Highland Fling Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 I made a technical enquiry to Michelin regarding my thoughts on the fitment of the new Michelin PS4S tyres to my 718 CS. The 20"Carrera Sport alloys I specced on my car are half an inch wider than the other 20" options and the Pirelli P-Zero 265 section rears look stretched on the rims. Below is the reply I received from Michelin earlier this week. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorscheGT4 Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 it's now may and still no N0 PS4S though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJMC Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 In an idle moment I just phoned Brian at Camskill who knew instantly about these 20" Tyres for Porsche. He said they ARE now available through Porsche dealers ONLY (at astronomical prices) and quoted the Porsche parts numbers. No news on when they will be available via tyre retailers. He added that feedback from customers who have PS4S for other vehicles is that they are not as good as the PSS, with a softer sidewall, and as they are not recommend for track use he feels they are NOT any upgrade to PSS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkGTS Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 Did you get anywhere with this Brian? @Highland Fling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJMC Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 (edited) 21st September, from Michelin... Dear David, Thank you for contacting MICHELIN Customer Care. With regards to your enquiry about the availability of MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 S with the N0 marking for Porsche, I would like to inform you that I have spoken with our stock and these tyres will not be available in the UK in the next 12 weeks. As I mentioned on the phone this is the information we have for now and it could change. I would be happy to check the availability again in November. Please drop me a quick message and I will get back to you hopefully with a more precise information. These are the details for the two tyre sizes: MICHELIN PILOT SPORT 4 S N0 EXTRA LOAD 235/35 ZR20 92(Y) Product Code: 541068; Wet Grip: B; Fuel Consumption: E; Noise emission: 071 dB MICHELIN PILOT SPORT 4 S N0 EXTRA LOAD 265/35 ZR20 99(Y) Product Code: 459004; Wet Grip: B; Fuel Consumption: E; Noise emission: 071 dB At the moment, these are not available for purchase in the UK. I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns, I will be more than happy to help. Kind regards, Vassilena MICHELIN Customer Care Passenger Car & Light Truck Tyres Tel: 0845 366 1590; 0845 366 1535 E-mail: contact@tc.michelin.eu Contact us: www.michelin.co.uk/contact Web: www.michelin.co.uk Edited October 11, 2017 by DJMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Fling Posted October 14, 2017 Author Share Posted October 14, 2017 I'm still awaiting notification from my tyre retailer on the availability of the N0 rated Michelin PS4S. Meantime I am still on the Pirelli P Zero N1's with a second set of rears just fitted. It's my intention to fit Michelins early next year. Brian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Fling Posted December 29, 2017 Author Share Posted December 29, 2017 My Michelin PS4S N0 tyres are now fitted to my 718 CS PDK at 10k miles. The difference in sidewall profile is very apparent compared to the Pirelli P-Zero N1's. The PS4S N0's look wider, chunkier, and more racy that the P-Zeros. The 20" Carrera Sport wheels on my 718 CS are 8.5" wide and 10.5" wide. The PS4S N0's are bulging over the rims. They look great! Due to wintry weather, my car is in my garage for the foreseeable few weeks. I'll be reporting back in due course on my impressions of the PS4S N0. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Whalley Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 I am rather surprised that these tyres are rated "B" for wet grip. On most tests PS4 tyres perform better in the wet than other makes which have an "A" wet grip rating. Are the PS4S N0 tyres made with a different compound? Also, do any of the "N" rated tyres really differ from their non N equivalents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Fling Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 John, There is a significant difference in sidewall profile between non-N rated Michelin PS4S and the N0 version for the 20" 718 Cayman and Boxsters. The N0 version of the PS4S was the subject of extensive testing by Porsche and Michelin specifically on the 718, which delayed the launch of the tyre for almost 12 months. The PS4S N0 tyre looks "chunkier" and wider on the rim than the non-N rated version, even allowing for the fact that the front and rear tyre sections are the same, 235 and 265, and the fact that my 718 has the wider 8.5" and 10.5" alloys. The PS4S N0 is also a dual compound construction like the Michelin PS Cup 2. The wet grip "B" rating of the PS4S N0 tyre is a necessary compromise by Michelin for reasons of tread wear and dry road grip. The PS4S N0 is a premium high performance road tyre designed for occasional track day use, eg. 80% road, 20% track, compared to the Michelin PS Cup 2, 20% road, 80% track. The Cup 2 has a "C" rating for wet grip so the PS4S offers an incremental improvement in that regard. I shall be commenting on my impressions of the PS4S N0 as fitted to my 718 CS, following a track session at Knockhill circuit at the end of March. Brian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJMC Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Brian, any pics of your bulging sidewalls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Whalley Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Brian Thank you for your explanation. Porsche N ratings seem most appropriate where the tyre manufacturer has fine tuned a high performance tyre to suit a particular car - where both the tyre and the car are new. I am not sure it makes too much sense retrospectively, where, for example, an older car is to be fitted with a newly developed tyre. All the N rating could do in that instance would be to set a minimum standard. I do not expect Porsche and Michelin to have tested a 987 or 981 with all its wheel size variations to assess whether a PS4S is fine, but a PS4 is not recommended/permitted. I would prefer an "A" rated wet grip tyre for 99% of driving over a 2 second a lap saving on the Anglesey Circuit. Maybe the consideration on older cars only arises where the car has a Porsche warranty. But what would be the problem if PS4s were fitted? They would surely be better than PZero N0 tyres, an old specification tyre susceptible to cracking between the tread, yet still fitted by Porsche dealers. At a recent visit to Porsche Chester I saw that all their secondhand cars were fitted with Pirelli tyres. Are they really the best available? