Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

[Yusha]

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience with these tires? My Sport 4 are almost done and I'm debating between getting some 4S and a set of winters when winter comes or just getting 1 set of A/S 3+ to save money. I live in Vancouver, Canada and the snow here usually isn't too bad and only for 1-2 months. Performance wise, is there a big difference between the 4 and the A/S 3+?

Thanks in advance!

 

[RedCal]

I had the 3's on my last car... so not an exact comparison, I know - but they are also terrible in the snow, the Pirelli Pzero Neros are a bit better but not by much. Van has very mild winters, but the PS3's slide very easy in only a cm of snow, and there will be hills all over the city you will never get up with them. My advice if you want the best tires get the PS4/4S (remember you can't run them below degrees 10C) and a set of winters, the PS3's will let you run them longer with less grip, but you are still going to need winter tires. If you can only do a single set of tires for the year - you are going to need to look much further down the line to a touring 4 season tire, but you are going to give up a TON of grip and road feel.

Keep checking Kijiji - you will find a set of wheels or wheels and winters for cheap.

 

[SafetyPilotCal]

I have them on my Corvette. When I bought that car, I drove it from Tampa to Pittsburgh. In January. They are NOT acceptable winter tires, but honestly 99% of all-seasons are godawful in snow anyway. You will need winter tires. They're great in the warm, dry weather though.

 

[Snowwhite]

I’ve had them on two cars. Not sure about their winter performance since I live in Florida, but they do have a bit of tread howl at about 60-70mph. my other two cars it was barely noticeable, but with the little sound insulation in the stinger, I have a feeling they’d have a much louder voice.

 

[Regs120]

I was thinking of changing out to all seasons too since my 4S's are starting to bald. The 4S's are horrible for winter so I can't imagine the 3 A/S's being any worse.

 

[moinmoin]

Different drivers, different cars, different experiences...
In February 2018 I drove my (then) brand new Stinger from Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale on the Michelin A.S 3+ for the first time. There were two repeats after. Never a problem with snow , ice or sleet.
I don't consider the A/S snow tires, but they will perform in cold weather. If you regularly drive through feet of snow, get snow tires. And look up Tire Rack's ratings. Highly recommended. The ratings, that is.
I am now on my second second set, this time square @ 255/40r/19 increasing the stock ratio from .35 to .40, which increased the wheels diameters by 1" compared to stock. Also provides a nicer ride.

 

[Spaceme17]

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ are probably the best all-season tire there is. They are great for if you live in an area where you get snow every now and then during the winter. They do have excellent grip at low, winter temperatures on dry pavement. They are excellent for summers and in the rain.

But they are not a snow tire.

I live in north Kentucky and an all-season tire is a great option for this area. I had a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ on an all-wheel drive BMW 335 and they rode and performed great.

But if you have very snowy winters, its better to have a separate set of dedicated winter tires.

 

[Yusha]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

@moinmoin How's the driving feel of the A/S 3+ compared to the 4 during the summer/mild temps?

 

[moinmoin]

How's the driving feel of the A/S 3+

LOL, my stock tires are still in the basement, drove them only from the dealer to Costco in January 2018 to switch to the A/S. Maybe I should sell them now.
I am really in no position to compare.
But you can assume, that the compound is not as sticky as the 4 or 4+, cornering is likely not the same, but I have yet to drive the A/S to to the limit.
When it comes to comfort and noise, the differences are probably marginal, as the A/S will easily exceed legal speeds, I would not take these tires to the track.
The set I switched to in January 2018 lasted until April 2020 and 30,500 km. The rear tires became virtually slicks while the fronts would have lasted possibly another 5 - 10K km.
Being square now and by virtue of full tire rotation, I expect to reach or exceed Michelin's warranty of 70,000 km. With the ratio increased from stock .35 to .40 (255), these tires are riding noticeably
more comfortable then my previous set and to be clear, I am comparing A/S to A/S.

 

[Oryan]

If its gets cold, but snow is either rare or not something you'd expect to drive much in, they work just fine. I don't feel like I lost much in overall grip when its warm. In the wet they handle a lot better, even with my wider and slightly stretched setup. I can feel them start to let go a bit sooner than the 4's did but it's a very linear progression and the tires and car will let you know before they give it up completely. I actually find them more fun. In light snow? You'll get where you're going. You won't be plowing throw snowdrifts in these but they will get you through the odd snowstorm if you get caught out in one.

 

[TimT]

The Stinger requires too much grip to use allseason tires, go for seperate sets of PS4-s and proper set of winter tires. Otherwise you are missing out on the best of both worlds.

 

[Not Here Anymore]

The Stinger requires too much grip to use allseason tires, go for seperate sets of PS4-s and proper set of winter tires. Otherwise you are missing out on the best of both worlds.

I fully agree, I have separate winters and running on Michelin pilot 4 s for the summer time here in B.C.

 

[moinmoin]

I absolutely disagree with the notion, that only one tire fits this car. There are as many driving styles as there are drivers and cars. And tires are made to accomodate different styles, abilities and wallets. If you want to beat every car to every traffic light, that's your business. Not all owners drive like that, and ergo, don't need the stickiest tires available.
I suggest to get real.

 

[Waynerm002]

I’ll add in the General G-Max AS05 and the BF Goodrich Comp2 AS. I have the Generals on my optima hybrid and they perform quite well but have some road noise on that vehicle. Higher than the ECO tires they came with but fine for grippy tires. I drive my hybrid in Sport mode most of the time and it is also lowered and it handles quite well on those tires. Winter performance has been pretty good with those as well. Another Stinger owner in my area replaced his Michelin’s with the BF Goodrich shortly after getting his car and the ride on those were pretty nice, they are also rated well for snow by TR. As mentioned here getting winter tires is best for the Stinger and for Canada, I would say that seems like the route to go.

 

[moinmoin]

General G-Max AS05 and the BF Goodrich Comp2 AS

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[nhcowboy28]

AS3 + were sketchy as hell even with the slightest snow/ice back when Atlanta how the second d snowmaggedon. Rwd Mustang. I know throttle control and it didn’t matter.

If you want something For snow/ice, get second set it winter tires or don't drive when it’s bad out.

all seasons are too much of a compromise for any sport sedan/car.

 

[moinmoin]

That's a given, my Nokian Hakkapelitta snow tires behaved just as crappy on my Mustangs - I had two of those a while back. Comparing Mustangs with AWD Stingers is also pretty pointless. The Mustang is poor in any weather on any tire. I would not project my driving experiences with Mustangs onto the Stinger.
A/S tires on a Stinger AWD go very well together during the winter season in sleet, snow and wet roads surfaces. These are not snow tires by any means. But for urban driving in the winter they could be all you need. And for the rest of the year these tires are great under all weather conditions.
To each his own.