Michelin Pilot Sport EV for UK Weather

[Rizzle]

Just waiting on my MY collection and noticed from people collecting that the 20" wheels at least come with the Pilot Sport EV summer tyres. They look great and are obviously from a solid brand in Michelin, however I'm completely ignorant when it comes to tyres and I've only ever changed them on previous cars when they've worn out. I've never changed them for specific seasons (i.e snow).

How practical are Pilot Sport EV tyres for all year round use in the UK, and being a summer tyre are they completely useless in the few weeks of snow we occasionally get each year? How about torrential rain?

 

[GRiLLA]

Depends on where in the UK. I live in the SE and have no need to change tyres. It's the middle of February and it's 9 degrees outside. It snowed once for about 15 minutes so far this year. No issue at all in rain, the Pilot Sport is good at shifting water.

I know some people further north in Britain have switched to Cross Climates so give them confidence in lower temperatures, I'm not sure that routinely changing to winter tyres is really a thing in the UK like it is in Scandinavia.

 

[Casss]

Rain fine, snow probably not so good. The main thing with Michelins “sporty” tyres is that the sipes will be tiny and will not last as long as the main tread channels. This means their wet weather performance atleast in heavy rain or when you’re dealing with standing water does not decrease with overall grip in my experience, which can catch you unawares if you’re not a little bit cautious about the fact you’re driving on a high performance, low profile tyre.

They’ll stick like nothing else 6 months of the year though so it’s all about weighing pros and cons, and Michelin are often top of the board in terms of the compounds they use for specific vehicles.

Maybe I’m overly sensitive about tyre performance though because I don’t trust anything in snow that isn’t M+S rated.

 

[Avendit]

Lots of discussions back the forum about this, worth reading for some opinions. I used to get winters for my last car, but since getting the Model 3 I had one winter of thinking 'I should really get some winter tyres' and 2 of 'damn lockdown' which meant I wasn't doing any where near my usual miles.

Look at your expected usage and the weather around you. I'm Edinburgh and although frosty often, rarely is it snowy. I drive to the conditions (occasionally quite cautiously) and its not been a problem. If I'd still been doing the 400 mile round trips I used to need to do for work, or was into ski'ing I'd have got something better for winter. When these PS4's wear out this summer, I'll probably move to the new all season PS4s (they aren't available yet for the M3 18" wheels), as the summers are pretty poor once it gets to 0-3 deg C, and the all seasons will give a better spread of use without having to swap back and fore.

The PS4's have got me up deep snowy lanes to sledging places with the kids - its still a heavy car with 4WD. Just lots of caution and controllable speeds. But I don't think I'd swap to winters for the 0-2 times a year I do that.

 

[Buzzliteyear]

For the 18" version they are A rated for wet grip. So far the tyres haven't given me any worries in the flooded roads. When it comes to replacing the tyres then I'll opt for the cross climate, as they are cheaper. Well at least for now.

 

[DoricJim]

I got Michelin CC2's fitted before heading up to Scotland a couple of weeks ago and ended up travelling back after the snow storms last week. Well worth the £700 investment as the car was solid in what was slippery and wet conditions - saw 3 instances of accidents clearly caused by aquaplaning around the Perth to Borders area.

If you can afford to buy the right tyres for the season then do it - not worth the risk otherwise I would say.

 

[Casss]

Lots of discussions back the forum about this, worth reading for some opinions. I used to get winters for my last car, but since getting the Model 3 I had one winter of thinking 'I should really get some winter tyres' and 2 of 'damn lockdown' which meant I wasn't doing any where near my usual miles.

Look at your expected usage and the weather around you. I'm Edinburgh and although frosty often, rarely is it snowy. I drive to the conditions (occasionally quite cautiously) and its not been a problem. If I'd still been doing the 400 mile round trips I used to need to do for work, or was into ski'ing I'd have got something better for winter. When these PS4's wear out this summer, I'll probably move to the new all season PS4s (they aren't available yet for the M3 18" wheels), as the summers are pretty poor once it gets to 0-3 deg C, and the all seasons will give a better spread of use without having to swap back and fore.

The PS4's have got me up deep snowy lanes to sledging places with the kids - its still a heavy car with 4WD. Just lots of caution and controllable speeds. But I don't think I'd swap to winters for the 0-2 times a year I do that.

Braver than I am driving through “deep snowy lanes” on summer performance tyres!

 

[Avendit]

Braver than I am driving through “deep snowy lanes” on summer performance tyres!

5MPH up to a parking spot only. Acceptable for the 1k that were not cleared up to a golf course car park. If I was doing any mileage I would have probably done a set of CC2's, but not worth it for up and down the lane a couple of times a year. Especially these last winters where it hasn't been that nasty.

 

[init6]

Braver than I am driving through “deep snowy lanes” on summer performance tyres!

I usually don't have an issue with deep snow. Snow on top of ice is the real killer.