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk1 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 43 minutes ago, John Whalley said: Maybe the consideration on older cars only arises where the car has a Porsche warranty. But what would be the problem if PS4s were fitted? They would surely be better than PZero N0 tyres John This is exactly where I am ... `I` fitted the PS4S N0 (20") to my OPC Warrantied 981 last January. In shopping around, the OPC quoted for the PS4S but did highlight that they were not (unsurprisingly) the recommended tyre pp Porsche`s listing (that being the PZero N0 / N1). I elected to source via a Michelin agent after they had had confirmation from Michelin Technical that the PS4S N0 was OK for my car. As for any warranty implications, I am not unduly concerned that my action would be a potential problem (gut feel only, no supporting evidence ). The PS4S N0 may have been designed for the 718 but was not on the Porsche Approved Tyre List hence any potential warranty issues would I assume apply to them as to myself ? As regards the B rating for Wet Grip vs the A for the same sizes` non N0 Rated tyres ... prior to purchase I asked Michelin Technical the reason for this, their exact response I have quoted elsewhere on this Forum but was not considered to be an issue. They (Michelin Technical) still advised that the N0 was the best all round option, the margin between the B and A rating being due to Porsche`s N specification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJMC Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Mk1, why the worry over PS4S N0 when "N0" means solely they are Porsche approved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk1 Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 I am not concerned, perhaps my wording / composition is incorrect ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Fling Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 For those interested, next week I shall be track testing the PS4S N0 as fitted on my 718 CS at Knockhill circuit Fife. I have long experience of this circuit in all my previous Porsche Caymans, on a variety of performance road and track tyres. I'll be interested to see how the PS4S N0 compares. I'll post my comments in due course. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJMC Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Brian, did you have any other tyres than the PS4S N0 and PZero N1 fitted on the present car at any time? It will be interesting to see how far superior the Michelins are to the Pirellis. Take it easy on the track! PS. Thanks for messaging the photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Fling Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 Regarding the tyres on my 718 CS, the direct comparison will be between the PS4S N0, and the P-Zero N1. I did two dry Knockhill track days last year in my 718 CS with the P-Zero N1, so it'll be a useful back-to-back comparison. I'm expecting the PS4S N0 tyres to offer dry grip levels similar to the Cup 2's I had fitted on my Cayman R. The 718 CS is much faster, so the tyres will be working hard. Whether they are as durable and consistent over consecutive hot laps remains to be seen. Michelin's tyre technology development using dual compound polymers on the PS4S N0 should be a further step forward in both dry and wet conditions. We'll see how it pans out. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Whalley Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Brian, I will be interested to see how you get on at Knockhill. My second outing at the Anglesey track this week showed that the N1 P-Zeros were adequate for about 5 laps before starting to feel greasy as they heated up. They also pick up rubber debris and start to rumble. Definitely not a track tyre. Designed as a road tyre of course, but I feel it should do better. I hope you find that the PS4S N0s are a substantial improvement. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Fling Posted March 23, 2018 Author Share Posted March 23, 2018 John, Your comments on the track performance of the P-Zero N1 is the same as my experiences of this tyre. On my 718CS, they started to go all slidey after only 3 hot laps. The P-Zero N1's were very stretched on my wide 20" alloys. It felt as if the 718 CS chassis was working the tyre too hard. We shall see how the PS4S N0 compares after Knockhill on 28th March. I'm getting the geo set and adjust done today in readiness for the coming season. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Fling Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 Just to conclude, my impressions of the 20" Michelin PS4S N0 following 4 track days on my 718 CS PDK are as follows; 1. The best wet weather tyre I have ever experienced. The grip on a streaming wet Knockhill was simply outstanding. 2. On hot dry track conditions the PS4S N0 is only good for 2 hot laps. On the 3rd fast lap they overheat and get all slidey. 3. Michelin publicity states the PS4S tyre is for 80% road, 20% track. I say 95% road, 5% track. 4. For road use only the Michelin PS4S N0 is ideal. For track use in the wet, also ideal. Track use in the dry, only average. 5. If you enjoy a few track days, buy a set of Michelin Cup 2's. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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