2.0 / 2.5 Roadster / Roadster Sport Tire Thread

[Talkredius]

Oh, didn't know that. I guess I only checked on Tirerack.com so that's good to know there is another option at least. Thanks.
I have a regular Roadster but with the sport wheels and suspension upgrade so it should work.

hmm, at least in Germany it is legal to have the bigger size 195/50 R16 on the front wheels with Standard Roadster and standard rims.
For this size you'll get here the Michelin Pilot Sport 3, for the rear tires I also have the Michelin Pilot Sport 3
The MPSS are not available in Germany for the size 225/40 R17. I will let my brother dig deeper, he owns a tire shop. So may be I'll get them soon to see if there is a difference in performance

As I'm more a long distance guy I have the Michelin Energy Saver on the front wheels.

For winter tires the Michelin Alpine 4 are my absolute favorite. Last winter I drove 25.000 km with one tire set, according to the wear bars I could have driven 3.000 km ... 5.000 km more.
I was really surprised.

 

[btown]

Wow my experience is just the opposite. After 5,000 miles I'm almost at the wear bars. They aren't wearing as unevenly as augkio's tires that he corded but I'll be surprised if I get 8,000 miles out of them. I'm kind of disappointed with the tread life but they're guaranteed for 15,000 miles so maybe I'll get some money back. I didn't think I drove that aggressively!

Please see my revised estimate of 10K miles in my recent post. Still though, it looks like I'll get double the mileage you are getting. My Roadster is a 1.5, but I don't see how that would change anything significantly. It will be nice to hear of others experiences with the MPSS tires since it sounds like we now have a few Roadsters out there giving them a whirl.

 

[frequencydip]

Now.... Anyone have any theories on why I still have a slight startup (first few minutes of drive) TC issue??? The tires were supposed to be just .1" larger in diameter than the stock tires. With 1/4" of wear so far, the tires now have 1/2" trimmed off the original diameter. So these tires (in theory) are now 24.5" diameter vs the stock tires which start out at 24.9". Yet I still see a slight startup TC issue. Hmmmm.....

The tire size you are referring to is the installed diamater of the tire from the manufacture when installed on a industry standard rim with no load. Tires when installed on different rims are always different sizes on every rim mostly based on rim with as tire have a range of rim sizes they can fit on. But every rim also has slightly different characteristics in the lip, width and its own diameter.

You can measure your tires diameter and see where you are in the spec, use one of the measuring tapes tailors use.

 

[smorgasbord]

FWIW, I just crossed 8K miles on my AD08 rears. Previous to that I fell just shy of 6K miles on my original AD07 rears (worn to no tread on right rear).
I believe I'm driving about the same aggressiveness. I still floor it at lights, and even did Laguna Seca on the AD08s.
And the 08s were about $100 cheaper than the replacement 07s.

So, for me, definitely a tastes great, less filling choice.

 

[jerry33]

The tire size you are referring to is the installed diamater of the tire from the manufacture when installed on a industry standard rim with no load. Tires when installed on different rims are always different sizes on every rim mostly based on rim with as tire have a range of rim sizes they can fit on. But every rim also has slightly different characteristics in the lip, width and its own diameter.

You can measure your tires diameter and see where you are in the spec, use one of the measuring tapes tailors use.

Well, that was certainly true for bias ply tires. For steel belted radial tires the belt determines the RPM of the tire. This won't be changed by altering the rim width. Note that the overall diameter of the tire cannot be used to determine the RPM of the tire. You have to look at the manufacturer's specifications to find the RPM of both tires and use that as a comparison.

 

[btown]

Well, that was certainly true for bias ply tires. For steel belted radial tires the belt determines the RPM of the tire. This won't be changed by altering the rim width. Note that the overall diameter of the tire cannot be used to determine the RPM of the tire. You have to look at the manufacturer's specifications to find the RPM of both tires and use that as a comparison.

Interesting point regarding the belt determining the RPM. I just ran the calculations and the ration of stated diameter does not match the ratio of the revs per mile. According to the revs, the diameters are about .04" different instead of .1". There's obviously a lot more going on here than my simple diameter or revs calculations are able to predict. Especially since I continue to see some minor startup TC even with 1/2 of my tread worn. I never would have guessed tires were so complex!

 

[jerry33]

I never would have guessed tires were so complex!

The book we can write about what we don't know about tires is quite a bit larger than the book we can write about what we know about them.

 

[jory]

I was planning to try these on the rear in the spring when the snow melts. They don't currently make the front size so it will be a risk mixing tires front and rear. That tire has consistently good ratings for both dry traction and low rolling resistance. It's still relatively new so maybe they will start making the front size soon. It also has a 15000 mi warranty (30k if front and rear tires are the same size). I think you should try them Tim and give us a report!

and

So I would like to officially restate my estimate for the Michelin Pilot Super Sports to be around 9,200 miles. I'm sure I'll run them down until all wear bands are hit all the way across, so I'm now estimating I may be able to get somewhere around 10K miles. The warranty will help in that regard, so I'm still pleased with the tires overall.

i recently bought a pair of MPSSs for my 2.0 roadster and just registered the tires with michelin in case i could use the 15K mileage warranty.

however, reading the warranty, i am wondering if it actually applies in our use case.

from http://www.michelinman.com/mediabin/Approved/Michelin/Visuals/Digital/limited_mileage_warranties.pdf

Mileage warranties apply to tires that come as original equipment on model year 2011 and later vehicles. Some vehicles come from the vehicle manufacturer with “split fitments” — meaning different size tires on the front and rear axles. Because these tires cannot be rotated as recommended by Michelin, the mileage warranty on each rear tire will cover half the number of miles as the standard mileage warranty for that particular tire design.

