Considering a swap from the Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 and trying a full set of Pilot Sport 4S's.
Couldn't be any worse than 15,000 km of life from the Cup 2's, and I'm not tracking the car , I see no compromise or downside for handling.
Opinions or experiences with Pilot Sport 4S's ???
I believe Michelin makes the Pilot Sport Cup 2 and the Pilot Super Sport, but not a Pilot Super Sport Cup 2.
The sport cup 2 was the factory tire on the GT350R with a tread wear rating of 180. Basically a street legal track tire. A very soft compound for ultimate grip but shorter lifespan/mileage.
The super sport was the factory tire on the regular GT350 with a tread wear rating of 300. A max performance summer only tire. Slightly harder compound providing a bit less grip than the cup 2 but a longer lifespan/mileage.
Trevor can confirm this when he gets a chance but I don’t think there’s any way a person can get 15000 km out of a set of cup 2’s.
On the other hand, 15000 km sounds about the appropriate mileage for a set of super sports. It’s actually probably on the higher side.
Being max performance tires and a tread wear of 300, which is still on the sticky side, there is just so much life in these tires.
In order to get more mileage or life, one would have to go to a harder compound tire.
Something like 400 tread wear or higher.
The problem with that is that when you get to that tread wear level these are no longer max performance category and they’re not available in the sizes required by the GT350.
It’s a delicate balance.
Going off the mileage you have achieved and the fact the super sport was the factory tire on the GT350, I am working on the theory that you are running the super sports.
To address the question of wether the pilot sport 4S would give you more lifespan than the super sports?
I would say NO based on the fact that the sport 4S has the same 300 tread wear compound as the super sport.
As for grip or traction compared to the Super Sport, the Sport 4S do have just as good traction. As mentioned above, they have the same compound.
I have driven Sport 4S’ on a Mach 1.
The difference between the sport 4S and the super sport is basically the stiffness of the sidewall.
The super sport is a very good performance tire with a good (meaning stiff) sidewall for cornering grip and stability.
A few years after the Super Sport saw life, Michelin set out to make a similar tire but with a smoother ride quality to address some complaints they had received.
Their answer was the sport 4S, basically a super sport but with a softer sidewall for a bit more comfortable ride.
Everything else is the same. The tread wear, traction and heat management ratings of 300 AA and A.
So one should get about the same milage from the sport 4S as the super sport.
If you want more mileage in the size for the GT350, you need to find tires with a tread wear higher than 300.
I use Tire Rack for research and comparison because of their vast stock.
Tire Rack carries 2 tires in your size with a harder tread wear than the super sport.
The higher the tread wear number, the harder the compound, and the more lifespan you should get.
They are the Continental Extremecontact Sport 02 with a tread wear of 340. Still a max performance summer tire.
The other is the Nitto NT555 G2 also with a tread wear of 340. This one is a ultra high performance summer tire instead of max performance. An example of diminishing performance as the tread wear number goes up and compound gets harder.
But the price also goes down as the performance drops.
In theory, both these 2 tires should provide more lifespan resulting from the fact that they have harder compounds than the super sport.
I have no experience with either one.
I think the Super Sports are a good combination of performance and lifespan.
I’m still running them and plan to continue.
I run the Super Sports on my red car too.
Lastly, I checked both the Tire Rack and Michelin web sites for the GT350 size of 295/35/19F and 305/35/19R and neither show the Pilot Sport 4S as an option.
It may not be made in those sizes.
Both sites only show the Pilot Sport Cup 2 and the Pilot Super Sport as Michelin options.
If you want the Pilot Sport 4S, you may have to go to the GT350R sizes of 305/30/19F and 315/30/19R.
Good luck with your research/choice.