BillY2KFRC

Today I finally had the new Michelin PS2 tires installed in stock Z06 sizes on my OEM 02 Z06 wheels. 265/40/17 & 295/35/18. These tires are outstanding, by far the best street tire I have ever driven on. These tires are the most expensive for a reason and worth every penny. I'm a huge Formula One fan and have been very impressed with the Michelin tires in F1. The second I heard these PS2s were based on their F1 development, I knew I had to own a set. They actually look very much like an F1 tire with the rounded sidewall and 4 grooves. Very sharp looking tires, I'll take pictures when I get a chance to clean up the car.

As a comparison, here are the previous tires I have had on my Vette:

- Goodyear Runflats: loud, harsh over bumps, poor straight-line grip, predictable handling, excellent high-speed stability, lasted forever, piece of mind

- Nitto NT 555: very good tires for the price, better grip than the runflats without the noise and harshness, last a long time as well

- Goodyear F1 Supercar: very good straight-line and cornering grip when warmed up, good handling at high speeds and turn-in felt crisp, wore out very quickly, terrible in the wet (nearly lost it at 70mph on I95 once!)

- Kumho Ecsta MX: sloppy steering response and handling, poor handling at high speeds, worst tire I've had on the car, low price, grip was okay, about 90% of F1 Supercar dry grip, far better than the Goodyears in the wet, lasted tooooo long for my liking!

And now this brings me to the new Michelin PS2s. I've only put about 50 miles on them so far, but I can already say, without question, these PS2 are the best $1300 I've ever spent on the Vette. They allow all the engine/suspension/breaking mods I've done to the car to work in harmony like they never have before. It's like a new car again. I want to have a bonfire with those POS Kumhos now!

- Straight line grip: AMAZING! Tonight, with my climate control showing 35 degrees outside, I was able to floor the car in 1st gear from a 5mph roll with ZERO wheel spin! Remember I have 456rwhp with 4.10 gears... I have never been able to floor the car in 1st on street tires before. And the fact that I was able to do this on a cold night is even more impressive. I stayed dead hooked and pointed straight on my power-shifts as well.

- Cornering grip: They make every previous tire I've owned look I had been driving on ice. You can literally rip the steering wheel back and forth as hard as you can with no drama. Car would usually under steer like crazy when I would try that before and now it just darts in whatever direction you want it to go. Haven't explored the limits too much yet since most of my favorite back roads are still too sandy to drive fast on, but from what I can see so far, the limits will be VERY high.

- Steering response & handling: This is the category where I disliked the Kumhos the most. I think the fact that they were 275mm up front instead of the factory 265mm may have contributed to this, but whatever it is; it feels like I bought a new car. This is how a Vette should handle. Turn-in response is quick and crisp. Car rotates very nicely going through the twisties now. When car magazines praise the steering feel and fun to drive of the Porsche 911 over the Corvette I think the fact that they come with these tires from the factory my have something to do with it.

- Noise & Ride comfort: They make no noise, ride smoother and feel far less harsh over bumpy surfaces. How they do all this and also perform so well, I have no idea, but I'm not complaining!

- Wet handling and tire wear: Can't speak from personal experience on either of these yet, but I've heard the wet weather performance and hydroplane resistance is exceptional. I expect them to wear slightly better than the F1 Supercars, but only time will tell.

As you may be able to tell, I highly recommend these tires to anyone looking for replacement Z06 tires. Stock C5 sizes aren't out yet I don't think, but hopefully will come out soon so you guys can enjoy them too. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have about these tires.

TheDVS1

Great write-up and review! I've really been wondering how the PS2s stack up against my F1 Supercars on my '04 Z. I saw that the Michelins were getting raves on the Tirerack website, but I hadn't seen much discussion about how well they performed on a C5.

Thanks!

ArmyVette

Very good write-up. Suggest you also post this in the User Feedback section of TireRack.com. I place more stake in user feedback than on the company's marketing teams to give me the straight information.

YO-EL

Told ya!

BillY2KFRC

You were right Ellis, these tires rock. I'm going to be making a few passes on them April 2nd at E-town just to see what they can do.

ptdrummer54

Did you get the zero pressure or regular version?

BillY2KFRC

Regular version. Don't believe they even make a zero pressure version of the PS2 yet, I think just the orignal Pilot Sport.

Kschwamy

Run PS now and love them. Definately will go to the PS2 when I have to change. Thanks for the info.

