PS2 question ???????

GTS1997

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DO Pilot Sport 2 tires actually have the number "2" printed on the wall of the tire? I've looked for pictures of the PS2 tire walls but could not find any pictures that are large enough and focused on the wall to tell.

The reason I ask is because my Viper came with tires that say "Pilot Sport" and then there is a checkered flag after that. I thought I saw a close up of a tire on the car of member "ULLLOSE", which looks exactly like mine, but I can't imagine him putting on a PS(1)? when PS2s are available.

Thanks.
 

okloneranger

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As I understand it the pattern of the tread grooves is different from the circumfrence centerline to the inside and outside edges of the tire. Anybody got a picture?
 

Dom426h

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DLTARNU

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The original Pilot Sports have such a sweet looking tread pattern. The PS2 looks like a freaking family sedan radial.
 

Dom426h

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The original Pilot Sports have such a sweet looking tread pattern. The PS2 looks like a freaking family sedan radial.

Agreed.

Which is one of the reasons why some choose the NITTO INVO's

They look Bad A$$

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SlateEd

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The PS2 tread pattern is distinctive (maybe boring looking) but from the sidewall you can tell also - the Pilot ZP ("PS1s") have an arrow with the rotation direction printed on the sidewall. PS2a do NOT, they just say "outside" on the sidewall... if it says "outside" you have PS2s
 

Dom426h

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WearWize, they both have a Treadwear Rating(UTQG) of 220 wich is halfway between a hard allseason tire(400-500) and a race tire(0-50)

The largest size they come in 18's is 295/35. So no-go. Only available for us with 19's and up.
 

gb66gth

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The original Pilot Sports have such a sweet looking tread pattern. The PS2 looks like a freaking family sedan radial.

Agree fully.

But while the NITTO's someone else shows look cool, I found them to be sadly wanting in terms of ultimate grip. I like the new Kumho's. They look kinda like a drag radial but have very nice lateral grip.
 

Leslie

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:lmao:you're funny

btw, I sure do love my PS2's, they are amazing on the street AND on a roadcourse, welll for a street tire that is:D I need to see if they come in a 345 ooh yehhhh...or thinkin' about running a 295/335
 

Chrissss

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Agree fully.

But while the NITTO's someone else shows look cool, I found them to be sadly wanting in terms of ultimate grip. I like the new Kumho's. They look kinda like a drag radial but have very nice lateral grip.
Agreed. The Invos do not have the rating or performance level of the PS2s. I too like the "cool" look but I'm afraid performance is going to have to come before it looking cool.
 

Motivated

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my ps2 tires do say ps2 in very small print after pilot sport but the best way as indicated above is to reference the tread pattern. Very good grip, havent been able to break traction yet but probly due to lack of stones to try...
 

Dom426h

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But while the NITTO's someone else shows look cool, I found them to be sadly wanting in terms of ultimate grip. I like the new Kumho's. They look kinda like a drag radial but have very nice lateral grip.

That dosnt say much. Comparing ANY competition race tire hoosier,kumho,ect... to a street tire such as the PS2, or INVO is a mismatch. Apples to oranges...:nono:
 

Dom426h

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Agreed. The Invos do not have the rating or performance level of the PS2s. I too like the "cool" look but I'm afraid performance is going to have to come before it looking cool.

When deciding to purchase my INVO's last year i searched around for a legitimate comparison of the tire to other "summer performance steet" tires.
Didnt come up much.

I know that the PS2 is a great tire. Could you please source your comment about the "rating or performance level" of the INVO's ?
 

Chrissss

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When deciding to purchase my INVO's last year i searched around for a legitimate comparison of the tire to other "summer performance steet" tires.
Didnt come up much.

I know that the PS2 is a great tire. Could you please source your comment about the "rating or performance level" of the INVO's ?
Well for one the Invos are not a true z rated tire. The tires are “Z” rated, good for speeds over 149 mph. But they’re also limited by a “W” rating, which pegs the maximum safe speed at 154 mph. Any dealer will tell you this. Thats one reason why you won't find them put on McLaren SLR and Porsche GT2 & GT3 models, but you will find the PS2s. For the money, the INVOs are a great tire but they are not PS2s. Granted, for the price difference, the trade off may be worth going to the INVOs. The price of the PS2s have gone through the roof.
 

Chrissss

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AZTVR

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Interesting discussion about the aesthetic appearance of a tire tread pattern !! I had never even thought about it before. Kind of like buying shoes with the thought in mind about how the soles appear cosmetically. Never crossed my mind.

I can see that it might be important to the car show crowd. It seems that you can actually see the tread pattern when you have the hood up; or, I guess, if you turn the tires when you park at a show to show them off. My car usually is just parked after going in a straight line; so, I notice nothing but the first inch of the tread unless I am inspecting the tires.
Of course, I've done a couple of things to my car to get it more purty which would leave some others wondering, why bother?
 

DLTARNU

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Interesting discussion about the aesthetic appearance of a tire tread pattern !! I had never even thought about it before. Kind of like buying shoes with the thought in mind about how the soles appear cosmetically. Never crossed my mind.

I can see that it might be important to the car show crowd. It seems that you can actually see the tread pattern when you have the hood up; or, I guess, if you turn the tires when you park at a show to show them off. My car usually is just parked after going in a straight line; so, I notice nothing but the first inch of the tread unless I am inspecting the tires.
Of course, I've done a couple of things to my car to get it more purty which would leave some others wondering, why bother?


Well... shoes don't have soles on top, tire tread goes all the way around.

Most Viper, and sports car owners in general, appreciate looks as well as performance. When it comes down to a decision on a particular part for one's vehicle, some lean towards the performance side, others lead towards appearance.

Personally, I hate making the freaking choice. Why can't the best performing part ALSO look good?

I'm not a tire engineer, so I don't know much about tread patterns in regards to performance. Perhaps that boring as hell family sedan tread pattern is the ideal structure for maximum performance from an all-weather tire.

Or, maybe Michelin just didn't feel like putting in the man hours to design a new tread pattern for a low volume tire.

The original Pilot Sports were dead ****, and I had no complaints about the performance. From what I've read, the PS2's are excellent tires, perhaps the best in class, from a performance standpoint, but they rank near or at the bottom in appearance. I can't think of a more boring looking tire in the Z-rated class.

Again, it might be a direct trade-off for performance. Maybe the ****, symmetrical design of the original Pilot Sport was specifically what made it a worse performing tire than the PS2. Maybe that boring family sedan tread pattern of the PS2 is specifically what makes it the best tire in its class.

If that is the case, I don't fault Michelin for targeting the performance crowd. Having said that, I just dropped my car off at DLM for some new shoes, and I went with the BFG T/A KDW, which from a performance standpoint is a slightly worse tire, but it's also a very good looking tire. They are also about $500 cheaper for a set of 4.

In my case, I'm willing to take a slight performance hit for a major appearance upgrade, as I wouldn't be taking either tire to its maximum abilities, anyway. I don't regularly drive over 180 MPH, and I don't take most corners at 50 MPH :)
 

Vic

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My tires have this neat feature, where they only go flat on the bottom.
 
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