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Michelin Pilot Super Sports

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Successor to PSS announced at Paris Auto Show: PS4S will arrive in 19" and 20" in March!

From Car and Driver Blog 10/4/16:

During all the je ne sais quoi of the 2016 Paris auto show, we missed some major tire news: Michelin is replacing its Pilot Super Sport (PSS) with the Pilot Sport 4 S (PS4S).

What? Why? The PSS is still young. It is also the tire that dominated our latest summer tire test, and, frankly, it’s one of the best-balanced summer tires on the market. But, if Michelin sat happy with the PSS and turned its undivided attention to rating restaurants, its competition would catch up on the tire front while reaping the benefits of knowing where to get the best eats.

The PSS can handle wet conditions as well as dry. However, according to Michelin, the upcoming PS4S expands the envelope of performance even further with better wet and dry braking, better lap times, and even better wear; an independent testing lab has estimated the PS4S’s life at greater than 30,000 miles. Plus, it features a fuzzy, velvet-like sidewall relief like that found on the Pilot Sport Cup 2. That doesn’t add anything to the performance; it’s just cool to touch.

You’d better believe the new tire will serve as the original-equipment choice for a lot of spicy cars. We first noticed the PS4S at Paris on Ferrari’s GTC4Lusso T and also saw it on the new Porsche Panamera at a different event. Expect to see the PS4S as original equipment on BMW, Ford, and Mercedes-AMG products, too.

Initially, we thought the new Pilot might be a Europe-only tire, which is more common than you might think. One such is the other tire Michelin introduced at the Paris auto show, the CrossClimate+, which fits into Europe’s all-weather-tire category. Imagine an all-season tire on steroids. Unlike all-season tires, which are a North American phenomenon, all-weather tires have enough snow and ice grip to be eligible for the three-peak/snowflake symbol found only on designated winter tires in the U.S. and Canada. Like all-season tires, though, these all-weather tires can be driven on all year round.
 
Yep, they are on Tire Rack and show to have the "Acoustic tech" (which I assume means the tire foam).
pss at tire rack.jpg
 
I purchased mine from Discount Tire for $80.87 per tire less. These are not the "Acoustic Tech" version which may explain the pricing difference. I don't find these tires very noisy at all. They are definitely quieter than the Continentals that came on the car. Personally I think $80+ difference in the cost of the tire for the "tire foam" is not worth it. These tires without it are not very noisy at all IMHO.

Screenshot 2016-10-06 12.39.02.png
 
I purchased mine from Discount Tire for $80.87 per tire less. These are not the "Acoustic Tech" version which may explain the pricing difference. I don't find these tires very noisy at all. They are definitely quieter than the Continentals that came on the car. Personally I think $80+ difference in the cost of the tire for the "tire foam" is not worth it. These tires without it are not very noisy at all IMHO.

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Car and Driver recently tested tires (on a Tesla no less - the Contisilents) with and without foam. There seemed to be some difference in "tone" (which can certainly help), but overall volume was essentially the same. The biggest difference seemed to be in impact noise transmission tone vs. general road noise. The tires themselves seem to make WAY more difference than the presence of foam does.

See article below:

Tested: Do Acoustically Insulated Tires Really Hush Road Noise?
 
a negative about the foam though is you can't plug/ repair the tire should you get a flat you would have to get a new tire.... And from reading that article the foam tires make minimal sound difference.
 
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Ok. Dumb question. Do we have the acoustic foam in these newer refresh cars? I have driven several P cars and my new one (end of 3Q) is really quiet.....plus really fast.....

Look on the side of the tire to be sure. I think the Tesla specific version of both the Goodyear Tourings now on the 19" rims and the Michelin Pilot Super Sports on the 21" rims will have the letter "To" on there. If you have the 19" Goodyear Touring tires then you almost assuredly have the foam.