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[OrangeTea]

I'm looking to change out the RFT to normal tires. Everyone raves about the Michelin PSS but Tirerack.com's got a good deal going on Continental ExtremeContact DW.

I've had Continental ExtremeContact DWS on my previous car and I loved them. Are Pilot Super Sports really worth the extra money? It's about $300 difference.

I honestly don't really drive my cars that hard so I feel like Super Sports will be over kill.

[135iam]

I debated those two, called Tire Rack and talked to Gill for awhile and he ended up convincing me to go with the S04's.

He said the PSS and S04 are extremely close and the S04's are real cheap now too so I went with them. I also have a convertible so when he said the S04 is a bit softer over bumps than the PSS he had me hooked.

I like bridgestone. re01 and re-11's have treated me well previously.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by OrangeTea

I'm looking to change out the RFT to normal tires. Everyone raves about the Michelin PSS but Tirerack.com's got a good deal going on Continental ExtremeContact DW.

I've had Continental ExtremeContact DWS on my previous car and I loved them. Are Pilot Super Sports really worth the extra money? It's about $300 difference.

I honestly don't really drive my cars that hard so I feel like Super Sports will be over kill.

I had this debate and ultimately went with the PSS, but like you, I don't really push mine so feel like it was probably overkill. So, in retrospect, I think I probably would have been just as well off with the extremecontacts and saved the $300+. I considered the pole positions as well, but they're much heavier and some say are kinda loud, too, though I think their performance might be slightly better than the continentals.

The other thing to consider though are all the extra benefits Michelin gives you under the Michelin Plan, which might be especially useful depending on your plan about a spare. They will tow you for free up to I think 150 miles and a friend of mine who recently hit a pothole and had his PSS bubble up in the rear after 2k miles, michelin just gave him a new tire for free under their warranty.

In the end, you can't go wrong with the PSS, just a matter of $. And as a fellow IS-er on the mean (awful) streets of LA, if I had to do it again, I'd be right on the fence and 50-50 since I don't know if I'm taking advantage of or would even notice any of the improvements between the two tires. Hope that helps...though it may make it worse.

[135iam]

I missed earlier that you said you liked the DWS. That tire has an extremely soft sidewall. Both the tires you listed will be considerably stiffer

[potxoli]

the S04 seems very appealing, but if you believe tirerack it has a 4lb+ weight penalty per corner. I just got in on the group buy for Apex wheels which are 4lbs+ lighter than stock. If I go PSS, that is another 4lb+ lighter than the run flats, but the S04 are about the same weight as run flats.

So similar to the OP question, would saving another 4lb+ per corner be noticeable?

I think it might be worth it to go PSS or Conti which have the same weight, but S04 seems to have a big weight disadvantage.

The other thing of course is that $300 buys other mods like blacklines or a front sway bar or a used JB4. Decisions Decisions....

[128GP]

lol i'm debating which tires to buy as well. I was thinking S04's too and noticed the weight disadvantage. Don't know what to buy.

[ShocknAwe]

Not that it will make it easier but you could look at the Vred Vorti. Same category as the PSS. I just got them and couldn't be happier, hooks well in 1st/2nd around corners, but the sidewall is stiff on these badboys too. So..

I'm just getting them worn in now, Think I'm around 400-450 miles on the set. It should just keep getting better, and it's already damn damn good.

[Pyrat 2]

I have owned both. If you're not driving hard the EC are fine although I still prefer the MPSS. If you plan on going to the track then there is no comparison. I had my ECs literally start shredding apart. Suffice it to say it was not a good day for me when this happened. I know its not a track tire but either is the MPSS and they have held up fine.

[135iam]

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=678512

Here's a good thread on the pros and cons of the S04. They look like a great bang for the buck tire IMO.

[OrangeTea]

Originally Posted by 135iam

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=678512

Here's a good thread on the pros and cons of the S04. They look like a great bang for the buck tire IMO.

That was a good read. Thanks!

[potxoli]

Originally Posted by OrangeTea

That was a good read. Thanks!

It was a good read. I'm now 90% sold on the S04s. It is a $350 difference from PSS

[135iam]

Originally Posted by potxoli

It was a good read. I'm now 90% sold on the S04s. It is a $350 difference from PSS

glad to share others thoughts. I will gladly share my opinion after I get them installed and use them for awhile.

To me it came down to the cost difference, it didnt quite seem justified to me.


My 265/35/18's are being delivered today, and the 245/35/18's arent supposed to make it till Monday. (Tire Rack shipped from different locations)

I will post up my bathroom scale weight per tire to go against the Tire Rack advertised weight for fun. I can also do my new 18x8.5 and 18x9.5 APEX ARC-8 vs APEX advertised weight to make sure my scale is good. (I'm not saying the tires are lighter than advertised because I am sure they are not, but I'll check it)

[CAVU]

I immediately removed the OEM runflats and replaced with PSSs. It feels like the tire was made for this car. I hear the S04 is a good tire, so I'm interested in hearing your opinion on the S04s (as well as the bathroom scale weigh-in!).

