spoke with TireRack about temperature tolerance with the ECS vs. PS4S.  They were hesitant to speak in absolutes, but said they had more reported problems with the PS4S in near freezing temps than with ECS, but recommended neither be driven under those conditions.

FWIW, we ran Yoko S.Drives on the wife's former daily, an NC3 Miata.  They were extremely tolerant of low temps and wet weather.  Good enough that I left them on year 'round (though they weren't driven in snow).  Here in the AZ mountains, we get plenty of cold (overnights/mornings in the teens), but not a great deal of rain/snow.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

The Continental ECS is considered the poor man's PS4S in many circles. 

And the Firestone Firehawk 500 is the poor man's ECS.

I just bought a set of the latter. Like them a lot.

Edit: I'm not sure I was clear. I bought a set of the Firestone Indy 500. The more I drive on them, the more I like them. 

I'm looking at Bridgestone S007A's as replacements for the stone RE11 that I've had for 6 yrs and dozens of autoxs. Or a set of ESCs

Running on a 84 911. 

In reply to Strike_Zero :

It's 7 days a year wet here on average. Our cars all stay inside if it's wet. Thus can't comment. 

BFG  G-force sport comp 2 A/S   on my second set .....quiet , great in the rain and got over 35k on the 'V'....way better than anything I've had from BiBB....