Writing about the
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 given
87% (225-45-17-)
Driving on
a combination of roads for 35000
spirited miles
I have PS4 on my Audi S1 and in all honesty I push them quite hard, I am getting the new RS3 when it becomes available too so I'll most likely be opting for the 19" to get the PS4S. I have used other tires in the past and I have to say these have impressed me the most. I initially had PS3 on an Audi A1 1.4 from factory (before Audi started putting hankook on 'A' cars) and was super, super impressed so when my S1 came I switched out the factory tires to the PS4 literally a few weeks later.
The PS4 tires make the S1 much better to drive, much faster off the line and far better handling.
When it's dry, they grip very well and when things get wet I really don't notice any increased braking distances or loss of traction even when pushed very hard on a slippery country lane with hard acceleration on corner exit. I doubt you would get away with such early on power with some of the other tires i've tried in the past.
Honestly with other tires it's not hard to get the tires chirping or slipping in the wet, with these you just simply don't get that unless you're launching hard or driving over the limit of physics. I often find myself pressing on when other drivers are squeamish in the wet, and don't get me wrong I'm not driving irresponsibly (I've done advanced driving and track driving so quite aware of safety) but these tires do give me the confidence to travel progressively even in poorer conditions. I certainly wouldn't feel as comfortable as I do with some of the other tires I've had in the past - including the ones that come from factory on the S1. If Audi fitted these to the S1 as standard it would really up the game in my opinion as they really complement the quattro 'grip' marketing. The two combined literally feels like nothing can unstick the tires.
Especially those of you that have RWD cars like C63 AMG which are particularly hard to control in the wet, then a good set of PS4S should fix that for you :-)
Wear so far is very good, even with spirited driving and despite the tread being down to 3mm now they still feel like they did when they had 6-7mm. I'm nearly at 35k on these tires too, so they have lasted very well in my opinion. If you drive more on the sane side, and have a sane car - then I would expect you to get very, very good life from the tires.
Noise, yeah, a little noisy - but do I care? Not really, it's not intrusive.
Road Feedback? well, you don't get any with Audi's anyway do you? In fairness, I know when there is and isn't grip and thats more than enough. I didn't buy the S1 for road feedback or driving thrill per se, it's a damn good point A to point B car and the tires give the extra assurance I want when combined with Quattro. At the end of the day, my thrills in a RWD are for the track so I'm more than happy with what these tires offer for the road. It'll be interesting to see how the PS4S compare.
So overall, I am very happy and can't wait to try out the PS4S on the RS3 when I take delivery. I think this proves, a tire can make all the difference.