Michelin Pilot Sport Three (PS3) 225/40/18 92Y Extra Load : Review

[john_o]

Michelin Pilot Sport (PS3) 225/40/18 92Y XL (Extra Load)

Why
We all need tyres, and often we underestimate just how important these 4 small patches are.
I have ran these for 14.5k miles, ran PS2's before these and I'm now trying out Continental Sport Contact 5  

[Some stuff from my other tyre reviews...]

Considerations for tyres are varied but generally follow these lines :

1. Cost
2. Grip levels wet/dry  (which translates to stopping distance and safety!)
3. Availability
4. Brand name 'status'
5. Tread Wear Rate
6. Noise levels
7. Alloy lip protection
8. Speed rating
9. Quality
10. Progressive breakaway

These are all differently 'weighted' by all of us, for me I'm not a rich man, but for me grip (especially wet) ,breakway progression, quality and wear rate are my primary considerations. For each and every person on here I'm sure its different.

my previous tyre reviews
Michelin Pilot Sport Two (PS2) 225/40/18 92Y Extra Load : Review


PS3 how they looked when fitted in 2010!



PS3 today with approx 2mm of tread depth left



PS3 tyres fitted at this mileage : 44664 miles


PS3 tyres changed at this mileage : 59220 miles


from full tread depth to 2mm in 14,556 miles (Oct 2010 to Feb 2012)

Treadwear is 320
Traction AA
Temp A


Sourcing

I have chosen to use a mobile fitting service called Event Tyres again  
Order the tyres online , select a date , they then phone you back (very quickly) and confirm the time/date etc.
No money is required until they are fitted.
For the third time they have continued to surprise me with top notch service.
I do however concede that you could source the tyres alone cheaper elsewhere.

£145 per tyre, so £290 all (this includes fitting etc)

Fitting

Fitted today , phone call at 8.30 am to say it would be 10-12
Tony arrived at 11am
Very friendly top notch service. Huge van and air jack , viola all done (balanced weights stick on and only on inside  ) in 30 minutes!
alloys confirmed prior to work so no disputes after . No marks made at all.
Absolutely faultless.
Event come highly recommended based on this experience. (for the third time Ive used them)
10/10

http://www.event-tyres.co.uk/

Other options to consider

Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric
Pirelli PZero
Yokohama parada 2
Michelin PS2 / PS3  (PSS not available in UK at time of review)

Read the reviews , check the forums (for the exact tyre size you plan to fit) and decide yourself

Plus Points
hot weather : good grip , limited feel , progressive breakaway, no impression of weak sidewalls at all [good but not a patch on PS2]
cold weather : poor. take a time to 'warm up' during this phase you can be caught out with very low grip levels (even in cold but dry conditions) [PS2 better]

100% tread  : no bedding in period, worked straight from day one.
                       (although like all tyres I would recommend a 100 miles bedding in phase to remove the releasing agent)
50% tread    : same as 100%
10% tread (legal limit) : significant drop off in wet weather performance

limited road noise : quieter than PS2, but very little in it
on the track         : not tested so I cant comment in this scenario. But I reckon with some good heat i them they should perform nearly up to PS2 standards
up the drag strip : no idea I never ran them up the strip

low wear rate : 15,000 miles on a revo stg1 gti is pretty impressive.

They wore evenly across the entire tread depth  

USED as reference points from PS2 review...

hot weather : good strong grip , nice feel , progressive breakaway, easily recoverable, nice turn in feedback. no impression of weak sidewalls at all
cold weather :  as above + good stability , never once aquaplaned.

100% tread  : no 'bedding in' phase required , great from mile 0
50% tread    : still performing great, no change in wet or dry from 100% tread

10% tread (legal limit) : amazing for a nearly bald tyre! still manage to shift some water, in general driving seem normal, however once the (lower) limit is reached the progression is swift  into terminal understeer. To be fair I have taken these tyres way past the point of tread depth where I would normally change. But they perform so well.

limited road noise, probably got slightly worse once past 75% worn (25% remaining)

on the track : not tested so I cant comment in this scenario. Reckon they should perform well as long as they dont overheat and tyre pressures are kept stable
up the drag strip : rubbish driver on a cold day = poor results lol, not the tyres fault  

Minus Points

wet weather : shocking in first 10 minutes! once warm they grip well BUT on the limit breakaway is sudden and non progressive and will most likely mean youll have a big off. They key point with these tyres is that I never felt I could trust them to push on and enjoy a wet backroad.
[PS2 wipes the floor of the PS3]

alloy wheel lip protection is very limited , tyre has a very 'flat' profile , doesnt bulge, so provides little or no protection


Summary

The PS3 is an excellent all round tyre (almost) with one major flaw in regards of its wet weather performance/breakaway characteristics.
For me its liveable with, but far from ideal.
For me the PS2 has a far better balance and characteristics albeit with the penalty of reduced tyre life.
The PS3 is however a better tyre than the Exalto's (but they are comparable in poor wet weather performance!)

