[Fivepotfan]

Many owners have complained about the performance of the OEM Pirelli's that are fitted to the RS3. I have found them to be generally a fairly good tyre but in an 'average' sort of way. I think what I mean is that they are good at doing what a performance tyre should do, but not exactly outstanding or brilliant!

Anyway, the Michelin versus Pirelli has long been an itch I have wanted to scratch.....so I went and bought some this week.

 

When they turned up the first impression on seeing them was 'holy crap they are huge'. Despite being identical sizes to the OEM Pirelli staggered set up on my car, the Michelin's look as if they are a couple of sizes wider so it's hardly surprising that reviews say they provide more grip.

 

They have been on the car for a few hundred miles now and I have to say that right now I am not 100% happy with them. Firstly, there is the fitment size of the front tyres. They are 255 width and in my opinion they are too wide for the OEM alloy wheel and make the tyre look as if it's bulging off the rim. Conversely, the rear 235 size looks spot on (see pic below) which leads me to believe that the front tyre size does not need to be so wide in the Michelin.There is a slight increase in road noise with the Michelins which is to be expected, the RO2 Pirelli has the noise cancellation system which is just a bit of foam glued into the tyre but does seem to work.

Before I bought the tyres I had read reports of the Michelins causing issues with the traction control......unfortunately my car also now suffers from this problem too. This is especially bad as my car is mapped and the slightest hint of enthusiastic acceleration is aborted by the orange flashing TC light. To get round this I have to switch it to sport mode (short press) each time I drive the car.

So yes, the Michelins provide more grip and better turn in but have also given me some unexpected issues to consider.

 

The front tyre's side by side.......

 

The RO2 Pirelli with the NCS foam glued in...

 

View of the 255 Michelin fitted to the front

 

....and a view of the rear Michelin but in 235 size.

 

 

 

 

[RS3Dell]

Many owners have complained about the performance of the OEM Pirelli's that are fitted to the RS3. I have found them to be generally a fairly good tyre but in an 'average' sort of way. I think what I mean is that they are good at doing what a performance tyre should do, but not exactly outstanding or brilliant!
Anyway, the Michelin versus Pirelli has long been an itch I have wanted to scratch.....so I went and bought some this week.
 
When they turned up the first impression on seeing them was 'holy crap they are huge'. Despite being identical sizes to the OEM Pirelli staggered set up on my car, the Michelin's look as if they are a couple of sizes wider so it's hardly surprising that reviews say they provide more grip.
 
They have been on the car for a few hundred miles now and I have to say that right now I am not 100% happy with them. Firstly, there is the fitment size of the front tyres. They are 255 width and in my opinion they are too wide for the OEM alloy wheel and make the tyre look as if it's bulging off the rim. Conversely, the rear 235 size looks spot on (see pic below) which leads me to believe that the front tyre size does not need to be so wide in the Michelin.There is a slight increase in road noise with the Michelins which is to be expected, the RO2 Pirelli has the noise cancellation system which is just a bit of foam glued into the tyre but does seem to work.
Before I bought the tyres I had read reports of the Michelins causing issues with the traction control......unfortunately my car also now suffers from this problem too. This is especially bad as my car is mapped and the slightest hint of enthusiastic acceleration is aborted by the orange flashing TC light. To get round this I have to switch it to sport mode (short press) each time I drive the car.
So yes, the Michelins provide more grip and better turn in but have also given me some unexpected issues to consider.
 
The front tyre's side by side.......
IMG_0062.jpg
 
The RO2 Pirelli with the NCS foam glued in...
IMG_0065.jpg
 
View of the 255 Michelin fitted to the front
IMG_0066.jpg
 
....and a view of the rear Michelin but in 235 size.
IMG_0067.jpg

Brian.

Once warmed up these may get you into the 10s ? 😁

Have you put a tape across them to check the actual width on the rims as the Pirelli could have actually been slightly under size.? 🤔

I've seen this with motorcycle tyres between makes mate.🙁

Dell.