[gregthegr8]

I'd rather hear about the Continentals since I'd rather get those for my purposes than the pole positions (s-04s) since I would prefer the smoother, quieter ride, which may be the OP's goal, especially on these awful streets. The other problem is the weight readings on the 245s and 265s may not be all that helpful to those of us running stock 215/245s or upsized 225/255s.

From a performance standpoint though, I think the S-04s are better than the contis and ALMOST as good as the PSS, consistently rated by tirerack as a close second. But if someone wants a more comfortable DD tire with a softer ride and doesn't want to shell out PSS money, I think the extreme contact DW tires are a good alternative.

Perhaps we can convince OrangeTea to get the continentals so we have 2 identical 135is's, one with PSS, one with the continentals (or s04s) and drive them on the same LA roads for a good test comparison.

[135iam]

So Tire Rack says 29 lbs for the 265/35/18 S04 and my bathroom scale says 29.2 lbs.

Both tires banded together were shipped for 58lbs from UPS so they are right at the Tire Rack advertised weight. (Not that I was expecting anything different)

[805beemer]

Originally Posted by 135iam

I debated those two, called Tire Rack and talked to Gill for awhile and he ended up convincing me to go with the S04's.

He said the PSS and S04 are extremely close and the S04's are real cheap now too so I went with them. I also have a convertible so when he said the S04 is a bit softer over bumps than the PSS he had me hooked.

I like bridgestone. re01 and re-11's have treated me well previously.

Why didn't you go with the re-11's, that's what I'm leaning towards now. I just got my arc 8s and am still up in the air in regards to which tire to go with.

[135iam]

Originally Posted by 805beemer

Why didn't you go with the re-11's, that's what I'm leaning towards now. I just got my arc 8s and am still up in the air in regards to which tire to go with.

I had the RE-11's on a mildly track prepped S2000 that I drove to trackday events and seldom drove otherwise (race seats, harnesses, cooling ducts, rollbar, suspension mods kinda ruined it as a daily driver) I was caught on the interstate in the rain multiple times going to events and the RE-11's half worn and below on Semi grooved interstates that hold water is a white knuckle drive to say the least. So I went with a more streetable tire for the 135 as its staying a primarily a street car.

If I lived in a dry area, I would get the re-11's. They were surprisingly quite for the first 2/3 wear.

[805beemer]

Originally Posted by 135iam

I had the RE-11's on a mildly track prepped S2000 that I drove to trackday events and seldom drove otherwise (race seats, harnesses, cooling ducts, rollbar, suspension mods kinda ruined it as a daily driver) I was caught on the interstate in the rain multiple times going to events and the RE-11's half worn and below on Semi grooved interstates that hold water is a white knuckle drive to say the least. So I went with a more streetable tire for the 135 as its staying a primarily a street car.

If I lived in a dry area, I would get the re-11's. They were surprisingly quite for the first 2/3 wear.

RE-11's it is! I live in socal so rain won't be an issue, and if it is I'll drive my truck. Thanks!

[Dackelone]

Hands down the best tire out there is the PSS. You won't see anything but glowing reviews. And the biggest selling point with the Michelins is that they are AWESOME tires not just when brand new,but also a few years down the road. Often times once tires get some miles on them, they will make lots of tire noise and start to pull on "cambered" roads. The Michelins are a very good tire.

G.L. on your tire choice - and please report back to us.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Hands down the best tire out there is the PSS. You won't see anything but glowing reviews. And the biggest selling point with the Michelins is that they are AWESOME tires not just when brand new,but also a few years down the road. Often times once tires get some miles on them, they will make lots of tire noise and start to pull on "cambered" roads. The Michelins are a very good tire.

G.L. on your tire choice - and please report back to us.

Spot on.

Everytime I get a tire that isn't a Michelin, I'm massively disappointed. At this point its not even a thought. From PSS to Primacys to X-Ice, they are really best in class.

[mb135is]

I'm debating this right now. The $ savings is really pushing me in the direction of the DW, and I'm one of the biggest PSS supporters there is having run them on my previous car.

[PA135i]

I'm due this spring for a new set and these 3 tires are what I was considering. I have owned the Conti DW's and liked them. The price is good for the Conti's for the quality of tire. The S-04's seem to be a good choice also because of price and reviews I have read.

The deal breaker for me is do the Michelins last longer than the others?
If they do, it might be a wash and I'd be going for the Michelin PSS.

Anyone have advice on how the Michelin PSS hold up in mileage?