I'm in need of new tires and looking for some input. I'm pretty much between the Michelin pilot super sports and the firestone firehawk indy 500's. These will be my daily driver summer tires and I have snows for cold/inclement weather. I also may try taking these to the track, especially if I end up going to track in the rain, but they're definitely not going to be dedicated track tires, or anything like that. I've owned a couple of sets of bf goodrich sport comp 2's and been pretty happy with them, but they only last about 20k miles for me, and are pretty loud for the last 10k miles. My current daily tires are michelin pilot sport A/S3+'s they're not bad, and I honestly should do a review on them because I've used them in snow and multiple track days, but they're not as good as true summer tires in the dry.

I'm looking for a tire that will have a decent amount of grip for playing on entrance/exit ramps and the potential track day, but also decent wet traction and minimal road noise, comfortable ride would be nice, but is lower on the priority list. I have no first hand experience with either of these tires, but i've heard good things about both of them. The firestones are cheaper but about $200 for a set, but the michelins have a mileage warranty.

Anybody have any experience with either or both of these tires? have any resources other than tire rack that you like for tire reviews?

 

My experience with the those two brands are on the BMW E46 platform. I have the Indy 500 on my Touring (wagon) and my son has the Michelin Pilot Sports on his E46 330ci coupe.

Both are quiet and offer a very good ride. Grip is close and at street speeds, it’s a toss up. Rain? I don’t have much road time on either in the wet.

Track. My son took his car to Thunderhill for a driver training event last summer. Car handled well at the speeds they let him go at. It was not open track as this was for new drivers. My wagon has not been on the track so no first hand knowledge though the Indy 500s seem to do well based on what I’ve read.

Price advantage goes to Firestone. I bought a set of 18s for less than $400 after all the discounts. Incredible value.

 

No Firestone experience - not in 20 years. But I’ve run the Michelin summer pilot model for the last 14 years on the r53 215/45/17 size. Amazing - latest 4s is still excellent - no noise, good in the rain, sticks like glue. Quiet. Could not ask for more

 

I do have a set of P4S tires laying around for summer but my dad has run P4S on his Porsche for the last 5 years. They are truly amazing, they are a little eh in the rain and I remember my dad saying they just kinda glide on top of the water. I would spend the extra money on the Michelin. It's kinda like spending that extra money for the better jar of peanut butter. It may taste the same but you do have that better name brand with you. My friend had the Firestone on his 335i but they wouldn't grip for him so he changed them to the Michelin and they have been doing just fine for him.

 

I've been running the Firestones on my R53 for about 2 years. DD the car year round in Tacoma WA, so wet traction is important. Usage very much as you described. Lots of really cool onramps in our area, which I try to run as hard as I possibly can.

I also had a set of PS2s on my 13 GT500. Very different platform, but I liked them enough that I intended to put Michelins on my R53. The guys at the tire store talked me into trying the Firehawks, as I could always replace them with the Michelins if I wasn't happy.

I'm happy. The price difference is substantial and the tires have performed exceptionally well. They do great in the rain too. I highly recommend.

 

For this application, I can only comment on the Michelin PS4S in 215/45R17 chosen recently for my (sig) car. At this point, only prox 400 miles on them but I like them as much as figured I would. Mich PS4S are "summer" tires, thus not designed for cold winter temps (even in storage). I nearly chose Michelin's newer AS4 design which are designed for winter use and less $$ too but went for the slightly higher performance tire.

These UK videos admittedly influenced me on those (2) options and are worth watching:

Edit - YouTube vids not showing, so google "Tyre Reviews" and choose:

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Pilot Sport 4 S vs Cup 2. The differences tested and explained

9 of the BEST All Season / All Weather Tires for 2021

 

I just switched from 4s to indy 500. it's a wash, but indy's are cheap so the next set will be indy 500's again

 

Thanks for the input everyone though opinions kind of seem split... I currently have a set of michelin Pilot sport AS 3+ and found out that they have a mileage warranty of 45,000 miles but they're down to the wear bars after 25,000 miles so I'm hoping that michelin will give me a decent discount on some pilot super sports. If not, I may just try some firestones and see what all the fuss is about.

 

I have the Indy 500's on my GP1 and Honda S2000 (only warm fair weather driven), and had a set of PSS on my BMW F80 M3 (came standard with them) and recently installed PS4S's. Indy 500's are nice, and a good value, but the increased grip I found with the PS4S was pretty staggering. This was light track work and daily driving; the increase in wet traction was also notable. The PS4S are also a lot more money compared to the Firehawk, so if you're looking for something cheaper, you can't go wrong with them!

 

Went from the Firehawks to Nitto Evos on the R52 JCW and feel upgraded in regards to traction and over all ride. Have the pilot sport on wife's Model S and find them flawless. Much improved over the Contis and quieter than the P7.

 

Well Discount Tire is having a promotion on michelins right now, so I got $134 off which put them at about $150 more than the firestones, so I pulled the trigger on some michelins, planning on getting the mounted up in about a week. I think I'll be happy with them.