 

[peej]

I have Michelin Cross Climate + on a Model S in Central Scotland 19" wheels. I make regular trips to the Highlands, too. Cross Climate 2 is the newer version of the CC+ I think. One thing to watch for is that they are good in snow but not great in standing water. If you are lifting off the accelerator enough to be getting significant regen braking then I find they are not ideal. I'm seriously considering going back to Pilot Sports later in the year- they seem to have better ability to clear water and I drive on wet roads more than snowy ones. I also find the sidewalls have a bit more give and are a bit noiser in cornering with the CC tyres. I'm not sure if the Cross Climate 2s will be better than the previous version in the wet - if anyone has compared them I'd be interested to know. I was on a web chat thing with Michelin and they said that the Pilot Sport All seasons are not available in the UK though Blackcircles seem to have them in some sizes. Snow shouldn't normally be a problem on summer tyres in a heavy car with AWD as long as you keep the speed down and are mindful of gentle steering and pedal inputs. Aquaplaning at speed if you hit a patch of standing water is potentially very nasty. It's a tricky balance in an area which hovers around the magic 7 degree C number and it can be above or below that with snow, rain or ice in any 24 hour period for much of the year

Quick edit to say I just watched a review suggesting CC2 improved over CC+ including rolling reistance, wet braking and aquaplaning resistance so I'll probably end up going for those. Not sure if you are meant to link to other sites on this forum but it's from Tyre Reviews and easy to find by seraching Michelin CrossClimate 2 vs Michelin CrossClimate+

 

[DoricJim]

No issues as far as I know. YouTube link here

 

[Ferret]

I think for the UK it comes down to if you expect to need to drive on snow. Most people just avoid driving far if it snows hard enough to settle on the road and cause issues.

If you live in the Highlands then you will already know if you need anything other than summer tyres.

 

[Yachtsman]

I have Michelin Cross Climate + on a Model S in Central Scotland 19" wheels. I make regular trips to the Highlands, too. Cross Climate 2 is the newer version of the CC+ I think. One thing to watch for is that they are good in snow but not great in standing water. If you are lifting off the accelerator enough to be getting significant regen braking then I find they are not ideal. I'm seriously considering going back to Pilot Sports later in the year- they seem to have better ability to clear water and I drive on wet roads more than snowy ones. I also find the sidewalls have a bit more give and are a bit noiser in cornering with the CC tyres. I'm not sure if the Cross Climate 2s will be better than the previous version in the wet - if anyone has compared them I'd be interested to know. I was on a web chat thing with Michelin and they said that the Pilot Sport All seasons are not available in the UK though Blackcircles seem to have them in some sizes. Snow shouldn't normally be a problem on summer tyres in a heavy car with AWD as long as you keep the speed down and are mindful of gentle steering and pedal inputs. Aquaplaning at speed if you hit a patch of standing water is potentially very nasty. It's a tricky balance in an area which hovers around the magic 7 degree C number and it can be above or below that with snow, rain or ice in any 24 hour period for much of the year

Quick edit to say I just watched a review suggesting CC2 improved over CC+ including rolling reistance, wet braking and aquaplaning resistance so I'll probably end up going for those. Not sure if you are meant to link to other sites on this forum but it's from Tyre Reviews and easy to find by seraching Michelin CrossClimate 2 vs Michelin CrossClimate+

I fitted CC2 in December imo they are excellent, far more comfortable and quieter and are superb at shifting standing water & we’ve had loads recently, far better than the stock PS4.

 

[Buzzliteyear]

I fitted CC2 in December imo they are excellent, far more comfortable and quieter and are superb at shifting standing water & we’ve had loads recently, far better than the stock PS4.

Hopefully you can let us know how they wear.

 

[Plagued]

I couldn't get Pilot sport 4 when the rears went on my SR+, so fitted Primacy 4 as they quoted better wet performance and wear, So I did one winter with the Pilots and another with the Primacy, both summer tyres, and I'd have to say I couldn't tell any difference in wet/cold performance, if anything the Primacy is worse, and it's definitely worse on general grip which means it's having to work harder and as a result looks like I'll get the exact same 14k I did out of the Pilots on the rear. If I was somewhere that it snowed more than once a year I'd fit all season tyres or get a second set of wheels, but for the mild weather we've had recently summer tyres are fine if you're sensible and don't drive on them if it's snowy/icy.

 

[Yachtsman]

Hopefully you can let us know how they wear.

I will come back with wear info, but it will be a while. Personally whether I get 25k or 37k miles isn’t of interest to me, its the only thing between me & the tarmac, so overall performance is paramount.

 

[Buzzliteyear]

I will come back with wear info, but it will be a while. Personally whether I get 25k or 37k miles isn’t of interest to me, its the only thing between me & the tarmac, so overall performance is paramount.

I usually get about the same, since the car has new tyres it will be a while before I will be fitting different ones on.

 

[peej]

I will come back with wear info, but it will be a while. Personally whether I get 25k or 37k miles isn’t of interest to me, its the only thing between me & the tarmac, so overall performance is paramount.

Absolutely . Some of the tyres you see still in use make me shudder

 

[Casss]

Absolutely . Some of the tyres you see still in use make me shudder

A friend got hit by a classic car the other week on a roundabout. The driver of said classic car “did try to stop”, but the car had tyres on it that were bald, and decades old. It just ignored his request to brake. Bonkers.

We have weird double standards in this country when there are multi-billion pound export and service industries that benefit from said double standards. *puts tin foil hat on*