Waht tires should I get?

[Mimzie2763]

I bought some TE37SLs 18x9.5 +45 - 5x120. Should I just go with the Michelin PS4S or something different?

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[Icehawk]

PS4S is still king for a high performance summer tire, is there any reason you want something else (longevity, all season, etc)? Conti ECS2 would be my alt choice for a summer tire.

 

[TypeRD]

Yep Conti ECS2 for very comparable performance as PS4S at a lower price. If price isn’t a major factor, then there’s no reason not to stick with PS4S.

 

[Clark_Kent]

What type of driving will you be doing and what is important to you?

 

[CTRifecta]

What type of driving will you be doing and what is important to you?

This.

 

[optronix]

Yeah more info is needed. PS4S are tough to beat from a do-it-all performance tire perspective, and in North Carolina you could probably get away with leaving them on all year assuming you have the capability to avoid driving in below freezing or snowy conditions.

But something like Cup2 or RE-71RS will definitely bring some added life to the driving experience, especially if you plan to do any sort of motorsport-y kind of things in it. But I wouldn't drive them in the rain if I could avoid it, and DEFINITELY not in the winter.

What's happening with your OEM wheels/tires?

 

[Mimzie2763]

Yeah more info is needed. PS4S are tough to beat from a do-it-all performance tire perspective, and in North Carolina you could probably get away with leaving them on all year assuming you have the capability to avoid driving in below freezing or snowy conditions.

But something like Cup2 or RE-71RS will definitely bring some added life to the driving experience, especially if you plan to do any sort of motorsport-y kind of things in it. But I wouldn't drive them in the rain if I could avoid it, and DEFINITELY not in the winter.

What's happening with your OEM wheels/tires?

Thanks for the advice. We rarely get snow where I am located in NC. This is my daily drive, so if it is below freezing then I do not have a choice other than driving it with the PS4S's.

I guess I am just going to store the OEM wheels and tires unless someone wants them.

 

[Clark_Kent]

Thanks for the advice. We rarely get snow where I am located in NC. This is my daily drive, so if it is below freezing then I do not have a choice other than driving it with the PS4S's.

I guess I am just going to store the OEM wheels and tires unless someone wants them.

It's not just the snow you need to be concerned with. PS4S tires (Max Performance Summer) in temperatures below freezing are susceptible to compound cracking and simply perform poorly in cold conditions. They're also substandard performers in the wet irrespective of ambient temperature. If you are in NC I would not suggest running these tires year around if this is your only vehicle. Can it be done or do people do it? Sure they do, but I would not recommend it. I live in GA (not the North GA mountains), and there are a handful of days each year where the weather is not suitable for Max Performance or Streetable Track & Competition Tires. On those days I opt to drive my wife's car which has Touring All Season tires. It doesn't make sense for me to run an All Season year around or keep a separate set of tires for the 7-10 days each year where the weather is unforgiving for performance tires; however, I also have access to other vehicles.

 

[TypeRD]

Yup, exactly as @Clark_Kent said.
Read up on it. You don’t want to use summer tires when the average daily temp is ~40-45 degrees. At minimum, you’re causing excessive wear because the compound is harder as temps lower. The roads are basically like sandpaper just eating away at your tires. If your average daily temperature is around freezing (32 degrees), you’re most definitely damaging your summer tires. PS4S are not cheap, but some people are totally cool with throwing money away.

 

[optronix]

Thanks for the advice. We rarely get snow where I am located in NC. This is my daily drive, so if it is below freezing then I do not have a choice other than driving it with the PS4S's.

I guess I am just going to store the OEM wheels and tires unless someone wants them.

My suggestion is to save from now until November-ish for a set of Michelin A/S4s and put them on your OEM wheels, and swap to the 18s in the spring. They're also not cheap, but should do you just fine for years of mild NC winters. As others have said, it is vastly preferable to not drive on summer tires when it's not summer. Unless you're in Southern Florida or SoCal or something.

I'm leaning towards getting equivalent size 19s for aftermarket wheels so I can just swap the OEM tires. In your case you may be able to sell them, I can't see why you couldn't get a decent price for nearly new PS4s. My guess is you could probably get 80-90% the cost of a set of new A/S4s....

As for the new 18s, you could explore the more aggressive compounds like the Cup2/RE71 but if you don't actively plan to do track stuff, prob best to just stick with PS4.

The cheap route would be Michelin A/S4 on the 18s (and sell your OEM wheels/tires). Many people run this tire on sports cars year round; if you're doing exclusively street driving then it's definitely something to consider. Dry grip would go down but you may not even notice if you're not going ~7/10ths or above on the street. Wet grip would go up and you would never have to worry about swapping tires.

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