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Monday, August 1, 2016

Those Magnificent Michelins

I will admit freely that for a long time, when it came to tires, I was quite the hater. I didn't understand why people would spend big money on absolute top tier rubber, when I found the various more reasonably priced offerings perfectly acceptable. I could understand for track use, but as far as a daily driver, why soar well past $1,000 a tire swap? I recently took the plunge, and was honestly very surprised.

Eddy, who was interviewed in a previous post, always buys Michelins. Specifically, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, lauded by endless reviewers and forum junkies, and with a price to match. Now as far as tires go, these are up there cost-wise, not the most expensive on the market, but well above your average tire. For example, these tires are often compared against the Hankook Ventus V12, which many say performs almost as well, if not equally as well, though run around $400 less a set for my car. I always jabbed at Eddy for this, partly because I just didn't get it, and partly because I couldn't imagine spending what he did on those damn Michelins.

I've driven on Continentals, Goodyears, Nittos and BFGoodrich tires, and found pros ans cons to each, though enjoyed them overall. My favorite well-priced all-season touring tire to this day is still the Continental ExtremeContact DWS; I recommend these for the anyone looking. Now this last tire decision came about for two reasons. One reason was the tires that came on this set of wheels I purchased, the other was my new suspension. To start with the latter, I had just purchased and installed a coil-over suspension in my car, which vastly improved the handling capabilities of my BMW; something I hoped to maximize given the investment. As far as the former, the wheels I bought for this car came with a set of the absolute worst tires I have ever owned. Brand name Accelera, model Phi, these no-name hoops of hockey puck plastic run under $100 each and make a great pick for a big-wheel trike or little red wagon. With all the handling bits now in my car these tires were the limiting factor. It was now or never, and I bit the bait.

Flush with a little tax return money, I decided it was time to see what all the hype was about. Roughly $1200 later, these stupid tires were on their way to my installer. Let me restate, that is the most money I have ever spent on any set of tires, and I wasn't particularly thrilled about it. About a week later, the tires went on, and  rolled out to the highway for the first time. Let me remind the readers that my car has all wheel drive, and by this time sat low on coils. This combination, now with these tires, felt unstoppable.

That car, that day, could not be un-stuck and the tires hadn't even worn in yet. I ahve since tossed that car into corners and twists and off camber-banks as hard as I can and they return almost boring predictability in never losing their bite or feel. These tires are absolutely amazing! You get a combination of incredible road-feel while still experiencing overall smoothness, insane grip, good wear, low noise, and and a very stiff square sidewall. Best of all though may be their performance in the rain. Wet traction with these tires is almost scary. I say scary because you feel barely any difference between dry and soaked roads they grip so well, and that can get you into trouble.

In either condition, I have never felt more confidence in a tire and will absolutely purchase these for any high performance vehicle I own. I may have shrugged off the tire fans in the past, but now I will gladly join them, waving a big flag with "Michelin" printed across it. Do yourself a favor, if you can, and if you have a car that can take advantage of them, get a set of Pilot Super Sports.

See you on the road,

Alexander

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