Michelin Pilot SS or Pilot Sport A/S Plus? Or any other recs?

Got a nail in two of my OEM P Zeros; time to ditch the RFTs for conventional on my '12 535i M Sport...

Yes I've searched and read the archived threads...found plenty of rave reviews of the PSS, not so many mentions in comparison to the Sport A/S plus. Also want some recency of info; I'm sure y'all have some more miles on your tires now than in last year's threads. I live in Austin, but I could move north at the drop of a hat with my job, only reason I'm halfway considering an A/S.

I'm also interested in increasing the sidewall by one size as I saw someone on here recommend; looking to get an update on how that's working out. And I'm open to any other non RFT recommendations if anyone has discovered a new winner.

I don't take my car to the track or anything, but I like her to go fast and be agile when I need it on occasion (finding holes to dart past clusters of left lane mouth breathers on I-35).

Oh, last question...thoughts on the safety/reliability of breaking the rules and patching a run flat? Probably won't do this, but was wondering..

Thanks in advance!

My first set were M primacies non RFT 245/45 R18.
Good solid ride for 40k kms.
No problems what so ever, I change them to winters in that season.

I now have M SSP same size and like them better than the primacies, although I do not race the car and do not know the longevity of them yet.
The price of these were about the same and after driving these, I would choose the SSP's again.

I would not consider owning a 300 hp sport like vehicle with all weather tires.
That kind of compromise I do not understand at all.

I have the M SS on my 03' 540 and I love them. I went wide with 18/45/265 on stock M pars and oh man do they grip

Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using Bimmer App

very happy with my A/S plus, though my only other comp is to the terrible goodyear eagle LS2s. they are quiet, great in bad weather, and are in great shape after 15,000 miles. i can't speak to their sporty nature since i havent tried summer rubber yet.

Thanks for the input guys. Anybody remember who the member is on here who went a sidewall size larger?

I have had great luck with Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS pole position ultra high perf all season
Used them on Lexus GS300 Acura RL Acura TL-S & GS-350 & i will get them again for my 5
Go to Tire Rack for comparisons

Originally Posted by Tiger Pilot

Thanks for the input guys. Anybody remember who the member is on here who went a sidewall size larger?

djsilo
sdg1871
Quacker

one up in sidewall to 245/45X19 sounds like a good idea unless anyones's found issues down the line. Would be great to hear.

Will probably go that way when my PSS 245/40X19 wear out.

Very happy with the PSS's

Im running the 45's and I *think* I can feel a slight difference over bumps on the highway but the in city driving feels the same. I habe yet to take them to the track but it is on my to do list.

Sent from my SPH-M820-BST using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by TJH-5

I have had great luck with Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS pole position ultra high perf all season
Used them on Lexus GS300 Acura RL Acura TL-S & GS-350 & i will get them again for my 5
Go to Tire Rack for comparisons

Great tires!

Originally Posted by Sophisto

I would not consider owning a 300 hp sport like vehicle with all weather tires.
That kind of compromise I do not understand at all.

Probably because there's no good all seasons available in the EU, I had my Pilot Sport A/S Plus's shipped from tirerack to the UK when I switched over to them. No issues putting the power down and other then the ride quality being better, I didn't lose any steering feel might have lost a tad more outright grip at the limits, but how often are you driving at the limits on the road anyway?

Originally Posted by Tiger Pilot

Yes I've searched and read the archived threads...found plenty of rave reviews of the PSS, not so many mentions in comparison to the Sport A/S plus. Also want some recency of info; I'm sure y'all have some more miles on your tires now than in last year's threads. I live in Austin, but I could move north at the drop of a hat with my job, only reason I'm halfway considering an A/S.

I have a set of each, both are great tires. I live about 30 miles south of the lake effect area for snow, so the A/S plus are plenty for the winter, and superior in the rain. In good conditions you really can't beat the PSS. If moving north might happen, get the A/S plus, if not then in Texas get the PSS.