[Fivepotfan]

Brian.

Once warmed up these may get you into the 10s ?

Have you put a tape across them to check the actual width on the rims as the Pirelli could have actually been slightly under size.?

I've seen this with motorcycle tyres between makes mate.

Dell.

Wondering if it would have been better to have gone for the 'square' set up of having 235 width all round. Be interesting to hear if anyone is running the 235 tyre on the front.

[MacD]

Ive just swapped from Continentals to MPSS, My Conti's also had that foam inside and the guy at the garage claimed the MPSS would be incredibly noisy in comparison.   I checked the specs and they are actually quite without the foam !

 

So far theyve been more grippy in the wet too but i haven't experienced the TC issues on mine possibly as a bit heavier perhaps. 

 

As a heads up keep an eye out on Tyre City's site.  They had a 50% sale last weekend meaning the tyres were £150 a corner instead of £300 for the 21" tyres. 

[RS3Dell]

Wondering if it would have been better to have gone for the 'square' set up of having 235 width all round. Be interesting to hear if anyone is running the 235 tyre on the front.

Brian.

On the 8p with the staggered set up they look ok as they are on Jays RS & I'm sure he will have some photos of said tyre wheel combo.😁

I like the flat square side walls of the MPS3s tbh but i have heard people saying they like the Pirelli RO2 over hang as a curb protector.

Dell.

[Oldmanracing]

Uncanny....

I had to replace my OEM Pirelli’s as they worn out and very slick like!
I replaced the fronts at 18000 miles for the same OEM Pirelli’s I didn’t want to change all 4 as the rears were in good nick...

Now at 38000 all four were shot.... fronts showed more wear on the inside shoulders, as per norm , interested to see how the French ones do.

I always thought they were great.... not having the luxury of a A/B direct comparison (who does? Apart from YouTube tyre testers) they are still a ‘Premium ‘ brand and always on the radar when looking for new....

However after looking and reading here and on other sites, I went for 4 x Michelin pilot sport 4S....a good deal from Black circles and fitted on my drive by a great mobile fitter who was really into doing a good job, expertly fitted, no balance issues, and loved a Nardo RS - sorry Roy- 40psi front 38psi rear - as my OEM tyres which always seemed to work for me.
I am on standard 235,s all round.....and once fitted looked a little different to the fat rim protectors on the Pirelli’s
The Michelin’s don’t have such a large rim protector but there is one, and never really understood that as my rims go no where near a kerb anyway.....they look a little wider IMO, but sure it’s down to the rim protector illusion of the Pirelli’s being too wide for the wheels.
The RO2 OEM,s had no sound deadening foam inside, and neither do the Michelin’s - odd as some do some don’t!

And......to drive...
It’s different in lots of ways.
Not night and day in my opinion, but a different feel, slightly stiffer ride in dynamic feels firmer and grip seems little better, (but anything would be than a very worn tyre!) turn in defo better, and a bit more feedback at the wheel.
They feel great (as did my Pirelli’s) if a little more involving and urgent when pushed, a sportier feel I guess.
Not had any rain to speak of this week so waiting to see what they are like in the wet
Noise....not any different and not had to increase the volume of my music.....
Not had any TC flickers apart from the 1st time I gave it the beans from the lights when only 2 miles old....
Overall very very pleased, feel sportier and suited to the car, a more dynamic tyre for dynamic mode!

Will see how they go over the next few thousand miles.


And also....before people tell me that I don’t drive my car hard enough as my tyres seem to last, go whistle.... it’s down to my driving style and skills I drive as quick as I like to when it suits, but never abuse them or drive like a instagram hooligan, that’s just bad form, and quite a few motorway miles help too!

OMR

Edited by Oldmanracing, 05 October 2018 - 10:10 AM.

[JayRS3]

Brian.

On the 8p with the staggered set up they look ok as they are on Jays RS & I'm sure he will have some photos of said tyre wheel combo.

