If you have a vehicle that likes to perform, you'll do best to fit it with a set of Pilot Super Sport tires from Michelin.
This is a seriously good set of rubber that will have you turning faster lap times, finding more aggressive turn-in from your car, and braking in less distance when compared to the competition. Those are the old Pilot Sports though, as Michelin is now trotting out the replacement in the form of the Pilot Sport 4S. Are they any better? Jason from Engineering Explained got a hands-on experience to find out.
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We're going to spoil the answer for you, as it appears to be a resounding yes. We want to do that so we can dive into the engineering behind why that's so thanks to the video above. The three basic areas that support this answer, however, lie in the fact that cars fitted with the PS4S turn faster dry lap times and brake in less space in both dry and wet conditions. These aren't just claims that Michelin makes, mind you. There is data to support this.
Michelin likes to take it a step further though, by having folks run the same type of vehicle in the same conditions. Some will wear the competition's offerings which arrive from Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone and so on. Other cars will be packing the latest and greatest from Michelin. The result is a tire that produces consistently shorter stopping distances and that will easily help you on to faster lap times.
The tire maker achieves its results by adjusting the compound used to create the new Pilot Sport 4S, while also utilizing a new interior construction component. Besides the performance benefits, Michelin also states that this tire should last around 30,000 miles. That's a ton of mileage on a set of rubber such as this, and we're going to be paying close attention to real-world results. For now, we've got a good grip on why they should be a nice improvement over the already legendary Pilot Super Sports.
