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Story and Photos by Andy Hollis
What’s the best all-around tire for my high-performance vehicle? It’s a question that gets asked over and over on social media, in the lunchroom at work, and at just about …
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Props to Michelin for improving the wet weather performance as much as they did. I ran the Conti Extreme Contact Sports last year and loved them.
I'd probably still go with the Conti's since I don't need that half second of lap time potential for a street car. I'd prefer their stability if caught in a real downpour, plus they're a great value. That said, it would seem for those who are willing to pay and want that last tenth, the Michelin's have grabbed the crown.
For those who don't know, this was a really useful test. Some of the cylinders in Andy's CRX decided at the last moment that they did not want to complete at Nats, so he brought the Macca. And then the skies opened. Andy won because he had exactly the information he needed
Of course, just like pre-running the published course, this sort of testing is cheating and an unfair advantage
Ahhh... I misread this as a new compound that was just released. I see now this is actually a rehash of a June 2017 article.
He was running the new white car at Nationals not this old lame orange one.
We talked a LOT about which tire to use on One Lap this year, and for those of us who are mortals, it's hard to ignore the price difference. I'd still like to put the Michelins on the 911 if they can get to more normal car sizes.
i'd love to run the michelins if they came in smaller diameters... :/
It was the lame orange one at Nationals.
As usual, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I thought Ann said they traded in the Orange car, but maybe she said they traded in the GTR and kept the orange car? Anyway, having a McClaren as a backup for your CRX is a life goal.
Sonic
UltraDork
9/6/18 8:09 p.m.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Once the kids are through college?
To add, he only "won" day 1. Day 2 was dry and he ultimately finished 7th.
Also in general, those that had the Michelins were ahead of those who had continentals. Driver plays a big factor, but still; big test set, multiple cars, and timed.
I put the Continentals on my MR2 Spyder and am very happy with them for spirited street driving.
ztnedman1 said:
To add, he only "won" day 1. Day 2 was dry and he ultimately finished 7th.
Also in general, those that had the Michelins were ahead of those who had continentals. Driver plays a big factor, but still; big test set, multiple cars, and timed.
Thanks for the update. He's a friend of mine on Facebook, and everyone talked a lot more about that first day than what happened on day 2.
Even more info in this vid we shot at Solo Nats...with some comparisons to wet use of RE71R and Rival-S:
https://www.facebook.com/grassrootsmotorsports/videos/241652316537086/
And yes, it was totally dry for Day 2 so I slipped to 7th. The PS4S is no match for the 200tw stuff in the dry. But...I had fun.
Seth...we traded the GTR in on the white 570S that we ran in One Lap this year. That car is not yet classed for SCCA autocross.
apexanimal said:
i'd love to run the michelins if they came in smaller diameters... :/
They came out with a second wave of sizes for PS4S early in 2018...lots of 17's and 18's now. Though nothing as small as the 15 & 16's that Conti is doing with the ECS.
Good review and perfect timing for me. Had some white knuckle moments nursing my girl home from track yesterday in heavy rain and towing my tire trailer with my Mustang. Had been on MPSS for the last 2.5 years and they were great for daily and for track rain duty when newer, but in their highly worn and aged condition they just aren't the same thing anymore.
I'll be giving the Conti's a shot. Sounds perfect for my needs and budget.
I just put the ECS's on Betty and they have been a good match. I really like them as a daily tire for her. I'll probably do a set for the GSW here in a season or 2 since I'll have a set of winter tires for her. Great tire for a fun DD and really does well in the hills.
He Speaks the truth! The contis are delightful in the wet:
https://youtu.be/fFJQm5VapRo
Any chance of repeating this now 5+ year old test with current similar tires from Michelin and Continental? Tire Rack seems to give a slight edge to the Continentals available now.