I like the flat square side walls of the MPS3s tbh but i have heard people saying they like the Pirelli RO2 over hang as a curb protector.

Dell.

235 vs 255 8V rim on 8P.

Thankfully these work really well on the 8P with hardly, if any, traction issues. I quite like the look of the 255 as they fill these arches slightly better.

Had PS4s on for over 10k miles now and still plenty of tread remaining. So it’s a perfect all rounder.

Edited by JayRS3, 05 October 2018 - 11:03 AM.

[JamesBaby]

The NCS system isn't available on the 235 size at all, only the 255 width. Also IIRC the NCS system wasn't around when the RS3 was launched.

 

In addition the P-zero tyre itself was updated to the PZ4 variant in late 2016 to compete with the new offerings from other brands. So again, some cars will not have had this updated version.

 

Th rim protectors are not just for kerbs. Lots of damage is caused by rough roads, and potholes where the edge of the tyre scrapes downwards against the rough tarmac.

[Duke3D]

Just for information I had to change the MPSS 255’s on the front of my 8P a while ago and could only get MPS4S’s. Ever since I’ve had the TC light coming on at times so they’re definitely lacking in the grip department compared to MPSS.
Please Michelin bring back the MPSS 😩😩😩😩😩

[RS3Dell]

Just for information I had to change the MPSS 255’s on the front of my 8P a while ago and could only get MPS4S’s. Ever since I’ve had the TC light coming on at times so they’re definitely lacking in the grip department compared to MPSS.
Please Michelin bring back the MPSS 😩😩😩😩😩

Rob.

I've not had the traction problems as yourself,i found the grip levels very good in the wet/dry even at Combe last year with the TC switched off the grip was awesome.😁

Dell.

[Duke3D]

Rob.

I've not had the traction problems as yourself,i found the grip levels very good in the wet/dry even at Combe last year with the TC switched off the grip was awesome.😁

Dell.

I noticed it straight away Dell. Initially I thought they just needed to get scrubbed up but it continued long after the bedding in period. I’ve also noticed they don’t like lower pressures. I used to run the MPSS at 39 psi for a bit of sidewall compliance but the MPS4S just don’t like it. I drive down some fairly crappy roads with uneven cambers and broken surfaces and with the MPS4S the front jinks all over the place and the TC keeps flashing up. At worse it feels like torque steer at times. They run better at 41 psi with less TC intervention but I never had a problem with MPSS. The car used to run straight and true whatever I threw at it. I wondered for a while if I was starting to get Haldex problems again as I’ve even had the TC flash up during high speed motorway on ramps. But again with the higher pressure it’s been eradicated 😩

It bugs the shite out of me 😡

[T-800]

Been discussing this with Brian today..........as i was thinking of going the MPS4S route.

 

I'd read somewhere that somebody recommended tyres be inflated to the max door sticker or actually higher to get the best out of them, could hold water given reports of issues from owners i've read about.

 

When we were looking at will they fit.com today the 255 fronts vs 235 rears have a circumference discrepancy of around 34mm give or take and a diam difference of 12mm.......

 

I'm curious as to why Michelin have actually said that the MPS4S isn't suitable for our RS3's...... why ? Is it the 'harder' 'super sticky' compound that upsets the cars ESC/ABS in that it's seeing a bigger rotational measurement than it's expecting ? thus telling the system to back the power off.

 

Is the increased tyre tread width playing a part on the staggered set up ? As Brian and i'm sure anyone who's fitted them has noticed.......they are a good deal wider than the average Pirelli RO1/2  tyre........but you'd expect this to give better 'off the line' grip not create traction control issues surely ?

 

Maybe it is better to revert to a 'square' footprint set up with these MPS4S tyres then all four corners are of equal rotational specs.

 

Although i discussed with Brian about the use of maybe a 245 MPS4S on the front, however the circumference size is 60mm bigger so i do think that would make things worse not better

 

I've changed some AWD settings in mine with VCDS to do with acceleration torque limiting etc so do wonder if this would make any difference to the way the ABS etc sees things......

