If you aren't concerned a whole lot about tread life or ride comfort (the main selling points to the MPSS IMO), then I'd suggest a slightly more aggressive summer tire that will give you the stiff sidewall and responsiveness you want.

I enjoyed the MPSS when I DD'd them, but now that I'm DD'ing an all season, I'm planning to have my summer tires be something along the lines of an RE-11 (will also use for any Auto-X/Track days too).

 

Thanks, I had a feeling this might get complicated. Those reviews were pretty convincing on multiple cars, I doubt I will be as "spirited" as those reviewing the tires, but they seem to meet my criteria pretty well. Glad I have time to think about this.

 

Michelin PSS is very good as a daily driver, tread life is excellent. I have them in 19's.

 

MPSS for tread life, low NVH
RE-71R for performance, medium-high NVH

I went with the RE-71R. I have no ragrets. I don't daily drive the car anymore so I wanted a tire that could handle what I want to put it through when I need it to whether it's spirited driving or autox or getting groceries.

 

Came close to buying the PSS myself, then read several threads on here suggesting that the softer sidewall on the Michelins compromised performance relative to the OEM Dunlop Sport Maxx's. Decided to go up a grade like BlueScooby suggested and got a set of Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Specs instead.

Love the new tires, substantially more grip and (IMO) feel than the Sport Maxx, though there's definitely a hit when it comes to wet traction and NVH.

Guessing you still probably can't go too wrong with the PSS, though several people on iwsti have not had the same results as the tirerack.com tests.

 

For DD, I grew a third arm just to give MPSS three thumbs up.
I did track the stockers so I can attest they're solid performers but they are so noisy its beyond description. I haven't driven the PSS to the limits but they have performed admirably whenever I have pushed them.

 

I had a set of BFGoodrich Rivals on the car and just recently replaced them with PSS as I was doing a lot more daily driving than autocross. Tires have much more grip on the street than the Rivals and aren't sketchy in the rain. Haven't noticed much flexing due to the softer sidewall that everyone is talking about.

If you are planning to use them strictly as DD tires with maybe the odd autox event here and there I would recommend the PSS. Some track dedicated tires require a bit of heat in them to get them to fully grip, heat that you probably won't experience on the street.

 

i almost wiped out on the factory Dunlop sports. didnt like them. week 2 i had the Falken RT 615k's, much better, i dont usually drive hard in the rain so.... I now have the BFG Rival S, not the Rival. Best tire i've had yet, once they're warm they are the stickiest tire i've ever had. i would recommend them if driving in rain is NOT something you do. as they lose quite a bit in the wet.

 

Worn out the stock Dunlaps on my 13 STI. Replaced with PSS. It was a much improved tire. The stock Dunlaps on the 15+ STI are light years better tires, but waiting to install the PSS when the Dunlaps wear out as the OEM tire is not that good.

 

For daily driving and some spirited driving you cant go wrong with Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Great traction dry and wet. THey are very comfy and quiet for every day driving. You can also get 30,000 miles out of them if not more. For auto cross and track i would suggest something along the lines of RE-11's, 71R's, and Star Specs. I myself currently have on a set of MPSS and i love the how civilized it is everyday. I was able to reach their limits though on some country mountain roads.

 

My hands-down favorite street/DD tire is the Direzza ZII Star Spec. Too loud and stiff for some, but the steering feel and grip are simply outstanding. I'm on my fourth set on two different cars.

I ran a set of the Michelins briefly, just didn't like them as much. Steering feel wasn't as crisp, though they are quieter and more comfortable. They are also noticeably more narrow than the ZII's in the same size(s).

 

hmmm...this sounds good. how long do they last compared to the stock sportmaxx's?

 

Since 95% of the driving I do with my STi is DD/commuting to work, I think the Michelin Pilot Super Sports will be the stock tire replacement. Its between the Michelin Pilot Super Sports and Hankook the Ventus V12 evo2. I'm having a hard time deciding.

Hankook Ventus V12 evo2

or

Michelin Pilot Super Sports

 

If you have relatively even tire wear, this is an easy call. PSS. I'm running v12's right now becuase of the 340 treadwear rating and because it's symmetrical so I can flip flop them. However, I am running a good amount of camber, and since this is my daily, I wanted a set of tires that wouldn't wear out too quickly.

That being said, the comfort/performance isn't even comparable. IMO, the v12's are crap "high performance" tires. Very unpredictable grip, a bit noisy, etc. Get the PSS.

 

^^^ I agree with the V12 statement since I had them on one of my cars before switching to PSS and the difference was night and day! I plan to swap to PSS once these stock tires are worn down. The V12s weren't horrible but its just a low end high performance tire.

 

It's funny that I was just talking about this yesterday, because on my way home from work, my front passenger side tire literally exploded...luckily no damage to my car or my wheel.

