Type S Winter Wheels / Fitment Specs

[Vivid Apex]

Falken RT660s

Would you go with 275s in this case? Or with the 265/35/19s?

Also, Tirerack has a Kumho Ecsta PS91 in the 265/30/19 OEM size - thoughts on those as a cheaper alternative to the PS4S?

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[optronix]

Would you go with 275s in this case? Or with the 265/35/19s?

Also, Tirerack has a Kumho Ecsta PS91 in the 265/30/19 OEM size - thoughts on those as a cheaper alternative to the PS4S?

Yep, I think the Falkens are only available in 275/30, which should be fine if not preferred for my use case. I have zero interest in a higher aspect ratio, although I know some folks prefer it. I don't give a shit about having "meaty" tires... if I wanted that I'd go with 18s.

I honestly can't recommend Kumho tires. That really just comes down to personal anecdotal experience, on an admittedly small sample size. I had Kumho Ecstas on a 981 Boxster GTS when I first bought it, and when I made the change to Michelins a few months later it was a night and day difference. I don't know if perhaps the Kumhos on my car were ruined in some way by the previous owner (I think at least two of them were brand new...), but it was such a stark contrast that there just isn't a wide enough price disparity to justify having such an inferior tire. And I truly mean inferior, in every possible way. NVH, steering feel, road feel (here is where I would have said "grip" but honestly I don't have a direct empirical comparison as I had just been driving on the street up to this point)- but all of it is comically worse with the Kumhos.

I wouldn't put them on even if they were given to me, personally.

The Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 is a worthy alternative to Michelins if you want to save a few bucks... but again, ultimately I would choose the Michelins.

 

[Vivid Apex]

Yep, I think the Falkens are only available in 275/30, which should be fine if not preferred for my use case. I have zero interest in a higher aspect ratio, although I know some folks prefer it. I don't give a shit about having "meaty" tires... if I wanted that I'd go with 18s.

I honestly can't recommend Kumho tires. That really just comes down to personal anecdotal experience, on an admittedly small sample size. I had Kumho Ecstas on a 981 Boxster GTS when I first bought it, and when I made the change to Michelins a few months later it was a night and day difference. I don't know if perhaps the Kumhos on my car were ruined in some way by the previous owner (I think at least two of them were brand new...), but it was such a stark contrast that there just isn't a wide enough price disparity to justify having such an inferior tire. And I truly mean inferior, in every possible way. NVH, steering feel, road feel (here is where I would have said "grip" but honestly I don't have a direct empirical comparison as I had just been driving on the street up to this point)- but all of it is comically worse with the Kumhos.

I wouldn't put them on even if they were given to me, personally.

The Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 is a worthy alternative to Michelins if you want to save a few bucks... but again, ultimately I would choose the Michelins.

Thanks for the advice. In my old RSX I would always run Kumho Ectsa MXs and really thought they were a great bang for the buck. I've been nothing short of thrilled with the performance of the Michelins on the ITS though. I would need a ringing endorsement to switch at this point.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Thanks for the advice. In my old RSX I would always run Kumho Ectsa MXs and really thought they were a great bang for the buck. I've been nothing short of thrilled with the performance of the Michelins on the ITS though. I would need a ringing endorsement to switch at this point.

It's not just about being a Michelin, but it's the very specific dt1 ps4s in this size. There are other ps4s that would fit, even in this size, that are cheaper but they are not the same tire. There are plenty of Michelin tires that are just garbage, too.

I've had a few great kuhmo tires. The great ones give up a lot of daily livability for more grip.

That's the beauty of the ps4s... Has the comfort of a 500tw, the noise of a 300tw, and the grip of a lower ranked 200tw. Well balanced tire.

As was mentioned earlier, the conti ecs02 are a great tire too and typically much cheaper. The pirelli pz4 are even better than the Michelin in wet/damp weather, and also very close to the ps4s in dry weather. They're also quieter in my experience with them, but I hear that's size dependent for them.

 

[optronix]

It's not just about being a Michelin, but it's the very specific dt1 ps4s in this size. There are other ps4s that would fit, even in this size, that are cheaper but they are not the same tire. There are plenty of Michelin tires that are just garbage, too.

I've had a few great kuhmo tires. The great ones give up a lot of daily livability for more grip.

That's the beauty of the ps4s... Has the comfort of a 500tw, the noise of a 300tw, and the grip of a lower ranked 200tw. Well balanced tire.

As was mentioned earlier, the conti ecs02 are a great tire too and typically much cheaper. The pirelli pz4 are even better than the Michelin in wet/damp weather, and also very close to the ps4s in dry weather. They're also quieter in my experience with them, but I hear that's size dependent for them.

I'm not sure if the Porsche N-spec PS4S are similar in the sense that they're actually better than "standard" PS4S... but I felt the same about the PS4S on all the P cars I've had too. I did end up with the P Zeros on my last 718 and they weren't noticeably bad either. A lot of P car guys really don't like the Pirellis but I couldn't really complain.

I'll throw out there that I don't have a lot of track experience but I definitely noticed just how amazingly EASY the ITS was to drive fast on track with these Michelins. At no point did I feel like the tires were holding me back.

I am still going to get something 200 TW though, if for no other reason than for the experience of comparison to the Michelins...

One other thing I just thought about the other day too though- if the Honda PS4S are so great and made specifically for our cars, would it be reasonable to expect the Honda Cup2 made for the FL5 to be about the same?? They are EXPENSIVE though.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I'm not sure if the Porsche N-spec PS4S are similar in the sense that they're actually better than "standard" PS4S... but I felt the same about the PS4S on all the P cars I've had too. I did end up with the P Zeros on my last 718 and they weren't noticeably bad either. A lot of P car guys really don't like the Pirellis but I couldn't really complain.

I'll throw out there that I don't have a lot of track experience but I definitely noticed just how amazingly EASY the ITS was to drive fast on track with these Michelins. At no point did I feel like the tires were holding me back.

I am still going to get something 200 TW though, if for no other reason than for the experience of comparison to the Michelins...

One other thing I just thought about the other day too though- if the Honda PS4S are so great and made specifically for our cars, would it be reasonable to expect the Honda Cup2 made for the FL5 to be about the same?? They are EXPENSIVE though.

That's correct, the specific cup 2 would be a notch above the ps4s in terms of heat tolerance and dry grip. It will trade off being even louder and stiffer on the street with a large falloff in wet grip.

Good tire being a notch closer to a track tire and a notch further away from a street tire. Not a true track day tire.

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