Very disappointed with the so4

ssmoked

I replaced Michelin A/S3 (ultra high performance all season)with the so4 (max performance summer) about 2000 miles ago and had nothing but disappointments.
1. The tire contact patch is 1 inch smaller compared to the michelins and the overall circumference is shorter, thus making my tire/wheel look "mismatch and small" to the car
2. The tires will not warm up to performance standards unless it's in 90 degree Florida heat. Today after driving 40 miles on I95, the tires still broke loose for a good 3 seconds at WOT from a stop light on a clean unsandy street. Indicated temp on dash was 75 degrees
3. But the tire is so soft that even with mild acceleration to 3k rpm from a stop will leave a trail of tire marks on the pavement. I can see it from my rear view mirror. Doubt they will last over 8k miles
4. The SO4 also tend to hydroplane much easier going through a puddle.

With the A/S3 those issues weren't existent and the rears lasted over 12k with over 50 drag race runs with burnouts. Best time 12.91 1/4 mile.
Reason I bought the so4 was based on the cheaper price and PSS is on a long wait list since every high performance car is using it from the factory.

I also had the Hankook v12 evo before the michelins. I would give them a higher initial rating than the so4

2011 stock 7AT. 255/35/20 front, 285/30/20 rear

/rant over

FNR32

This is good to know. I had the S04 on another car and was happy with them, but they were a huge upgrade from the crappy tire they were replacing. I'm picking up my new Z in a few hours and I've been looking at replacement tires for a while now trying to gauge what people tend to love. Guess i'll be staying away from the S04.

Eklypze

Very good to know. Was on the fence with either the RE-11s or the S04s, my choice has now been made.

Zoren 370

Bridgestone RE11 I heard good reviews too.

barncobob

Mich PSS is a good tire

clkio

I tried that tire and the Bridgestone RE11 and I can tell you from experience that the Bridgestone RE11 is alot better

axmea?

Fixed!

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ssmoked

I wanted the re11 after finding out PSS is on back order, but they don't make it for 20' wheels

Hotrodz

How many miles do you have on the S04's? If they are new it takes some wear on them as well. Also, they are not a tire I would recommend for drag racing. There are much better, but if you are looking for performance running canyon and such they will hold their own with PSS's and the alike. In a straight line any real performance tire will need a decent amount of heat in them to perform. I ran S04's while being boosted and they worked just fine!!!

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kenchan

yep, as you said, probably not broken in yet. S04's are great tires, i have a few sets for my G.

ssmoked

2000 miles isn't broken in? 50 miles most it takes. I didn't take it to drag racing, yet. It was on the street after driven a long time to warm up on i95. Read my post...

I highly doubt the so4 didn't spin out at WOT with boost. Any non China made tires can pull without slipping while the car already moving in high speed. Note that I didn't complain about carving corners but traction during WOT while stopped, AFTER driven for a long time to warm up. The all season A/S 3 performed MUCH better in similar circumstances

Spooler

You went from an Ultra High performance to a Max performance tire. Big difference. The S04's were great in the wet. I had no issues there. Where they lacked was dry grip. RE-11's are much better but you give up some traction in the wet sometimes. By the way, I don't slow down in the rain. I am the guy passing everyone complaining of them not being prepared.

Hotrodz

I'm sorry if you felt like I was attacking you, I'm just providing my perspective on the tire given the information you provided. Yes, I can spin any tire on the market from a stop or shifting to 2nd gear. If you expectation is no wheel spin then you are going to have to upgrade to the best of tires on the market. Those that are N/A on a R rated tire will out perform you all day long of AS tire given normal daily driving. AS tires are middle of the road and do nothing very well generally speaking. Part of the game is learning how to modulate the throttle to limit wheel spin as well. Good luck on the search for the perfect tire.

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Fast Intentions TT Installed and Tuned by Seb at SpecialtyZ 610whp 560tq:|Fast Intentions 3" TT-TDX|SpecialtyZ/Fast Intentions 72 Row Oil Cooler|SZ 6 Puck Clutch & Flywheel|3GsCustoms|Z1|Wavetrac|Hotchkis|Whiteline |Blitz|Fortune Auto 500|Fujimura|SPL|H&R|TK|TWM|RPM Rollbar|Sparco|Next Level Performance|TrackSpec|AeroFlow Dynamics|Pioneer|

JARblue

This is surprising to say the least ...

until I noticed that the OP is comparing them to all seasons.

Just a few of my thoughts ...

1. It is well established (at least on this forum) that the S04 run narrow, and you should go up a size (this will keep the tire diameter closer to OEM diameter).

2. 90 degrees? Probably a little hyperbole there. Plus, you should be able to light up just about any tire going WOT in 1st gear in the Z

3. I seriously doubt that the acceleration is mild if you're leaving 11s on the asphalt

4. You are comparing all seasons vs max performance. Of course the wet traction isn't going to be as good

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ssmoked

The Michelin might be all seasons but it performed better in both DRY and wet. I pulled the fastest stock Z 1/4 mile time on this forum with those. After warming up, the "all seasons" does not chirp nor spin out WOT off the line. Do some research and watch a few comparison videos and you would see the A/S 3 should be categorized in a higher class based on their performance.
I'm actually running the largest size so4 they manufacture btw

This review is obviously based on my own experience, and there will always be diehard fans saying otherwise. I actually bought the tires becuase the high praises, But I can't wait to replace those for my stock Z