Michelin Pilot Sports (Michelin)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Michelin
Date:	29/10/05 (2527 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handle well enough

Disadvantages: Desperately expensive; High tyre wear.

Car: MG ZT 1.8 Turbo
Tyre: Michelin Pilot Sports 225/45R 18inch

For any of you that have read my review of my life with the MG, you may be surprised to learn that the two of us are still together after two and a half years. In fact, it shortly will have to undergo its first MOT, I having originally bought it as a 6 month old demonstration car. Despite all the initial problems, since it has had its second engine (under warranty – before MG Rover went bust), it has not missed a beat. It is still, to drive, one of, if not the best car I have ever driven.

I have gone through two complete sets of tyres on this car. It was originally supplied with the Michelins. When they wore out I replaced them with the same again. I had little choice. 18 inch tyres are not a common size and when it came to replace them the first time the only choice I had was Michelins or Continentals. My favourite tyre shop (Roadwheel in Fleet, Hampshire), advised that, although the Continentals would be cheaper, they wouldn’t last as long as the Michelins, so I chose the Michelins.

The Pilot Sports tyres are “directional”, in other words, they can only be fitted to the rim one way round. This means that you can’t change the wheels to the other side of the car. It also means that you have a problem with the spare. It will only fit on one side of the car. However, as the MG doesn’t come with a spare, only a re-inflation canister, this isn’t a problem. However, feeling uncomfortable with this as my only fallback, I actually bought a spare wheel. So far I haven’t had to use it but should I ever need to do so I will keep the speed well down.

The tread pattern on the two sets of tyres that I have used is a sort of V of grooves, with the point of the V more or less in the centre. I guess the intention is to force water out to the edges of the tyre so as to disperse it. The grooves have the “Replace Me” bumps in them. When the tread wears so that they are level with the rest of the tread, this is when you need to replace the tyres.

The car is front wheel drive and its only real fault is that it has a tendency to pick up the inside wheel when turning sharp left or right as in pulling out of a side road. Pulling away under power whilst still turning sharply can cause lack of traction on the inside wheel with inevitable axle tramp. If ever there was a car which needed a limited slip differential it’s the MG.

Other than this the Michelins handle well. Taking winding roads at speed is effortless in the dry. In the wet the Michelins do exhibit a little sensitivity but not unduly so. I can honestly say that I have never got into any trouble in any conditions so I suppose that does say a lot about the capabilities of the Michelins. However, how much is due to the tyres and how much to the car is difficult to say.

That’s the good news. The bad news is the cost of these tyres. They are unbelievably expensive. The first time Roadwheel replaced them they were priced at £178 a tyre. That was the best price I could find. Roadwheel were £50 a tyre cheaper than anywhere else! The last time I came to replace them the best price they could find was £185 a tyre.

The other bad news is that I am only getting 20,000 miles out of a set of tyres. Now, I don’t think I am particularly brutal with my tyres but 20,000 miles is not good. My last car was a Merc and I had Michelins on that as well, though not Pilot Sports. I was getting 35,000 miles out of the tyres on that.

One other thing I noticed with the Michelins is high road noise. On some surfaces the noise from the tyres became quite intrusive, sometimes even making it difficult to maintain a conversation with a passenger or requiring the radio to be turned up a bit louder.

So, in summary I can say that the Michelins have been satisfactory but no more than that. When it came to replace them this time I decided to change manufacturer. A new maker has entered the market for this size of tyre, Bridgestone. I have had the Bridgestone Potenza tyre fitted this time, not particularly because I’m a Ferrari fan, I’m not. Our company sponsors MacLaren and they are a Michelin company. No, the reason I chose Bridgestone was that they were £45 a tyre cheaper than the latest Michelins.

So far my experiences of the Bridgestones are good. They actually seem to be a better performer than the Michelins. They seem more sure-footed in the wet and appear to suffer less from axle tramp. In the dry they appear to enable even better cornering. They also seem a bit quieter than the Michelins.

A full report when they wear out.

Summary: Expensive tyres that handle reasonably well but don't last too long

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