I understand where you are coming from Teutonic T, semi slicks as everyday tyres is a bit excessive but i've used the Sport cups all year around for about 3/4 years !!!
But they should never be recommended as a "first choice" to a new user, on the road or the track.
That is the real crux of my concern.
They were great in the wet, you get much more feedback about what the road condition is like, the only time they are dangerous is when you hit a patch of standing water/ice but you should be looking at the road in the first place !!!
I agree you should be looking where you are going, but sometimes, it is absolutley impossible to avoid standing water. And that is where the danger for road use stems from, not only for your own car, but dangerous for other road users too!
You are also correct T_T that it would require slightly more skill to use the tyres as they can be pushed very far , but when they do give up grip its almost unexpected / very quick to do so.
Agreed, and the limits of available grip are considerably greater than normal road tyres. However, the brakaway point is very sudden, with very little warning - so one moment you are leaning extremely hard on your tyres round a corner, and then the slightest requirement to change the steering angle WILL mean an extremely rapid trip to the hedge/ditch/lamp post/dry stone wall. That is one of the absolute crucial issues with semi slicks (and race tyres in general) - with Michelins being both the best (in terms of outright grip), but also the worst (in terms of sudden brakaway).
I am a firm believer the best mod anyone can do to a car is to increase their driving skill/safety/quality, going on car course / driver training days .
I agree, but that is a completely different issue.
Even in the pouring rain T_T the cups are an awesome tyre, true you will not be pushing that hard but the tyres make the driving experince much better and in the dry the grip they give is astonishing .
But that is the BIG problem with semis, especially as it has a propensity to rain here in blighty! If it were DubaiPhil, or any of our South African or Aussie friends, I wouldn't have any real problems with recommending semis.
With PS2s, I can push my car as hard as I like, wet or dry. And in my RS4, I can use all 420 ponies to their max, even in 1st gear in the wet without any loss of traction. So the PS2s really are a no compromise tyre, unlike say the P-Zero Rosso, Dunlop ShyteMaxx, or even the ContiSportContact2s
I've noticed everytime i have to use the normal road tyres, some of the feel and handling has gone.
But that is only because you have "acclimatised" yourself to the semis. It is no difference to the Mk2 and Mk5 owners, who report that their Mk2s have crap brakes when compared to those of the Mk5.
Bad points of the semi slicks is Cost,ride(stiff sidewall), road noise, tyre life (be lucky to get 4000 miles!), handling standing water and the breakaway of the tyre.
I'm surprised you report they are noisey! With such a "little" tread pattern, they should be much quieter!
Low tyre life is to be fully expected of race-type tyres, as is the lack of coping with standing water and rapid breakaway.
Also what the car manufactures do not tell you is that for cups to work effectively there has to be more than -2.5 camber (too excessive for some as said for everday use) ! ! ! ! that means you end up with the tyres burning up the inner edges .
Ahh, but the reason for the excessive camber is to ensure that the tyres heat up adequately.
If they arn't able to reach their correct operating temperature, then they wont offer the full amount of grip.
But that amount of camber when used on normal road tyres will improve cornering handling no end too - but the tyres wont last very long!
Toyo R888's are cheaper than Cups for a reason, they do not provide more grip or feel than the cups.
Never really rated any Toyo, and nor Yokohamas either.
I really do think that the Goodyear Eagle Asymetrics are a better tyre than the Michelin PS2, especially in the wet and on tyre life, especially when you bring in tyre costs !
But costs should never really be an issue when buying tyres. You should by the best tyres, irrespective of costs. If buying Michelins really does blow your piggy bank, then instead of using V-Power/Tesco99, just fill up with standard unleaded for a couple of tankfulls, because the benefits of quality tyres will far outweigh their costs over the longer term.
And I can't agree with the wet weather issue, where Michelin are well known to be supreme in wet weather conditions.
Don't forget, Goodyear are an American company, and their tyres, or should that be "tires"
, are designed for use on American spec tarmac (which is different from many European black tops), and for American weather patterns. Michelin and Continental are both European (French and German), and are specifically designed for European weather patterns, temperatures, and road surfaces.
The PS2 also wear very quickly under hard use ! the Goodyear is very good in that manner !
Can't agree. Peeps on the Audi RS forums repeatedly state that the PS2 lasts longer than the F1. The PS2s do wear slightly quicker than the CSC2, and are about on a par with the CSC3.
Ben do the Goodyear Asymmetric , they are what you are looking for !
