Michelin Pilot Sport 4s

[Sonicboy]

Hi All
Can you guys advise if the above has to be BMW specific as I can see they are in stock locally but the on-line shop states they are a Merc spec tyre. Gut feeling is that there is no difference but I don't want to get it wrong

Any Advise Please

[Goombeh]

Sonic, if the tyre fits the load and speed rating of the car as per manufacturer requirements and is the right size for the wheel, then it will work. Note however that as I understand it, a brand and model of tyre is not always as it seems when listed as OEM.

In your case, it may be that a MPS4S sold as Merc OEM spec is not actually the equivalent of a generic MPS4S. I questioned this for the first time when my GSXR came on Bridgestone BT016 tyres and I never felt confident on them. It was odd as I read such good things about them. I ended up learning the above and replaced them with the same generic BT016 tyre and they were completely different tyres. I later met someone in the industry who told me that often they do deals with manufacturers to have a model of tyre fitted to the new car on the market, and they mass produce a similar (slightly cheaper) tyre for the manufacturer to fit in bulk keeping their price down and still have a decent tyre.

Now I can't verify those claims beyond my own experience but it would make some sense as you can buy OEM spec tyres of the same size at different prices to non-OEM spec. Bottom line and answer to your question is yes you can, as long as speed and load rating and size is correct. I believe.

[BMWCCA1]

Over the years I've seen replacements for OE Michelin tires where the non-OE of the same design had two-fewer belts than the OE with the star logo.

[PRTSB1M]

There are different compounds and different tread patterns for different applications. I remember thinking I would use a merc spec tire until I found out it was designed for drive (rear) wheels and not steering (front) wheels.

[CarJunkie]

A BMW spec tire means that it was specifically designed with Michelin to work for a specific car during its development, and is the OEM tire for that specific model. Even if you buy a BMW specific (star logo) PS4S, that does not mean that it is necessarily better for the 1M than the generic tire or even the Mercedes tire, because none of them will have been specifically designed around the suspension geometry of the 1M. Unless you are going to buy the BMW specified Michelin PS2 (good luck finding those!) there is no reason to look for the star. Even in that situation, considering that the 1M was a parts bin special I highly doubt that there was a whole lot of development that went into mating that tire and chassis to any significant degree. Most people have been thrilled with the pilots super sports compared to the PS2, and I can verify that the PS4S behaves brilliantly for the 1M.

[rapter]

Originally Posted by CarJunkie

A BMW spec tire means that it was specifically designed with Michelin to work for a specific car during its development, and is the OEM tire for that specific model. Even if you buy a BMW specific (star logo) PS4S, that does not mean that it is necessarily better for the 1M than the generic tire or even the Mercedes tire, because none of them will have been specifically designed around the suspension geometry of the 1M. Unless you are going to buy the BMW specified Michelin PS2 (good luck finding those!) there is no reason to look for the star. Even in that situation, considering that the one M was a parts been special I highly doubt that there was a whole lot of development that went into mating that tire and chassis to any significant degree. Most people have been thrilled with the pilots super sports compared to the PS2, and I can verify that the PS4S behaves brilliantly for the 1M.

Ps2 - oem and sooo familiar - good tire little rough riding
Pss star rated - amazing tire - good grip, amazing in the rain and comfy car handles well.
Pss generic) - disaster…too soft and understeer was an issue

Ps4s - looking forward to it
Ps4s - will it come star rated?

[nachob]

Originally Posted by CarJunkie

A BMW spec tire means that it was specifically designed with Michelin to work for a specific car during its development, and is the OEM tire for that specific model. Even if you buy a BMW specific (star logo) PS4S, that does not mean that it is necessarily better for the 1M than the generic tire or even the Mercedes tire, because none of them will have been specifically designed around the suspension geometry of the 1M. Unless you are going to buy the BMW specified Michelin PS2 (good luck finding those!) there is no reason to look for the star. Even in that situation, considering that the 1M was a parts bin special I highly doubt that there was a whole lot of development that went into mating that tire and chassis to any significant degree. Most people have been thrilled with the pilots super sports compared to the PS2, and I can verify that the PS4S behaves brilliantly for the 1M.

Thank you CarJunkie, I concur 100% with this and reiterate, that star tires were designed with a car in mind like the PS2s at the time the 1M came out but after that, the SuperSports and 4S were NOT designed with 1M.

I would also like to add that I have owned 2 1Ms and with multiple sets of tires and wheels that were both new at the same time and I believe the differences between them have been inflated by butt-meters that are out of calibration. I recently had an M2 owner for example tell me that 4S were 100 times better than Supersports...I think what is happenning is that most people wear out their tires and after a few years as performance has degraded, they swap to the new model and it seems 100 times better to them, but this is the case with any tire. As it ages, even replacing a worn, hardened tire with fresh rubber with the same, model it will seem better. Now if you replace it with a slightly better model, the difference is enormous.

