John9213

On the way to dinner last night a pothole claimed my right front tire and bent the rim as well. Getting the rim fixed or replaced but I’ve decided to put on some new shoes. The dealer put Laufenn S Fit AS tires on before I bought it. They really haven’t been as terrible as I thought they’d be but they kind of suck in the rain and in Georgia it rains a bunch. So I think I’m going to just get some new ones and call it good. I’m torn on what to get.

Pirelli Cinturato P7 All season +
Michelin Pilot Sport 4s
Michelin Primacy MxM4

Now I don’t drive this thing like a race car, but I do have some blips of spirited action. My main concern is comfort, good in rain, accurate steering response, tread life and decent in snow. We don’t see much snow down here but our families live in Missouri and South Dakota so we do get up in the winter time to see them.
I’m leaning towards the pirellis for the all season aspect and the tread life. But I’ve always ran Michelin’s even though the tread life leaves a lot to be desired. What would you choose?
And also, would it be worth it to go a size bigger? I have an 18 awd so just trying to see if the bump to 245 would be beneficial or does it pose some risks?

byungkuk

The general consensus seems to be P7 AS+ for Grand Touring and Michelin Pilot Sports for Performance arenas - whichever one you choose to go with along with the wider tires.

I've always driven on Grand Touring tires.. so I would personally lean towards the P7s...

Kroaker

I wouldn’t get the pilot sport if you are going to be in snow.

primavera

Cinturato FTW!

jdpdata

You didn't list Michelin A/S3+. Very good All-Season High Performance tires. Had it on my GS, no complaints. I see they released a newer replacement AS4.

Doctj

12/2020 video ^

Take a peek at the Michelin AS4 's if you're considering all weathers.

As comfortable as the MXM4 is, it doesn't impress in wet traction and grip.

The p7 all seasons have been great on all the cars ive had them on for dry and wet traction/grip. (have not used them in light snow however)

John9213

Oh trust me, if I can find them they will be my first choice because I’m a Michelin fan. But for some reason around here, the as3 and as4 are hard to come by. Every place I trust to do the job says they don’t have them in stock and have a two week wait for the as4s. Normally I’d just wait but I’m leaving to go on vacation soon and need something. I think I’m just going to go with the p7s this time because of all the good reviews.

hadokenuh

There is another highly rated Pirelli PZero AS+ (the new one) you should consider.

ITDude

The OEM tires on my 2015 GS Luxury were Michelin Primacy MXM4. When they wore out, I replaced them with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+. The A/S 3+ only lasted about 30K miles (warranted for 45K), so I decided to try the Pirelli Cinturato P7 AS Plus 2 (latest model). I haven't had them long, but I immediately took them on a long road trip and had some vibration at higher speeds. I had to take them back to get them rebalanced and haven't tried any higher speeds yet.

The P7 do handle well, but I haven't had them in rain or snow yet. I'm trying not to let the bad tire installation ruin my impression of the Pirelli's. My main complaint with the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ was the tread wear. So far, the P7 seems to be a little quieter on the highway, but I am comparing a new P7to the A/S 3+ at end of life. I too have always bought Michelin's, and did bump up the the 245/40 R19 size on the A/S 3+ with no issues. I dropped back to the 235/40 R19 when I bought the Pirelli's. You have more tire selections if you do go with a 245/40.

2GR

Was surprised to find a few Michelin Tires (Primacy Tour AS, Primacy MXM4, PS3, and PS4S) out of stock with no availability date's last week. Might just be SoCal.
- Luckily found a matching set from another store 90mi away.

NJLEXES

[QUOTE=ITDude;10950109]The OEM tires on my 2015 GS Luxury were Michelin Primacy MXM4. When they wore out, I replaced them with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+. The A/S 3+ only lasted about 30K miles (warranted for 45K), so I decided to try the Pirelli Cinturato P7 AS Plus 2 (latest model). I haven't had them long, but I immediately took them on a long road trip and had some vibration at higher speeds. I had to take them back to get them rebalanced and haven't tried any higher speeds yet.

I have the P7 AS Plus 2 as well on my GS350. I had the P7 AS Plus years ago on my Es350 too. On both cars, the Pirelli's don't seem to balance too well.

I suggest you get them road force balanced.

It helps ALOT to smooth them out. Seems to be a Pirelli issue overall. My GS350 had a slight bend in 1 rim, but with the original MXM4 I had no vibration at all. I had them road force balanced but had to get the rim straightened ultimately. Now it is 100% smooth as silk.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Agreed, go with AS/3+. Have them on my F-Sport and they're great.

John9213

Went with the Pirellis due to the Michelin as3 and as4s having no available stock for 2-3 weeks. I’m going on a 2200 mile road trip the next two weeks that will test them in all weather conditions and road types. Should be able to get a feel for how they ride after that. If I’m not happy with them my tire shop said they’ll switch them out for the AS4s whenever they get them in stock. But so far, they ride really well and I have no complaints.

ITDude

[QUOTE=NJLEXES;10950439]Thank you for the insight on the P7 tires. I had to look up "road forced balanced" to see what it involved. Assuming my tire dealer (Discount Tire) has a road force balancer, will I need to ask for a road force balance for every tire balance for the life of the tire? I see so many positive reviews of the P7 AS Plus tires that I assumed my vibration problem was a rare occurrence.

NJLEXES

As FYI, once I road force balanced them the first time I never had to repeat the process. Generally, even though tire balance may change slightly as the tires wear it shouldn't change the balance substantially. Unless you get a vibration later on, should be "one and done". Most times these days the tires wear out way sooner than their mileage guarantee anyway.

I can't say that other brands of tires do need road force balancing routinely... but for me 2 different cars and 2 sets of Pirelli's and they both needed and benefitted from it. They are really good tires once you work out the kinks.