​

emphasis mine, which suggests to me that the warranty would not apply to a 2010 car or (more importantly) any car that did not come with the tire as original equipment from the manufacturer.

is my reading of the warranty correct, or am i somehow mistaken? has anyone successfully used the mileage warranty? thanks!

 

[jerry33]

has anyone successfully used the mileage warranty? thanks!

Actually, it doesn't matter. Mileage warranties are a sales tool to get you to purchase a second set of tires. If you read the warranty carefully, you'll see that it's based on the MSRP of the tire. An example:

MSRP of tire $100 (hey, I like easy numbers)
Street price $75 - $80
Amount of miles short: 20% (almost all tires get at least 80% of the rated milage unless the alignment is bad or they are driven hard--both of which are causes to void the warranty)
Cost of new tire under warranty: $80.

 

[hcsharp]

Hmmm... I'm not a lawyer but does that mean it only covers OEM tires? Or only covers tires that are used as OEM on any vehicles, even if not yours? The MPSS certainly is OEM on a number of other cars model yr 2011 and later. If you read further, it implies that tread wear is covered on replacement winter tires. Also, the Michelin Promise Plan states that the tread wear warranty covers replacement tires with this statement:

MICHELIN passenger and light truck tires (replacement and original equipment) are covered by a limited warranty for tread wear.

I'll find out in a few weeks. I'm a couple hundred miles from the wear bars on the right side. If that.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's a link to the real warranty.
http://www.michelinman.com/mediabin/Approved/Michelin/Visuals/Digital/Owners%20Manual_Post_Promise_Plan.pdf

It clearly applies to replacement tires. A few things caught my attention:

WHAT IS NOT COVERED
This warranty does not cover tires damaged due to misuse, abuse or accident such as:
– Uneven or rapid wear which is caused by mechanical irregularity in the
vehicle such as wheel misalignment, (a measured tread difference of
2/32nds of an inch or more across the tread on the same tire);​

WRT the pro-rated amount, it is based on the lower of the current selling price at the retailer you go to, or the Michelin base price ($323 in this case).

I'll have to measure and see if I'm more than 2/32nds of an inch difference across the tread but it looks pretty even.

 

[jerry33]

Hmmm... I'm not a lawyer but does that mean it only covers OEM tires?

Often there are two separate warranties: One for OE tires and one for replacement tires. I see you found the all-inclusive one.

 

[jordanthompson]

I am SOOOOoooooo confused! There are many "sport" tires that will fit on the back wheels, which one to choose? Obviously safety comes first, then performance, price, etc. I don't race my car (much ) but I do like to punch it every once and a while. If there is only a difference of say $50-$100/tire, I'd go with the better performer, but if it is a $200 difference, I'm going to have to think (at least a little while) about it. I saw the Toyo Proxes 4:PROXES 4 - OnlineTires.com for only $114.25 each, but there is a nicer (closer to the original) pattern (Goodyear G Force) for only $40 more:G-FORCE T/A DRAG - OnlineTires.com.

Any suggestions?

 

[ChadS]

No feedback on the G-Force; but in post 310 in this thread I give some thoughts on the Proxes 4. Cheap, last twice as long as the AD07, and smoother and quieter. But surprisingly did not seem better in bad weather; and while grip is usually fine on a dry road, sometimes TC will turn on even with a base Roadster in normal mode.

If you want great grip all the time, try AD07 in the summer (or Proxes 4 if you can give up a little grip for a lot of money), and Continental Extreme Contact DWS in winter. (I'm sure there are other tires that work too; those are just the ones I've been happy with in those conditions).

 

[Doug_G]

For street tires I use AD08's on the rear. They're the new version of the AD07, and are significantly less expensive than AD07, have good grip, and they appear to wear well. I punch it all the time and they do a good job. Even did a drag race with them recently.

I run them with AD07's on the front because AD08 isn't available in the size needed for the front.

 

[dsm363]

For street tires I use AD08's on the rear. They're the new version of the AD07, and are significantly less expensive than AD07, have good grip, and they appear to wear well. I punch it all the time and they do a good job. Even did a drag race with them recently.

I run them with AD07's on the front because AD08 isn't available in the size needed for the front.

No problems mixing kinds of tires then? I'd read some people were concerned about that but that probably only matters in extreme circumstances.

 

[ChadS]

No problems mixing kinds of tires then?

I've heard mixing AD07 and AD08 isn't a big deal, but haven't tried it myself.

When I had AD07 on the front and something different on the rear (Proxes 4 or Continental ExtremeContact DWS), the car was definitely more squirrelly on freeway ruts. It was pretty annoying at first, but I got used to it. I didn't notice any other issues, but then I don't stress the tires other than accelerating in a straight line. Putting Continentals all around made that problem go away.

 

[ggr]

No problems mixing kinds of tires then? I'd read some people were concerned about that but that probably only matters in extreme circumstances.

Of course I keep matched pairs, but I've had no trouble mixing different fronts/rears.

 

[strider]

I'm running Proxes 4's and I'm happy w/ them. My car is a daily driver so I needed longer life than the AD07's. There is less grip in general than the AD07's (there's no free lunch) but if they're warm they work quite well.

 

[dsm363]

Of course I keep matched pairs, but I've had no trouble mixing different fronts/rears.

Yes, thanks. Good to know. That's what I meant to say, same tires in front and different set in rear.

 

[Doug_G]

No problems mixing kinds of tires then? I'd read some people were concerned about that but that probably only matters in extreme circumstances.

Tesla doesn't recommend it, but in my experience they won't recommend anything that isn't stock. They said that the traction control might not like it; however, in the case of AD07/AD08 I can see absolutely no evidence of that, and I've been running them for a while now.