Bills03Coupe

I spoke to the Tire Rack yesterday, and the PS2's in stock sizes for the C5 (245-45ZR17 fronts and 275-40ZR18 rears) will be available in approximately 4-6 weeks. Prices quoted were $194 (front) and $291 (rear).

IFLUBYU

I have about 1000 miles on my new PS2s, love them! Had them ordered along with my CCWs, running 315/30/18(18x11) in rear and 265/35/18(18x10) in front. I really wished they had a 275 for the front. Other than a limited size availability there is NO downside to these tires. I really wavered over the price when considering which tire to get, but in for a penny in for a pound, and no regrets here.

The grip on these tires is amazing. I had my 4.10s installed while I was waiting for these to be delivered, so I was running around on my stock set with run-flats. Just like driving on ice. I was running on F1-SCs for the last two years and was satisfied with those (except in the rain of course), but these puppies out-do them dry and are a whole class above them wet. Keep in mind I have only had them on COLD pavement yet, can't wait for summer! The tread compound is pretty hard so I definately expect some better improvement when they get warmed up. Cornering is still being explored as I have not yet pushed myself out of a turn. I've gone way past where my SuperCars would have yielded, and not lost it. I'm waiting to get a little more used to the 4.10s before doing a skid test (usually on an entrance ramp, drop to second, hang it out, up to third at the apex).

Only thing I'm worried about is how long they last, but since I am only puttinh 5-7k miles per year on the vette now, not that worried.

tramminc

ordered mine monday they will be on the car this friday. hell i may not go to work.
265/40/17
295/35/18

Mikelly

I have to ask if you've tried these on a track day or driving school... Your comments about the Kumhos was surprising to me, as I was VERY impressed with them and running down a Ferrari on Michelin Cups, and other Vettes BMWs on hoosiers...

I actually HAVE hoosiers on some Z06 rims and left them at home becuase the temps weren't looking to favorable... The Kumhos ROCKED, and I run them daily on the street with excellent feedback!

My setup is in my bio...
Mike

IFLUBYU

Let me know when you have your car setup, maybe we can swap and see what the difference is. I haven't tried the Kumhos so I cant comment on the difference, but love the PS2s.

Vetteman Jack

Nice write up. Thanks for the comparison.

BillY2KFRC

I never did a track day on the Kumho's, only auto-x and aggresive back road stuff. I have done track days on the previous tires and just did not have enough confidence in the Kumho's to ever want to try them on a track. Maybe I just had a bad set, who knows, but I absolutely HATED driving on those tires. Made my car feel like an 86 Camaro in the twisties. I'm glad you enjoy your's, the price is awesome, they just didn't work so well for me.

Mikelly

IFLUBYU, I'm about an hour and 20 minutes south and east of you in Fredericksburg and have a lift in my garage... You are more than welcome to come down and we can swap them onto your's and you can take them for a spin... I'll be at VIR this weekend, but anytime after that...

I've got the FULL Z06 suspension on my 99 Coupe and I'm running a custom alignment, so maybe that helps. I've had this car since December 2003 and I bought the tires and have had them on the car since the day after I bought it (Already had the tires and wheels before the car!) and I've put about 10K miles and one track weekend on them! I've recently upped the power on my C5 to 335hp and 353#ft. of torque, and the extra HP hasn't hurt the tires or the Zo6 clutch kit I installed...

Mike

thug29

I too have spent many, many hours this off season (***** deep in snow here in Boston), reading and reading endless posts, articles and comparisons on the top tires available to us.
As of yesterday I had boiled it down to my final two choices;

A. Michelin Pilot Sport
B. Pirelli PZero Nero M+S

Well needless to say I decided to go with the Pirelli as they seem to have got the best reviews throughout the various surveys I read.

Best of luck to you all for what ever choices you decide on !!!!!

DSOM Z06

Choices become limited when you are not looking to go any bigger than 285/35/18's out back. I know many people put 295's on stock 9.5 rear rims, but I just don't like the look. I'll have to keep searching.........

BradSW

Bills03Coupe,

Based on what you told me about standard C5 sizes coming out in 4-6 weeks, I called Tire Rack to get a place in line. They said they were available now. I placed my order and they will be here a week from tomorrow. So if you were looking for some, give them a call back. I spoke with Chuck.

Thanks,

Brad

P.S. Lived 10 years in Moorpark in the Mountain Meadow section.

Vettlldo

My previous experience with Michelin Pilot Sports (not PS2) was around 35,000 miles more or less. As I recall, the treadwear rating on the PS2 is the same as the PS.