Thanks again for all the info guys. I had finally decided to go with the PSS, but the owner of the local shop that was going to give me the best deal on them (military discount) actually asked me if I wanted to just patch them. He said he patches run flats all the time. I know, not supposed to, but I did a quick thread search on that, as well as a friend who used to work in a shop who also said it's no big deal to patch run flats if they're not severely damaged, and $15 later plus tip I'm out the door with about 8000 miles left on my OEM P-Zeros. For the record, one of the tires never lost any pressure the nail was so small, and the other one that triggered the TPM never fully deflated (I was filling it daily for a couple of days while I sorted this out, not driving much and city only, and it would last about 24 hours before the TPM went off again). So I'm pretty confident they'll be ok with the patch. But when these tires are done in a couple months (or if the patches fail) I'm definitely getting the PSS from the shop that talked me out of spending $1300 with them...dude was really cool to do that!

I've been monioring the GY's on my ride. i travel frequently with really ****ty roads with a lot of construction. sharp cut-offs from pavement repair. no issues with GY RFT's. i think i have the 2nd Gen GY's made in Germany. I check them a lot looking for bubbles but no problems so far. with the 40 series and the rediculous road repairs that leave 2-3" deep sharp cuts, i'm really watching.

supposedly the 2nd gen GY's are supposed to be better. i'm ok with RFT technology but am still very careful with bumps and construction. since i have the tire and wheel warranty, i'm not too worried--but i drive it like it's going to cost me a lot of money if you smack one of these construction sites or potholes.

when i'm in really bad areas, i just slow the heck down and crawl over the areas. i put the car in comfort as well.

I had the Pilot Sport A/S plus tires on my Audi S5 and they were good in the dry, wet and wore very well but were pretty bad when it snowed. If you have to drive when it snows and can't wait for the roads to be cleared I would not recomend these tires.
The PSS tires are a great choice if snow or cold temps. are not part of the equation.
If you really want an A/S tire I think the Bridgestone is a better choice.

I think all seasons are fine if you own a Buick. For high performance sportscars, whether you race or not, Michelin Pilot Supersports are the way to go. IF snow might be an issue, get a 2nd set of Pilot Alpins or Blizzaks, new smaller diameter rims an option. There is a HUGE difference in comfort, cornering and all-around performance with the right tires for the season. All-seasons do NOTHING well, but everything so-so. I would never handicap my BMW with all-seasons tires, regardless of the situation or where I lived. Happy Driving

Originally Posted by fplanner2000

I think all seasons are fine if you own a Buick. For high performance sportscars, whether you race or not, Michelin Pilot Supersports are the way to go. IF snow might be an issue, get a 2nd set of Pilot Alpins or Blizzaks, new smaller diameter rims an option. There is a HUGE difference in comfort, cornering and all-around performance with the right tires for the season. All-seasons do NOTHING well, but everything so-so. I would never handicap my BMW with all-seasons tires, regardless of the situation or where I lived. Happy Driving

You are correct, all season tires are a compromise in all respects however there are those that don't want to swap tires/wheels for the winter and would like the best all season tires available and are willing to give up something for the convenience.
If you want the best possible dry traction tires and the best possible snow traction tires then yes A/S tires will not give it to you.

Which sort of begs the question - Why get a 5-car in the first place if you're not going to allow it to perform as it was designed to? Seems like a total waste of German engineering to me..... Also, if you are going to spend the money to get one of these cars, why cheap out on the tires? I know the all-season runflats are very expensive - they are just the wrong tires for these cars, IMO.

All tires are a compromise! You just need to find the tire the meets your needs most often.

In the November 12 issue of Automobile they did a three tire face-off: Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 vs. Pirelli PZero vs. Continental ExtremeContact DWS

In the packed snow test the stopping distance from 30mph:

1. Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 - 74ft
2. Continental ExtremeContact DWS - 135ft
3. Pirelli PZero - 332ft

Obivously snow tires are best in the snow, but what about when it is warm and dry?

