What is the difference?

[syclone1157]

What is the difference between Michellin pilot sports and "PS2s"?

Tread design?
Compound diffeence?
Thanks.

 

[lankhoss]

I don't know much about the differences, but it is a COMPLETELY different tread design. Oddly enough, it almost looks identical to the (crappy) Eagle F1 tires that come on the new Z06's. They are a directional tread, so there's a dedicated right rear, and left rear tire. They are also a different compound (I really don't know the differences, though) and are supposed to have improved dry traction.

As of a few months ago, there still wasn't a PS2 in the 345/30/19 size yet, though

PS2(supposedly)>Pilot Sport (PS1)>Eagle F1

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Dont know about specific differences, but Luke said the PS2 is a better tire than the PS1 in every category

 

[KenH]

This pic shows the basic difference in tread design.

Seem to have a stickier compound. I haven't had a chance to really test them yet due to the cold weather, but they definitely stick better than Pilot Sports when checking to see at what point they break loose in straight line acceleration. Everything that I have heard is that they are a step up from the Pilot Sports in every performance category.

The tires themselves are not directional the same way that the Pilot Sports are. They are mounted with the chunkier tread pattern on the outside, so they become directional once they are mounted.

 

[bth1]

So can you rotate them left to right?

 

[KenH]

So can you rotate them left to right?

Yes. I guess my comment above was a little confusing. They are directional in the sense that they have to be mounted on the wheel in the proper direction (chunky tread pattern to the outside of the rim), but once that is done, changing the tires and rims from the left to right side of the car should not be a problem.

 

[ROCKET62]

Has anybody confirmed that these will be compatible with PS1's in the front? Surprisingly enough - my rear tires need to be replaced - but the fronts still have at least another year.

 

[KenH]

I don't know for sure, but there seems to be enough different in compound that I would think it might be a problem and I personally wouldn't risk it. If you can still get JonB's special pricing package, it's cheap enough that I'd just replace all 4 and be done with it, especially if your current set is getting very old.

 

[Randy]

Has anybody confirmed that these will be compatible with PS1's in the front? Surprisingly enough - my rear tires need to be replaced - but the fronts still have at least another year.

I have new PSs in the rear and new PS2's in the front, and have had no problems so far - around 3k miles since putting them on, including some autocross. (They didn't have the 335 18" PS2 rears when I was in the market to replace them early this year, and no ETA on when they would be available). When I had it aligned by a well known local racing alignment shop ("Custom Alignment" in Mountain View), one of the techs gave me major crap that I was going to have tracking problems with the mismatched type of tire, but my experience so far would seem to contradict his prediction (I guess its always possible that it could still happen once the tread depth is reduced and the rubber gets harder).

I would think that a far more likely cause of problems (that the tech didn't even comment on) is the differing sizes between front and back that all Vipers are designed - those of us that put appreciable miles in a Gen I with the stock *old* XGTZ's can attest to a white-knuckle ride in rutted roads. So, as I've seen no hint of any problem so far, I don't foresee a problem with my mismatch - your issue (with the PSs on the front and PS2s on the rear) *might* be a different issue, of course, but I have my doubts it would be an issue.

 

[Warren S]

http://www.michelinman.com/construction/pilot_sport_ps2/2958.html