ZinMe

A screw was stuck in one of my rear Bridgestone RF tires. I also had a side wall crack in one of the front tires and about 22k miles on the whole set, so I decided to replace all my tires last weekend with a set of non-runflat Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus. The size is 245/40ZR-18 on the front and 285/35ZR-18 on the back. (They were OOS on the 275s so we used the 285s.) After replacing several run flats in the past for $300-450 each that could have been repaired if they were not run-flats, I decided to give up on the run flats. I was also interested because the Michelins actually came wth a mileage warranty even as a sport tire .

The new Michelins are a bit of a mixed bag. They are more quiet, but the handling is not as good as the Bridgestones. Less road feel, steering is not as crisp. The are OK, but not great, and certainly don't handle as well as the Bridgestones. I also notice that in rain, the rear wheels have a tendency to spin when starting from a dead stop with only moderate acceleration. Not what I expected.

Two questions:

(1) I only have 200 miles on the new tires- are they perhaps not broken in yet?

(2) Is my tire pressure wrong for non-runflats? I inflated them to 42psi in the rear and 36psi in the front, which is the same that I used for my run flats and very close to the recommended pressure on the door frame. Are these high pressures only meant for run flats?

I don't know if the tire store (America's Tire) will allow it, but I'm thinking of returning these and trying the Michelin tire that is one level up from the Sport AS Plus which doesn't come with a warranty. Thanks.

CWS530

Well, all I can say is I have basically the same tires--PS A/S (mine are two years old and not the "Plus" version) and I love them. It did take a while to break them in (maybe 500-1000 miles) as the tread is very thick and will fold in corners. If your previous tires were getting low on tread, the difference will be even more noticeable.

These tires just won a Car & Track (or R&T - I get both) test for highest grip in the wet at .89g on the test car.

I have 18s that I run at 38psi all around and so far, so good.

Of course, no A/S tire will ever be as crisp as a summer tire on a hot day, but tests have shown the PS to be incredibly close. For those of us who do not need or want to make the winter tire swap, they are about as good as it gets.

2 cents.

Richard in NC

Here are my initial impressions of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus.

Best thing, they seem very close to the Conti SC2s and Goodyear F1 Asymmetrics in dry grip. I was nearly the same speed on my favorite on ramp the 1st day I had them on the car. I don't notice any slower steering response either. They seem fine in cold and rain. The only downside is they're more noisy. Hopefully they'll get better after break-in. Only 500 miles on them so far.

I did have a scare. After having the A/S Plus just 2 days on the car, I got a low pressure warning on the right front. I put air in it and it was fine for a 400 mile trip before dropping to 22psi over night. I found it leaking around the rim. A tire store where I'm at for Thanksgiving fixed it. The Discount Tire shop that mounted them must not have cleaned the rim & tire before mounting it.

Howitzer

I have the PS A/S on all 4 and LOVE them. Very quiet, great grip, and not a lot of sidewall bend on tight turns. Great tires.

Richard in NC

Were they noisier in the beginning? Mine are definitely noisier than the Goodyear F1.

GregBrand

I have 10,000 miles on my Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus 275/40 - 245/45. Nearly all of the characteristics that we, the customer, analize, are quite subjective. I enjoy reading some posters say "it breaks loose, when wet, too quickly..." or I don't feel as stable around a sharp corner...".

I suspect some of our "empirical findings" are affected by what we ate last night; what review we just read; whether the road surface is new or ancient concrete; new or ancient asphalt; how much air in the tires; how many people in the car; the humidity; and so forth.

Done philosophising, my experience is exactly like CWS530. Good luck with your decision.

Richard in NC

I prefaced my reply with initial observations. One day to work and a 400 mile trip to WV. I did take my favorite off ramp at speed. It was darn close to the speed of the Goodyear F1. I would expect more flex and noise from brand new tires. I just hope they quiet down a bit. Although the new F1s were more quiet than old Conti SC2s.

asem111

I just got the Pilot Sport AS Plus installed this weekend on my '08.. I have less than 100 miles on them right now.
Its raining today, and on my 30 mile hwy commute, I had ample time to test them. I could not find anything negative in their handling on the wet roads.
One thing I did notice in general is that they are super grippy right now (on dry or wet pavement), and make the car feel heavy. I'm attributing that to the brand new rubber compound on them thats causing this. Perhaps in a few 100 miles, they will feel less heavy once they have worn down a bit.

Tire pressure is 35 F, 39 R. What are you guys running them at?

Howitzer

34f and 38r

ZinMe

I'm up to about 700miles now on the new tires. I have had no problems with noise as mentioned by others in this thread. I find them much more quiet than the bridgestone run flats they replaced. The responsiveness / sharpness in the steering fell is better, so I'm happy with these. A little break-in seems to have helped.

I'm still confused on tire pressure. The recommended pressure on my door frame is a 44psi rear / 36psi front. When I had runflats, I liked this high tire pressure. I see most people with non-run flats seem to inflate them less, so I'm not sure what to do. I have to say the steerign feels more crisp at higher pressures, so right now I'm using 42 / 36, but compared to everyone else that sounds freakishly high.