According to German independent tester TUV, PS 4 S-shod test cars pulled to a stop 2.41 metres sooner than the worst performing boots, the Bridgestone Potenza S001. None of this should come as a surprise really, independent testing has shown the new rubber to be better than all competitors in pretty much every area. With that in mind we don’t want to make any concrete conclusions - and there’s also the fact that the sunshine was doing an annoyingly good job of drying out the wet section of the autocross test circuit, no matter how hard track staff tried to keep it moist. With a huge group of journalists to get through, the allotted time for the proper tyre testing ended up being relatively short, at around 15 minutes each. Some wore the new PS 4 S hoops, others with competitor tyres, with all taking to the same tight and technical track with wet and dry surfaces, culminating in a hard braking test. So, the important bit was the autocross test, done using a group of BMW 340s. A session of follow-the-leader in M3s and M4s at Thermal Club’s tricky but rewarding circuit was memorable but again didn’t tell us masses given it was a new track to us, and the cars were all shod in the new Michelins giving no basis for comparison. On the morning of our test day in Palm Springs, Michelin sent us out on an incredible drive through Joshua Tree National Park (full report on that soon), which was amazingly fun, but not really intended as a learning experience. The PS4S comes in 34 different sizes ranging from 19 to 20 inch in diameter, effectively dropping the 18-inch sizes that was previously available for the Pilot Super Sport.įor those who are keen on having Michelin’s UHP tyres for smaller wheel diameters, maybe the Michelin Pilot Super Sport 4 (which we will be testing real soon) may be of your interest.Effectively testing tyres is a tricky old business. Sales of the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S will begin in January 2017 in Europe and March 2017 in USA. This not only gives the tyre a velvet-like tyre writing to make it easier recognisable but also acts as a rim protector that cushions the rims from coming into contact with the kerb. Like all of Michelin’s high performance tyres, the PS4S also gets Michelin Premium Touch Technology® at the sidewalls. That’s almost 2,600 km lesser than the PS4S! The PS4S is the only tyre to break the 50k mileage barrier at 52,032km while its closest rival only manages 48,910 km. Perhaps the most significant edge the PS4S has over its competitors is longevity. Around a 2.6km track, the PS4S took 1 minute and 20.33 seconds beating its rivals by 0.4 seconds to 1.39 seconds. In the wet from 80km/h, the PS4S takes only 27.73 although Goodyear trails behind by only 0.1 meter. In the dry braking test, the PS4S came to a stop from 100km/h in 33.66 meters, besting its closest competitor by 0.83 meter. The test was conducted with 255/35/R19 section tyres against five other main competitors – Bridgestone Potenza S001, Continental SportContact 6, Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 and Pirelli PZero Nero GT purchased on the European market. In a comparison test conducted by an independent organisation – TÜV SÜD in Germany, the PS4S came out on top in four key segments – dry braking, wet braking, lap time and longevity. With Michelin’s Total Performance philosophy in mind, engineers applied a ‘bi-compound technology’ that uses a new hybrid compound on the outer thread for high levels of dry grip while the inner thread uses a new silica and functional elastomers compound to provide consistent grip on wet surfaces.
As such, the Michelin PS4S, designed to provide maximum performance and safety on all surfaces, was born.
The PS4S was developed in partnership with BMW M division, Ferrari, Ford, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche to engineer a tyre to best complement the high performance vehicle line-up from these esteemed manufacturers. Not to be confused with the Pilot Sport 4 (PS4), the PS4S is positioned higher in the line-up and is set to replace the Michelin Pilot Super Sport series. Michelin has just announced a new ultra-high performance (UHP) tyre to their line-up, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S (PS4S).