I tried various different pressures (mostly from OE recommended all the way up to 40 psi), with little difference.

Would I buy them again = YES (but prefer to try other makes before going back)
Would I recommend them to you = YES (if wet weather isnt your preference)
Should you consider other alternatives = YES
Are they the 'upgrade' Michelin would have you believe from the PS2 = NO

of course this is opinion only (and in fact contrary to many online reviews who rate the PS3 better than than the PS2), but that has not been my experience

Given a choice of the tyres Ive tried they fall in the following order

1st PS2
2nd PS3
3rd Pilot Exalto

Ultimately I ran PS3's and was unhappy enough to consider going back to PS2 or another make.
In the end I chose Continental Sport Contact 5's (and even in the first few hundred miles have given me back feel and wet weather grip)

Looking forward, I intend to run the Pilot Super Sport once they become available in the UK if they arent too expensive.


Heres how Michelin compared PS2 and PS3.
The only thing I can agree with is the increased tyre life!


http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Michelin/Pilot-Sport-3-PS3.htm

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Welllll - get on with it!

[vRS Carl]

Maybe he is so impressed he is speechless

[john_o]

  be patient and let me get some miles on them ffs

first impressions

the centre grooves are huge compared to PS2's

releasing agent/compound is very slippy in the first few miles (way more than any other tyre Ive ever had fitted!) actually quite dangerous even at 'mild' speeds I had a four wheel drift that triggered the ESP ...

quieter (even allowing for the worn PS2's at legal limit)
at this stage Id say the feedback isnt as good through the steering wheel but we are still in the bedding in phase.

I know that I have already deployed a lot more power through the PS3's  due to a switch from APR to REVO and they are coping very well 

Im trying to dig out specs but michelin seem a bit more cagey with the PS3. Tread wear rating means they should last longer.

they have a lot to live up to, to beat the PS2 I can tell you.

[KRL]

  due to a switch from APR to REVO and they are coping very well 

Looking forward to that review 

[DaveG2L]

I have posted the following in an older thread re. PS3s.

I have just changed from Bridgestone Potenzas to Michelin PS3s on my Mk5 GTI. I swapped one pair last month and the other pair yesterday. I paid £300 for 2 x 225-40-zr18s fitted + balanced from Protyre in Portsmouth. Once I have had time to try them I'll post again.

Also, Michelin have an offer on all of their tyres until 30th November. If you buy 4 in one go at one of the garages listed on their site, they give you £40 of fuel vouchers. Unfortunately I don't qualify as the garage I bought mine is not on the list and I bought the other pair seperately. For those interested the link is here:

http://www.dealersitesmanagement.co.uk/cashback-oct/

[john_o]

now swapped fronts again today, so I can complete the PS3 review......

[john_o]

completed, enjoy 

[stealthwolf]

Thanks. Looks like I need to be on the hunt out for PS2s.

[robern2]

michelin suggest there are few ps2  left anywhere in the uk. Pilot super sport in 225/40/18 y xl go into production in 6 weeks. Delivery of stock not expected for a further 6 weeks after that.

[robern2]

Michelin are now saying they will produce Pilot Supersport in 225/40/18 88 Y tyres but not not in 92Y XL format.

[stubert]

Thought i'd add to this thread as apposed to starting a new one with essentially the same topic.

First off i thought i'd start by saying i only purchased my Golf GTI about 5 weeks ago.  I'm an enthusiastic driver with quite a bit of track day experience and have also competed in the Scottish Hillclimb championship.  I bought the Golf to drive it 'properly' and needed a tyre to suit.

At this time i'll point out that my tyres are 225/45 17's on standard Monza's.

On collection the car had barely legal Michelin Pilot Primacy HPs up front, and 3mm Yokohama Advan Sports out back.  I have never, and will never, run a car with different tyre brands on it.  So i shopped around for replacements.  I looked at changing the front 2 Michelins to match up with the rear Yokohamas, but i have never got on well with Japanese tyres (apart from 888's/A048's etc).  On previous cars i've tried Toyo T1R's and Yokohama Parada spec 2's and A539's. That was enough for me.......

