Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 Reviews - Page 4

Given 51% while driving a Mercedes Benz SLK 350 (245/40 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 7,000 average miles
Mercedes 2009 Model SLK 350, Rear 245/40/17 Front 225/45/17.
Previous tires, Continental Sport 3 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2.
Positive sides for the Michelin are slightly better comfort and slightly lower noise level compared to previous tire brands.
For everyday normal driving I appreciate the slightly improved comfort, it is noticeable better.
Very little experience in the wet, they do seem to be acceptable but not more than that, the Michelin's do loose grip fast and early in wet corners/turns and I am not convinced in heavy rain, these Michelin's have a somewhat strange and unsafe feeling.
Dry grip is not what I expected, slightly less stable at high speeds, a "heavy" and "clumsy" steering feel and in general these Michelin tires makes my MB feel more like a truck than a sports-car.
The other tire brands, especially the Continentals, had a "light" and "agile" feeling, it is a huge disappointment to push these Michelin tires in any way.
In corners and in sharp turns these Michelin tires are "weird", they loose grip early and it is a slightly shaky/wobbly/tottering feeling at the limits, these Michelin tires do not feel safe at limits.
With the Continentals I felt 100% safe at Maximum speed, 250 km/h, I tried once with the Michelin's and I will never do that again, the Michelin's are a little bit "weird" and don't inspire me to push them.
To rule out any technical problem with the car my garage generously let me try some Continental Sport 5 and it was a rather huge difference, with the Continentals 5 it was 100% stable at high speeds, very grippy in corners/sharp turns, not a sign of wobbling or shaking.
The wear is about the same as the other brands, not very good but acceptable for this type of car.
I used to be a Michelin fan however these tires are a disappointment and I will not buy again, strangely I feel the same with other cars I recently have driven with new Michelin tires, it seems that nowadays other brands are noticeable/significantly better in almost every way, maybe with exception of comfort.
Helpful 15 - tire reviewed on February 14, 2018
Given 80% while driving a Audi A3 (225/45 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 35,000 average miles
I drove 35000 miles with 225/45 R17 PS3 on an Audi A3 1.6 TDI 90HP. Switched back to front every 9000 miles ca. They still have 3-4 mm of tread but became noisy - especially one of them. My drive style is average. I felt safe with this tires in any condition except on wet roads where I had to pay a bit more attention when cornering. I would buy them again if available but I think they became obsolete as model. A very good tire indeed for my experience, lasted in performance more than tire shops promised - about 20000 miles.
Helpful 16 - tire reviewed on January 1, 2018
Given 81% while driving a Nissan Grand Livina (in Asia only) (225/45 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 20,000 spirited miles
Very good all rounder high performance tire, excellent in the wet with great aquaplaning resistance and pretty good in the dry too. Even though it's already an aging model, it's still one of the better tires to date, better than many if not most of other newer tires especially from low end models/brands. The only minor downside is it has a bit more chipping if driven hard.
Helpful 12 - tire reviewed on December 14, 2017
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Given 90% while driving a Volkswagen Polo Sedan 1.6 (195/55 R15 V) on a combination of roads for 0 average miles
Just change from Toyo NE03 to PS3. Its a nice upgrade. Immediate feel on comfort, and tire noise level is good. I did not feel anything when run over water splash on the road.
Helpful 13 - tire reviewed on November 26, 2017
Given 89% while driving a BMW 330d (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 12,000 spirited miles
BMW 330d. I'm using the tires since 2015 (late spring til late autum, than I change to winter tires). The tires are verry good, the road feel is great, the comfort is great and the grip is great. The rubber hardens when it start getting cold, arround 7-8 on celsius. I think they will be good for one more summer. So the usage will be about 4 years and about 25000-30000 km.
Helpful 12 - tire reviewed on November 24, 2017
Given 96% while driving a Honda Accord (225/50 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 44,000 average miles
This tire lasted me 4 years with 70,000km on the clock. It would last me another 10,000km if it wasn't for a misaligned toe/camber on one of my front tire which as a result made the outer wall worned out to it's minimum legal thickness. The other 3 tires are fine and still have about 1.5-2mm above the tire tread indicator. I drive conservatively and on occasions spirited when driving through the mountains. Compared to my OEM Michelin MXV8 in torrential rain, the PS3 cuts through water like a hot knife through butter. The level of grip is outstanding and the car felt secured and planted. In the dry, grip is good too as you would expect. Being this model is end of life now, i still highly recommend them if you can get it. But if you can't, there's always the PS4 which i have just replaced on all 4 corners.
Helpful 13 - tire reviewed on October 26, 2017
Given 92% while driving a Volkswagen up! (185/55 R15 V) on mostly country roads for 1,000 spirited miles
These tires replaced Toyo NanoEnergy 3s which I ran for about 30,000km. They were replaced not due to wear, but because the wet grip reduced dramatically and tire noise and impact harshness increased.
PS3s were the best performance tires available in this size, so I bought a set!

