Switched from Summers to A/S - Ugh!

[ZedFourM]

When I bought my car last year, just under 30k, the rears had been recently replaced with some Dunlop 9000 RS's, but the fronts were the original Contis and they only had that season left in them

Now, I am pretty finnicky with tires, but never had the opportunity, really, to have a car with summer tires, and didn't like being (for the most part) unable to take the car out with temps <40F, so I figured I'd put my favorite A/S tires on the car: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+. I've used these tyres on everything I drive that they fit, eventually even my DD Grand Am, just because they are so good. My tire guy laughs that I put $1k of tires on a Pontiac; but blow the Toyos, Bridgestones, and Yokos, and OEM Goodyears we've used out of the water (between my father's and my Grand Ams we have a combined mileage of nearly 400k, so we've tried a lot of rubber). They've Pilot A/S's always made a huge improvement in ride, handling, and especially, wet handling, so much so that we lived with the poor longevity the old version had.

So I expected a lot. I certainly expected them to be better than worn-out fronts mismatched with new, ok Dunlops in the rear. Sad surprise. It feels like a sidewall stiffness issue, the tail is a little vague, a little wishy-washy out of the corners -- and I am not aggressive with the car at all! I think the steering doesn't take a line as well, either.

$1k lesson, learned.

[dekaliber]

FWIW, I've felt fine with summer tires in cold weather as long as it wasn't snowing or wet. I put on Nitto NT05s late last year and took the car out a few times in ~30 weather, and they handled fine. Granted, I wasn't driving like a maniac, but at no point did I feel unsafe. Snow is a completely different story.

[r4gs]

^i second the opinion that albeit summer tires are not recommended for use below 40, i've run into no issues whatsoever through the mild texas winters (coldest lows of teens to 20s). i'm still on the oem contis.

[Arxangel]

Have you aligned the car after you replaced the tires?

[inTgr8r]

IMO A/S are not the best choice for an M Couppe, but they shouldn't be as bad as what you're experiencing

how many miles on them?
I put PS2s on my roadster and they were exactly like you describe, until the mold release wore off.

[ZedFourM]

Originally Posted by Arxangel

Have you aligned the car after you replaced the tires?

No, but the old tires had very even wear, and as the swap wouldn't affect the alignment, I didn't feel the need, nor, off the cuff, would see why an alignment issue would make the handling worse than it was :30 minutes prior to the swap.

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

IMO A/S are not the best choice for an M Couppe, but they shouldn't be as bad as what you're experiencing

how many miles on them?
I put PS2s on my roadster and they were exactly like you describe, until the mold release wore off.

Maybe I am being to paranoid, and I did think both about mold release and skin effect on the outside surface from being in contact with the mold and having the most cure. Probably have 250 miles on them now and though they're definitely better it's not the way I remember the car.

[pokeybritches]

Before I knew anything about tires, I was talked into putting A/S on my 3.0i because of the higher treadwear rating. They were much better than the RFTs the car came with. I later replaced the A/S with summer, and have never looked back. I will NEVER put A/S tires on a sports car again.