A/S Alternatives to the Michelin Pilot Sports

[seh0872]

Will need new tires in a month or so for my GT1 AWD up here in Massachusetts. Have always run all-seasons due to cost and lack of storage space to keep off-season tires.

While the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4, at its price I'm looking for other options that can save some $$$ without sacrificing too much performance. It's mostly daily commuting on shitty MA roads, including wet and snow, with some "spirited" driving around the occasional corner.

There are three alternative options I'm considering:
* BFGoodrich G-force Comp-2 A/S plus
* General G-MAX AS-05
* Toyo Proxes Sport A/S

I'm honing in on the G-MAX right now, and wondering if anyone has any opinion on any of the above ties. I had read some great stuff about the Toyo Proxes (a bit to my surprise), but Consumer Reports isn't too high on them. There's also the Bridgestone Potenza RE980+, but they are practically the same price as the Michelin's. The Conti Extreme Contact's I had on my last car and hated them -- they were just too grippy.

I really, really wish I could get the Vredstein HyperTracs. I put a set of Vredstein Quadtrac Pros on my last car after ditching the Contis and loved him -- a great tire at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, the HyperTracs don't come in the sizes needed for the Stinger.

Thoughts?

 

[Snicklefritz]

The Conti Extreme Contact's I had on my last car and hated them -- they were just too grippy.

what? compared to the michelin a/s? I never heard such a thing. and you say 'too grippy' like that's a bad thing which I also don't understand.

 

[mfenske]

I've got the GMAX and I'm pretty happy with them...way happier that I replaced all 4 for a little over what 2 of the Pilots cost.

 

[Bill B]

I've used A/S ultra high performance michelins and continentals on my BMW and Kia. I am off that now. Mostly because of poor wear, but other reasons as well.
After a catastrophic failure, I replaced my O.E. tires with Vredstein Quatrac Pro. Such a well behaved tire. I recommend that you research them and see it they might be a good tire for you.

The guy in the tire shop stall next to me was also putting Vredstein on his car. He collects classic Porsches.

Note that I live in northern wisconsin and used snow/ice tires in the winter. So I have no knowledge regarding how Vredsteins behave on sloppy winter roads.

 

[Rodtheviking]

Continental DWS 06 Plus
Nokian zLine A/S

 

[Maljey]

I had General G-MAX AS tires on my 2015 Mazda 6 and I wasn't a fan of the performance in even light snow. Granted, it was a FWD car and not AWD, but I still had a few white knuckle experiences on our hills. It actually prompted me to buy a proper set of winter tires for the car.

The performance in dry weather was great. But when it comes to replacing the all seasons on my Stinger GT2 I will be staying away from those tires. You should check out the Tire Rack comparison test for them as well:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=253

"Driving in Winter Conditions

The updated compound of the g-Force COMP-2 A/S PLUS seems to have paid big dividends in winter performance, delivering traction that was on par with some decent touring tires in our testing. Longitudinal snow traction was particularly strong, reaching 12mph from a standstill in 10 fewer feet than the next-closest competitor and stopping from 25mph in about 9 feet less distance. The ADVAN Sport A/S+ lacked the outright traction of the BFGoodrich, but it earned some favor with our drivers thanks to being balanced and easy to drive within its modest limits. The G-MAX AS-05 was a noticeable step back from the Yokohama and significantly so from the BFGoodrich. The vehicle relied heavily on the traction control and ABS to accelerate and brake, and during the laps on the handling course, our drivers had to be delicate with inputs for both steering and braking/acceleration.


On the ice, the g-Force COMP-2 A/S PLUS again stood out above the others in our measured objective tests. The ADVAN Sport A/S+ was in the middle of the pack, and the G-MAX AS-05 trailed by a small amount. As we have always found, even the best all-season tires can't provide ice traction that is close to that of a dedicated winter tire."

 

[seh0872]

what? compared to the michelin a/s? I never heard such a thing. and you say 'too grippy' like that's a bad thing which I also don't understand.

Yea, I had them on an Audi Allroad after replacing the stock Pirellis and found the car's acceleration to be laggard. I guess I should have expected such when the name is "Extreme Contact". After enduring them, I switched to Vredstein and was much happier.

I can't really compare the Contis with the Michelins as they are different cars, and clearly the Stinger has more power. So, maybe a worthy reconsideration.

 

[seh0872]

I've used A/S ultra high performance michelins and continentals on my BMW and Kia. I am off that now. Mostly because of poor wear, but other reasons as well.
After a catastrophic failure, I replaced my O.E. tires with Vredstein Quatrac Pro. Such a well behaved tire. I recommend that you research them and see it they might be a good tire for you.

The guy in the tire shop stall next to me was also putting Vredstein on his car. He collects classic Porsches.

Note that I live in northern wisconsin and used snow/ice tires in the winter. So I have no knowledge regarding how Vredsteins behave on sloppy winter roads.

Yep, I'm familiar with the Vredsteins and am a fan -- as I said in my original post, I had put them on my Audi. When I went to shop them this time, however, the Vredstein site indicated that All-Seasons are not available in the sizes needed for the Stinger -- on the summer Ultrac Vortis and the winter Wintrac Pro.

Were you putting them on the 18" wheels? I have the staggered 19" wheels.

 

[NYBIOMED]

Not a fan of AS tires, they'll never perform the best in any condition...at least not up here in the NE, where we have all 4 seasons. With that said I have used the Conti DWS06's and think they're a pretty good compromise.