 

Certainly a very interesting subject though.......... 

Edited by T-800, 05 October 2018 - 01:28 PM.

[RS3Dell]

I noticed it straight away Dell. Initially I thought they just needed to get scrubbed up but it continued long after the bedding in period. I’ve also noticed they don’t like lower pressures. I used to run the MPSS at 39 psi for a bit of sidewall compliance but the MPS4S just don’t like it. I drive down some fairly crappy roads with uneven cambers and broken surfaces and with the MPS4S the front jinks all over the place and the TC keeps flashing up. At worse it feels like torque steer at times. They run better at 41 psi with less TC intervention but I never had a problem with MPSS. The car used to run straight and true whatever I threw at it. I wondered for a while if I was starting to get Haldex problems again as I’ve even had the TC flash up during high speed motorway on ramps. But again with the higher pressure it’s been eradicated 😩
It bugs the shite out of me 😡

Rob.

I run them at 45psi all round like i did with the Continentals as this makes them wear evenly across the tread.

In the passed I've never adhered to the recommended pressure as I've found that the tyres would uneven across the tread.

May be my driving style don't highlight the problems others have with the MPS4s ?

One thing i can say under braking in the dry i can't get the abs to kick in 🤔 but i can get the back end fishtailing wildly as the front is pinned hard to the tarmac.😂

Dell.

[T-800]

Right so I’ve dug out a ‘spare’ MPSS tyre I had lying about

235 / 35 left MPSS right R01 Pirelli



Now I measured both treads only not Wall to Wall

210 mm Pirelli R01



230 mm MPSS



You look at Brian’s original post above and the 255 difference looks even more
It actually could be a 275 wide tyre it looks that wide.

Edited by T-800, 05 October 2018 - 02:26 PM.

[RS3Dell]

Right so I’ve dug out a ‘spare’ MPSS tyre I had lying about
235 / 35 left MPSS right R01 Pirelli
Now I measured both
210 mm Pirelli R01
230 mm MPSS
You look at Brian’s original post above and the 255 difference looks even more
It actually could be a 275 wide tyre it looks that wide.

Sean.

I may have this wrong but the MSS looks closer to 235 at 230 than the Pirelli at 210 ? 🤔

So it an't a case off the MSS is over size more like the Pirelli is miles undersize & thats what people are using as a comparison ? 🙁

Dell.

[drgav2005]

Can't say I've noticed any TC issues with my MPS4S... I'm obviously not booting it enough  

 

I run the tyres at 42 psi if my memory serves me right. I've been really happy with them - grip in the wet seems pretty good, certainly better than my experiences with the Pirellis. They do stick out a bit though and on the Ispiris with their offset they do rub on the wheel arch liner on full lock but I've learned to live with that 5 second inconvenience a day. Still, in a couple of weeks time I'll be back on my LD prestige wheels and Dunlop winter sport tyres... "Winter is coming" (best Jon Snow impression!) 

[T-800]

Ok so now I dug out a 255 / 30 Pirelli to compare against the same 235 MPSS

The 2 together......very little between wall to wall widths


Tyre width from wall to wall

Pirelli 255 first


MPSS 235

Edited by T-800, 05 October 2018 - 02:01 PM.

[T-800]

So the question is........

Are Pirelli producing a narrower spec tyre ? And if so why ?

Are Michelin producing an over sized spec tyre (ie more tread) to make sure it out performs all the other brands......

[T-800]

For an alternative here’s my PFL with Goodyear Eagle F1 Assy 3’s

Staggered set up

Pirelli R01’s



Goodyear Eagles

[RS3Dell]

So the question is........
Are Pirelli producing a narrower spec tyre ? And if so why ?
Are Michelin producing an over sized spec tyre (ie more tread) to make sure it out performs all the other brands......

Sean.

I believe the manufacturers are allowed to make there tyres size within a certain percentage of true value.🤔

Dell.