From 70mph:
1. Pirelli PZero - 149ft
2. Continental ExtremeContact DWS - 167ft
3. Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 - 205ft

The test they didn't do was what was the stopping distance when it was dry, but cold out? My crystal ball says it would have come out this way:
1. Continental ExtremeContact DWS
2. Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1
3. Pirelli PZero

On my car I have chosen the Michelin PSS for 8 month dry and wet performance and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 with arguably limited snow capability, since I don't encounter snow that frequently, but I do encounter cold dry roads on most Winter days. My compromise was I wanted better than all-season snow traction, but I didn't want to give up too much dry performance in the Winter.

Originally Posted by ND40oz

Probably because there's no good all seasons available in the EU, I had my Pilot Sport A/S Plus's shipped from tirerack to the UK when I switched over to them. No issues putting the power down and other then the ride quality being better, I didn't lose any steering feel might have lost a tad more outright grip at the limits, but how often are you driving at the limits on the road anyway?

Exactly.

Originally Posted by fplanner2000

I think all seasons are fine if you own a Buick. For high performance sportscars, whether you race or not, Michelin Pilot Supersports are the way to go. IF snow might be an issue, get a 2nd set of Pilot Alpins or Blizzaks, new smaller diameter rims an option. There is a HUGE difference in comfort, cornering and all-around performance with the right tires for the season. All-seasons do NOTHING well, but everything so-so. I would never handicap my BMW with all-seasons tires, regardless of the situation or where I lived. Happy Driving

This really isn't very true at all. The difference between an Ultra High Performance All Season and a full out Summer Performance tire really can only be felt at above, say, 8/10ths.

As Dunderhi said, all tires are a compromise. I've run all seasons, summers and snows, depending on the vehicle.

I see many high performance BMW's, Mercedes and Porsche equipped with Pilot Sport All Seasons where I used to live (DC). In the DC metro area, you aren't using much tire in 99.99 percent of the circumstances...just too much traffic. But it gets too cold and too snowy to run a summer tire. Barely. It also doesn't snow enough to run a dedicated Winter tire.

High performance All Seasons, with an emphasis on dry and wet, rather than snow, grip are a good blend for something as relatively luxurious as the F10.

An M3 might be a different story. A 550xi with Dinan Stage 2, 3, 4 is also a different story. For a 535 F10 it's entirely approrpriate.

If I were driving this car in NY or NJ where I used to live, I'd undoubtedly run summer / winters. The longer snow window, more frequent and more severe snow will not favor the all season tire.

I run the Pilot Sport AS Plus one sidewall size talker than OEM size. I Iove the tires and the extra sidewall size has saved my tires and wheels time and again from the potholes that plague NYC roads. The taller sidewall size also smoothed out the ride. The ride is still very smooth and refined even with the Dinan springs I have.

I love twisties and have pushed my ride on these tires. No the grip is not as tenacious as the summer rubber I ran on my E60 550. If I had a home with a garage of course I would run dedicated snows in the winter and summer rubber from late April-late November. But I live in a high rise apt in Manhattan so storing tires is not a convenient option. For me the Pilot Sport AS Plus is a good option as it is an outstanding jack of all trades tire.

Dunderhi - I use the same setup as you do in Denver. When it snows more than a few inches, its Range Rover time.

Originally Posted by fplanner2000

Dunderhi - I use the same setup as you do in Denver. When it snows more than a few inches, its Range Rover time.

Excellent choice in tires.

When it snows more than a few inches here, it's New Holland time.



That's because I have rural driveway to plow.

Midway and looking up

and then looking down


Oh wait, our road needs to be plowed too.



If it looks tough to plow, try riding a bicycle ride up it.

Originally Posted by sdg1871

i run the pilot sport as plus one sidewall size talker than oem size. I iove the tires and the extra sidewall size has saved my tires and wheels time and again from the potholes that plague nyc roads. The taller sidewall size also smoothed out the ride. The ride is still very smooth and refined even with the dinan springs i have.

I love twisties and have pushed my ride on these tires. No the grip is not as tenacious as the summer rubber i ran on my e60 550. If i had a home with a garage of course i would run dedicated snows in the winter and summer rubber from late april-late november. But i live in a high rise apt in manhattan so storing tires is not a convenient option. For me the pilot sport as plus is a good option as it is an outstanding jack of all trades tire.

+1