I used to work for Costco Wholesale as a supervisor in their Aberdeen tyre bay.  I do have Michelin blinkers, but i think it's for good reason. 
On my Honda Integra i opted for Bridgestone RE010's when i bought it, as these were the OEM tyre when the car was produced in the early 90's.  I quickly decided that they were very dated and not at all suited to the Scottish roads, where a more supple tyre is essential.  I also tried 888's on the road, Parada Spec 2's but finally changed to Michelin Pilot Exalto 2's. 
For road driving they were by far the best suited tyre.

Because of my experience with the Integra, Pilot Sports were by far the top of my list of tyres to shod the Golf with.  With that in mind, i still considered plenty of other tyre brands, including odd balls like the Hankook V12 Ventus option, which has been given great reviews, along with Continental Sport Contact 3's.  I recently put a pair of these on my girlfriends GT TDI 140 and they are fantastic.  Previous experience of the Continentals were that they were a little less confidence inspiring in the wet than the Exaltos.

Anyway, i went back to my previous place of work and threw on 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 3's. 

Like the OP said, they seemed ok off the shelf but really came to life after 100 miles or so.  My first proper drive on the Michelins was also the first proper drive i'd had in the Golf, which was a 180 mile trip over the A93 towards Glenshee.  I had a totally standard Civic EK9 in toe, piloted by a good friend of mine who is a very competent driver.  The civic was running Yokohama Advan AD08 tyres.

We were driving in mixed conditions, dry, cold roads and then freezing conditions with slush at the side of the road, rain and snow storms.

The PS3 is the first tyre, after the Exalto, that has been truly confidence inspiring in all conditions.  We drove through plenty of high speed sweeping corners that were dry on entry, wet/greasy at apex and exit, then back to dry again.  The PS3's never let the car go light and you could still input the slightest of steering adjustments. 
Higher speed corners are definitely the PS3's strong point.  Despite having a noticeably softer tread compound over the PS2 (to the touch), they seem to take quite a bit of "loading up" to start providing stronger levels of grip.  They lose out to the Exalto in low speed, sharp turning corners.  This is the only place where they have a slightly "slushy" feel.  They do, however respond well to a punch of throttle to pull you away from any low speed understeer.

On Friday night i had some spare time in the evening, so went out on my "local route".  It was raining, so most of the roads were pretty saturated, with some big puddles at the side of the road.  I went out with the intention of just getting to know the Golf in these conditions.  After 10 miles or so, when i got onto familiar bends, i found myself travelling at speeds that i'd only have ever considered in the dry in the Integra.  On straights (where i never drive much above the speed limit, regardless of weather), i intentionally drove through puddles at the side at varying speeds.  Only at roughly 50-60mph did the Golf start to feel unsettled.  In saying that i drove on the A90 yesterday in terrible conditions and at the speed limit with moderate levels of water on the road the steering was still weighted at all times.

After visiting Doune Hillclimb yesterday, i went back over the same route i had travelled on Friday night, this time in the dry and moderately warm conditions.
I had a friend with me who owns a Clio 182.  He was always impressed with the Exaltos on it, and has recently been struggling to enjoy the Pirelli P-Zero's he fitted to it, and also the Hankook V12's that he fitted last week.  He agreed with me that the PS3's were on a different level to the Exaltos.

I've possibly covered 1000 miles on the PS3's now and looking forward to seeing how they will progress.  I intend on trying the Golf on track but don't imagine the Golf will ever become a track based car for myself.
I will always struggle to find reason to change to another brand of tyre after such great impressions.  It's an expensive experiment to have to put up with for ~15k miles if i made the wrong decision.  So with that said, anyone who drives their GTI with passion, i'd fully recommend the Michelin PS3.

Summary

Dry Grip - Fantastic from the off and continue to work right up the limit of road driving.
Wet Grip - In my opinion, the best "sports" tyre i've used in the wet.  They displace water fantastically and maintain great levels of grip on greasy roads.
Comfort - No complaints.  Like i mentioned earlier in this post, the local roads really require a supple tyre.  Japanese tyres seem to all have firmer sidewalls and cause cars with firmer suspension feel skitty and un-compliant.
Noise - Not a huge amount to compare it to on the Golf, but are quieter than Continental Sport Contact 3's which are on my girlfriends GT TDI 140.
Usability - Something a lot of people don't consider.  Some tyres require a lot of work to get going.  Michelins have always been really user friendly.  They don't seem to ever screech around a corner, but if you are using that as a marker of the limit of grip, you're possibly not driving within your capabilities.
Price - ~£125 a corner, fitted.  Definitely one of the most expensive tyres available.  One of very few downsides to this tyre.