 

For a sprited daily driver the Michelin Pilot Super Sport are king.

 

Love my MPSS, they outperform the OEM Dunlops on many levels. Love the grip when theyre warm, however I do notice the side wall roll... its consistent, so its so you will learn to expect the feeling and will learn how to power through out / prepare your weight transfer. Have about 1500mi on them thus far.

 

I had MPSS and they were great for the daily driver and the occasional fun in the twisties. Great tread life too. However, they were too soft and washed out once heated up at the track (20 minute sessions) - I replaced them with Dunlop StarSpec II's - they are great but they are also a lot louder. I will probably try a set of RE-71R's next time.

 

As many have stated, for pure spirited driving summer tires, I really enjoy the RE-71R's. I have been using these tires for mainly AutoX and the occasional grocery trip. However, as with any high performance tire, the road noise is very audible. Also being a 200 treadwear tire, their lifespan will be significantly less than the stock Dunlops.

If you are looking for a DD tire, I have not owned them, but have always heard good feedback on the MPSS. It will come down to what the main purpose of the tires will be for.

 

The Direzza DZ1s are good as well .

Anyone running the Sport Cups on a STI, those look amazing.

 

I've got a set of the PSS's en route. I hope to have them installed on Monday.

 

I just bought a set of PSS for my new Enkie rims.Haven't driven them much but I can already tell that they they are different then the stock tires on my 2017 STI

 

Currently run the MPSS for weekend blasting and they're great on the road. On the track they get punished rather severely, so I'm looking at trying the RE71Rs next.

 

what tire pressures do you run on the track w/ your MPSS? the first time i used them, i had 38 PSI hot (after ~100 miles of freeway travel). the car felt pretty nervous on track, and i got some wear on the shoulders i wasn't expecting.

the next time, i ran 32 PSI hot (so i'm assuming it got close to ~40PSI when on track), and the car had way more grip, and much less tire wear.

i also like the fact that for a relative novice like myself, they make a lot of noise at the limit, so it's easy to modulate throttle or steering accordingly

 

I'm getting PSS's when my stock Dunlop's go - I'm almost to 28k on them and I'm hoping to get a few more miles out them first. In East Texas it rains quite often so I'm ok with giving up some dry performance for some wet - though I'm assuming they won't perform near as well in the rain as my old Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s did on my 2005 STI. It could be pouring rain and I could WOT from a dead stop and not lose any traction it was insane.

 

You must not track. I got 12k out of my stock Dunlops.

 

I start about 30psi cold, and as they get hot I'll keep lowering them to 32psi. After a session I've seen 40psi.

Tire wear still sucks, especially at 100degF ambients. They just melt and chunk.

 

Thanks, i'll try those pressures to start off with.

I've gotten lucky w/ the PSS (both track days it was about 85F ambient). in contrast, my only track day on the OEM Dunlops was about 105F (Thunderhill in August), and things def felt greasy.

 

I have no experience with PSS on the STI, but I can tell you on my old car (370Z) they made an insane difference in the traction department. The stock tires were trash. Anytime I would shift into 2nd the car would break traction and the tail would swing out a bit. With the PSS, I never had to worry about that or the rear coming out when driving aggressively.

However, I just DD the car, so I can't commend on the track experiences.

 

What load rating you all running on the pss? I found some on tirerack 255/40/18 for my 18x8.75 wheel. Load rating is 99y. They also have the BMW star, what do you all know about that?

Sent from my SM-S902L using Tapatalk

 

I don't know about the load but the BMW star is likely because these tires are the OEM tires for the M3, and the M3 specifically runs 255/40/18 for the front wheels (rears are 275).

EDIT: I just bought some PSS to replace my stock tires and I looked up the load rating for OEM size which is 97, so the 99 on your tire is great.

 

Anyone try out Continental DW Extreme as an alternative to the PSS? I had both the PSS and the DW's on my E90 in both 18" and 19" (I tried a few wheel configurations out, lol) and the difference was pretty much unnoticed in terms of street driving. I'd recommend the DW's for the folks who want a great summer tire for almost 30 bucks cheaper per tire before the dust even settles (sales tax, replacement certs if you shop through Discount Tire, etc).

Obviously, since I don't have my STi, I can't make any specific comments about either for the platform, but I'll be giving the PS4S a shot when it comes out in March.

 

I had the Continental DW Extreme on my 07 STI. I thought they were a pretty good tire, good amounts of grip in the dry and wet, but the sidewalls were a little soft for my liking. They did ride smooth, though. I prefer a more responsive tire and I don't care about a rougher ride or more noise.

I'm interested to see how the new Michelin PS4 will compare to the PSS as far as sidewall stiffness goes.