Ride comfort over sharp imperfections in the road (such as reflectors) has improved markedly, and surprisingly road noise seems lower (even though the Toyos had a 69dB rating, where the Michelins are 70 or 71dB).

Steering feel and immediacy has taken a dramatic leap forward with these tires. Steering feel on initial turn-in is light but quick, and weight builds progressively as steering angle is increased. Now the Bilstein B12 kit fitted to my car really shines! My up! is now an overgrown go-kart.
Helpful 13 - tire reviewed on October 7, 2017
Given 30% while driving a Audi TT Mk1 1.8T 225BHP (225/40 R18 W) on mostly country roads for 6,000 average miles
Fitted these as partly worn:
rears with 4mm - after 6000 miles 1.5mm,
fronts with >5mm - after 6000 miles
Helpful 24 - tire reviewed on September 7, 2017
Given 86% while driving a Volkswagen Scirocco 1,4 TSI 160hp (245/40 R18 W) on mostly town for 16,000 spirited miles
Michelin seems to have found the perfect balance between grip in the dry and the wet; these tires gripped very well on dry tarmac, yet also managed to avoid understear on wet surfaces, leading the water away to the sides quickly. The dry grip might have been a little bit better if the tire had been harder, but then I think the wet-weather abilities would have suffered.
Helpful 17 - tire reviewed on August 19, 2017
Given 87% while driving a Ford AU wagon (225/45 R17) on mostly country roads for 40,000 spirited miles
I had these on one of my cars for 20kmiles then when that car went to the graveyard I put them on the Fairmont which has slightly softter suspension. I had to put some more air in as they had lost a little. This caused a high road noise but as the tread blocks wore down the noise went away.

On the Falcon SR Wagon I never found their limits on cornering in fact the SR suspension likes hard acceleration to increase cornering ability. The grip in the wet is also very good, The Pirelli's I had once would fish tail down the dry road if they touched a wet spot. I can't break traction in the wet.

I usually get 70-80k km from a set in 8 months of driving.

Definately recommend them for spirited driving on all types of roads. They have saved me many times from Kangaroo's on the road.
Helpful 15 - tire reviewed on June 23, 2017
Given 51% while driving a Mitsubishi FTO GPvR (205/50 R16) on mostly country roads for 5,000 spirited miles
Not bad tires, but not exceptional either. Too soft and squidgy for really decent handling but at the same time it's not sliding out of shape on every bend, wet or dry. Similar to Uniroyal Rainsport 2/3 and Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance in feel, slightly better then the Goodyears maybe not quite as nice as the Rainsports. Wear is truly terrible, less than 5000 miles on the front of my FTO. Don't think I'll buy again but for something small and light or a shopping wagon I think these could be a real winner. For a FWD Sports Coupe, find something else. Sadly there's very little choice for the OEM wheel size for me.
Helpful 11 - tire reviewed on May 11, 2017
Given 91% while driving a Peugeot 307 (205/55 R16) on a combination of roads for 28,000 spirited miles
Probably the best tire I have ever fitted in my car. Exceptional dry and wet grip, exceptional handling.

What really impressed me the most was the road feedback they give. On slippery surface on open turns (average 80-90km/h) when they begin to reach their limit BEFORE they start to lose grip they sent a subtle, yet noticeable tik-tik, or tapping, feeling to the steering wheel. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but tested it again and again I had the same results. Really impressive, hats off to Michelin engineers.

Not even once was I able to make them squeak. I turned hard, but in the end I stopped trying because the odometer was reading 3-digit figures on country roads. In other words, not once did I feel that I brought them to their limit; rather, they broke ME in ;)

Wear was what a lot better than what you'd expect from a sports tire. At 35.000km when they were replaced, there was still 4.5mm of tread, really nice.

For comfort, I cannot comment, as I seem to be the only one around here not being able to understand whether the tires are comfortable, the sidewalls soft or hard etc. What I can comment on though was the rather high noise they made.

As for fuel economy, they gave me the same consumption as the Energy Savers I had before, increased by a 2%.

If they hadn't been replaced, I would totally recommend them. PS4 should be a better tire, but if I found the PS3s at a considerably lower price than the PS4s, I'd honestly go for them, you can't go wrong.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Helpful 17 - tire reviewed on April 20, 2017