Tyres - Pilotsport 4S versus Continental Sport Contact 7

[moonstone]

What's everyone's favourite tyres?

I've exclusively bought Michelin Pilotsport 4S the last for times, but I've also had a few others on other cars in that time:

Audi TTS - Yokohama Advan
Taycan - Goodyear Eagle F1
RS5 - Continental Sport Contact 6
Ghibli - Pirelli PZero

All of the above have been perfectly good tyres apart from the Pirelli's which I actively disliked due to increased crabbing at low speeds on the Ghibli - an issue that I fixed by replacing them with Conti winter tyres one winter.

The Sport Contact 7 came out on top on an Evo test last year: https://www.evo.co.uk/car-technology/204817/continental-sportcontact-7-vs-rivals-tyre-test-review

And when buying tyres for my new wheels I decided to give them a go instead of the PS4S. They were also around £200 cheaper for the set. So far, so good. Grip in wet in dry in the cold weather we're having has been spot on.

I'm starting to come round to the fact, after a decade of Michelin biased tyre-snobbery on BMW M cars, that there's really not that much in it between the premium tyre makes/models. Maybe there's a big difference on track but even the Yokohama's were a really good tyre on the TTS with plenty of grip. I think in future, I'll simply opt for the best priced premium-sports car tyre available at that particular time.

 

[Techno]

My favourite is a tyre that has the best grip in all conditions and lasts well.
Given the objective reviews of the Michelin PS4 it was the tyre for me a few years ago, being slightly better in the wet than the PS4S.
Unfortunately the sidewall of the PS4 suffered significant cracking in the sidewall at three years old, with much tread left, and the PS4 wasn't available, so PS4S it had to be. I'll see if they last better.

Recently, as mentioned, the Continental Sport Contact 7 has stolen a march in testing and may be my next choice.

 

[boba fett]

Always been a Mitch man, and you can't really go wrong with them. The PS5's on my white JCW is far more competent and grippy than the Pirellis on the red JCW for example.

The latest performance tests put the Goodyear Eagle F1 at the top, which was a surprise, so I bought a set and was surprised how good they where over the Pirelli P-Zero tyres they replaced, I then put Cup 2's on and they are just next level awesome, but my god they spit stones everywhere, so they will be coming off when its out to play next.

I would not touch Bridgestone's, I bought these for my TTS and they started to crack after 5 months and was going down the road of getting them replaced but sold it.

Given the choice, and priced the same I would choose Michelins over anything else.

 

[Burnsey]

I love learning and had to have a Google after the comment below, as mine do it (Pirelli on G80)

apart from the Pirelli's which I actively disliked due to increased crabbing at low speeds

Firstly had to look up 'crabbing', which for me translates to juddering - bloody Northerner

It's known as the Ackermann Effect!

Ackerman is the difference in turn radius between the front tyres. On oval track cars it can be desirable to create a situation where the left front tyre turns faster than the right front tyre. The Ackerman effect can help the car turn better through the center of the turn. You can measure the amount of Ackerman you currently have by using a set of turn plates. Typically, Ackerman is measured by turning the right front 10 degrees to the left. If you have Ackerman, the left front will travel further than the right front. A typical amount would be three degrees in 10 degrees of steering. To simplify, moving the right front from zero through 10 degrees of steering will cause the left front to move say 13 degrees in this scenario. Ackerman is created by your front end geometry. Tie rods that angle forward from the inner pivot point out to the spindle will have more Ackerman.

 

[moonstone]

I love learning and had to have a Google after the comment below, as mine do it (Pirelli on G80)



Firstly had to look up 'crabbing', which for me translates to juddering - bloody Northerner

It's known as the Ackermann Effect!

Ackerman is the difference in turn radius between the front tyres. On oval track cars it can be desirable to create a situation where the left front tyre turns faster than the right front tyre. The Ackerman effect can help the car turn better through the center of the turn. You can measure the amount of Ackerman you currently have by using a set of turn plates. Typically, Ackerman is measured by turning the right front 10 degrees to the left. If you have Ackerman, the left front will travel further than the right front. A typical amount would be three degrees in 10 degrees of steering. To simplify, moving the right front from zero through 10 degrees of steering will cause the left front to move say 13 degrees in this scenario. Ackerman is created by your front end geometry. Tie rods that angle forward from the inner pivot point out to the spindle will have more Ackerman.

Yep. I’d read up on that in the past. My Taycan does it and some does the R8. On the Maserati the Pirelli’s made it much worse for some reason and I’ve never bought a set since!

 

[Burnsey]

Yep. I’d read up on that in the past. My Taycan does it and some does the R8. On the Maserati the Pirelli’s made it much worse for some reason and I’ve never bought a set since!

I had the Ghibli in 2016 ish for two years and it never really bothered me as much as the G80 - it's horrendous.

 

[moonstone]

I had the Ghibli in 2016 ish for two years and it never really bothered me as much as the G80 - it's horrendous.

It seems to be worse in the could weather. When I switched to winter tyres on the Ghibli it completely disappeared.

By the way, have you seen what you pick a Ghibli up for these days!

 

[boba fett]

By the way, have you seen what you pick a Ghibli up for these days!

Its just missing a T off the end.

Did you like it then Stone? a mates got a diesel version, and he acts like a right baller in it and my Mini cost more to buy!!

 

[Burnsey]

It seems to be worse in the could weather. When I switched to winter tyres on the Ghibli it completely disappeared.

By the way, have you seen what you pick a Ghibli up for these days!

I had the old ‘banana light’ coupe back in the late 90’s and just bought for nostalgic reasons really. Wasn’t anything like the ‘real’ one, but it filled a gap.

The OG one got more attention than anything I’d ever had, which included various 911’s and other fancy cars.

They are justifiably cheap

 

[boba fett]

I had the old ‘banana light’ coupe back in the late 90’s and just bought for nostalgic reasons really. Wasn’t anything like the ‘real’ one, but it filled a gap.

The OG one got more attention than anything I’d ever had, which included various 911’s and other fancy cars.

They are justifiably cheap

A mate had a Grand Sport, the version with the side skirts and it was a very pretty car. He had nothing but bother with it, and in the end was scared to take it out, in case it never brought him home, and he had some big bills. I have always seen them as a far less worth having Ferrari!

Bargain basement baller cars though!

 

[Burnsey]

A mate had a Grand Sport, the version with the side skirts and it was a very pretty car. He had nothing but bother with it, and in the end was scared to take it out, in case it never brought him home, and he had some big bills. I have always seen them as a far less worth having Ferrari!

Bargain basement baller cars though!

Mine was temperamental, but turned more heads than any car I’ve ever owned.

You knew I was coming from miles away too!

 

[boba fett]

Mine was temperamental, but turned more heads than any car I’ve ever owned.

You knew I was coming from miles away too!

Got any pictures?

 

[Burnsey]

Got any pictures?

Nothing post 2004 mate. Left the wife and she burned them all

I wasn’t a petrolhead per se, just liked ‘fancy cars’. Sold a silver 4 door 325i for it ((F reg!) and still regret that one. It was a car owned by a farmer, who used it to go out on a Sunday, driven hard up down his three mile stoned entrance road, so peppered with stone chips. Had a local specialist restorer repaint, make the interior like new etc. they had it for 4 months. It was a metallic navy blue.

Slapped my plate on it and everyone thought I spent a hundred grand. It was about £25k, with a bit more spent on the restore.

Actually just remembered we have video ‘evidence’ from a tv series - long story - this is a screenshot I’ve just found…