Given
86%
while driving a
Honda 1.8 iVTEC Es
(225/40 R18 W) on
a combination of roads
for 6,000
spirited miles
Tires came with Honda Civic 2010 1.8 petrol. 225/40/R18 XL Y. I was completely amazed at how tactile these tires were. They communicated everything that was happening, the steering felt precise and direct. While traveling on motorways the car felt very stable and secure. I couldn't believe how good the tires were.
Dry grip was brilliant as was handling, grip in wet also very good although being older and wiser I never tried to imitate Ayrton Senna! But equally in the wet the car never slid unless I purposely pushed it and then the tires let you know in good time when they were starting to lose grip.
However, 8th Gen Civic's do have firm suspension, the one big negative of the tires was the harsh ride. The tires would crash loudly over poor road surfaces and didn't cushion the ride at all. Brilliant on good, flat roads, poor on imperfect road surfaces. I had the fronts replaced by Potenzas S001, the ride is still quite harsh, but not quite so severe, maybe 30% improvement, grip levels similar but only half the tactile feedback now.
One caveat to remember is the Civic's ride is known to be firm and rims are size 18 and both tires reinforced. I would definitely buy Michelin again, and would get the latest PS4, but not while I have the Civic. I plan to replace all tires with either Continental Premium Contact 6 or Goodyear Asymmetric 3s in the near future. I suspect PS4s probably have good comfort as well as their other test winning attributes, however the main focus on my next purchase will be ride comfort as the roads where I live are pretty poor.