Michelin PS 4S
 

Holy Schnike. Just shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. The 8 just wants to gallop everywhere now !!! Awesome tire

Been running this tire since release. Didn't know tires could be much better than the PSS; then the PS4S comes along, and it's MUCH better. So crazy. I just wish it had less of a soft-sidewall feel.

Have you had a chance to drive it in the rain yet? It's even more impressive there, if you can believe that.

What size are you running, and what's your suspension setup?

more PS4S
 

I had the Continental Extreme Contact DWS on prior. Hated that tire, got rid of them after only 4000. That tire is so over rated. Hated them. Im running stock set up on my 2010 R3, so I went with stock size 19 inch tires. I thought the sidewalls were perfect on the 4S but Ive only put 50 miles on them so far. Im sure you have, but check your tire pressure.

Kudos for sticking with the stock size! No sense getting anything else for the street.

Michelin has had this "variable contact patch" thing in their high-performance street tires for a while: Long story short, it means a certain amount of sidewall compliance in exchange for better grip and heat management. I'm sure it feels a lot better than the DWS; Contis usually have squidgy sidewalls. But the OE R3 tire handles with this really nice razor-sharp feel, and some of that is lost with the Michelins. Upping the tire pressure can help somewhat but can't solve the problem.

Thing is, there isn't another tire that'll get that feeling back without giving up a lot of Michelin's advantages. The only possible candidate is the new Bridgestone Potenza S007A, but I can't imagine that'll be as good in the wet and it's definitely heavier. So, for now, the PS4S is still king.

that's because the DWS is an all season tire and the 4s a summer tire. Huge difference. The highly rated tire from Continental is the Extreme Contact Sport. Not the DWS. And they are amazing. Love that tire.

I've been looking at PS4S vs Conti ECS if I buy another dedicated summer tire. Still not sure whether the Michelin is "enough" better to be worth it. My main question is really in sidewall stiffness/response instead of ultimate grip. I have run both ECS and the older PSS but on 2 entirely different cars so who knows.

its more than enough better to be worth it. get the Michelins

Good thinking on response vs. grip.

AFAICT, that aspect is weak for both tires. The problem is, nothing else right now is better without huge compromises in other areas.

Doesn't the ECS wear faster than the PS4S? Worth considering next to the price difference.