Most of the roads around where I live are a little sub-par in terms of surface quality. Not terrible, but not great. Normally, if I just stomp on the floor from a standing start, I will get at least a little chirping of the tires and some brief moments of traction control.
The Pilot Sports that come with the Perf Plus pack are definitely a stickier compound than the Continentals, which is a big part of why they wear out so much faster. I would imagine I would get even more slip and traction control activation on the Contis than I do on the Pilots, so from that point of view, I'm thinking they do make a difference. But you're right, it's not a question of size so much as the rubber properties.