My first 1M came PS2s and I actually liked them. While the grip was slightly better in the Supersport later, I found the turn-in felt quicker on the PS2. Shortly after I got the 1M, I bought Supersports on a separate set of wheels that I intended to autocross. The Supersport was slightly better when launching but it was marginally better because I was comparing two models that were both new not a 6 year old worn set of PS2s with a fresh set of Supersports.

Finally as to star rating, I have run Generic Supersports, Mercedes and Porsche N0 on the 1M and I can't tell a difference! My 2nd 1M is currently owned by my friend Mark and we put new tires on it when he bought it from me. Due to Covid, I got a set of Mercedes rears in Supersports and Generic 4S in the front...I can't tell a difference. Furthermore, Mark initially was thinking of selling the Supersports in the rear immediately after and replacing with 4S so he would have 4S front and rear but he has been driving it for about 7 months himself and he says they are great. The previous ones were Porsche N0 and I can't tell a difference either, ohter than the fresh rubber was a little better. I have also swapped between generic, mercedes and star in my two 330i ZHPs and again, can't tell a difference. I recently switched those to Firestone Indy 500s and I can tell a small difference albeit, the price of the Firestones makes them a great alternative for a lower power car like the ZHP but my point is, that I can tell a difference between the Firestones and Michelins, but can't tell any difference between star, Mercedes and NO. So I think the battles and real concern should be more between tire models and manufacturers than the same tire whether it has a star and NO or other marking in my humble opinion as well as my butt-meter's.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by rapter

Ps2 - oem and sooo familiar - good tire little rough riding
Pss star rated - amazing tire - good grip, amazing in the rain and comfy car handles well.
Pss generic) - disaster…too soft and understeer was an issue

Ps4s - looking forward to it
Ps4s - will it come star rated?

Rapter, you probably have a finer butt-meter than me and while I have tried every flavor of SS and 4S, I only compared these to the original PS2s stars so if there was a difference between PS2 star and PS2 generic, I have no experience with that explicit combination.

[werman]

I replaced my MPSS with MPS4S tires just this week on my 1M with stock wheels. I would make the switch again if I had the choice as the 4S's really do seem to stick a bit better and are also quiet. I haven't had a chance to test the 4S's in the wet but based on my reading it will be far superior to the SS's in that regard also. I do notice that the initial turn-in does not feel quite as crisp with the new 4S's. My 2 cents.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by werman

I replaced my MPSS with MPS4S tires just this week on my 1M with stock wheels. I would make the switch again if I had the choice as the 4S's really do seem to stick a bit better and are also quiet. I haven't had a chance to test the 4S's in the wet but based on my reading it will be far superior to the SS's in that regard also. I do notice that the initial turn-in does not feel quite as crisp with the new 4S's. My 2 cents.

Yes, old supersports get noisy and loose traction so when you put new 4S they are quieter and grippier but if you had replaced your supersports with new supersports, you would have found them quieter and stickier than your old ones. That's my two cents worth, because I did that sort of stuff with with my wheel swaps. So everything you say is 100% true, but what I'm pointing out is that the difference is amplified because most people are replacing, older, noisier tires with new rubber that is stickier and quiter and are attributing that solely to the new model. Yes the 4S is slightly better, but new for new not as dramatic as most people think. With that said, I would worry more about the difference between a Supersport and a 4S, than the star rating or not, because I have tried most flavors (Star, N0, M, Generic) of Supersports and 4S and really can't tell much difference. My 1/2 cent. : )

[vasmir]

Have been running (non starred) PS4Ss since 2020. They are excellent.

Much more complaint than the PS2s or SSs, with essentially the same grip and road feel. Wet traction is indeed the jam.
I've tracked mine a handful of times and they've stood up well - bleeding pressure throughout the day grip/feel has remained impressively high.

[Mr. Wilson]

I ran SS and 4S on my f82. Both great tires but where the 4S shined was in the wet and it was quieter.

[Allen Aquino]

I think it does thou

[10"]

Myself I prefer the PSS for the 1M
it has less traction than the PS4S
but i quite like that! suits the 1M!

[Goombeh]

Originally Posted by 10"

Myself I prefer the PSS for the 1M
it has less traction than the PS4S
but i quite like that! suits the 1M!

I agree with this, I went from the original PS2's to PS4S's and although they have more overall grip, they're not as much fun, and the sidewall seems soft compared to the PS2.

I don't race it and I don't do time attack, so I don't need it to have the maximum traction for killer times. It's my fun car so I want it to be max fun.

Loved the PS2's. Steering felt sharp, were a bit slippy, made the car feel nasty and unruly. Need them back.

[zx10guy]

This guy did a comparison between a BMW OE 4S tire versus an aftermarket 4S tire. This guys does some of the most comprehensive tire reviews I've come across and has tons of knowledge.