Installed Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 21" tires on Taycan 4S -- my review & results

[m3sharif]

If Porsche hadn’t offered that size, and used it for the Turbo S Nurburgring lap record, I would be more worried but happy to report back.

Fwiw I think the M01 275/35 and 315/30 are very reasonable/should work fine and I might have ordered them if I wasn’t planning on a Tahoe trip over Thanksgiving that made the back order status a problem.

I also considered the 295/35 rear tires. However with a 29.1 inch diameter I would definitely not pair them with 265/35 on the front. Had I gone with the 295/35 in the rear I would have used 255/40 in the front that are 29 inch diameter. This is very similar to the 245/40 and 285/35 on the 21 inch aero rims and should be fine. Narrower may also slightly improve snow traction.

If the car (including traction control, ABS etc) is expecting the front and rear tires to have almost the exact same diameter, I would keep it within 1% (0.3 inches) at the very most, and some say 0.7% (0.2 inches). Those types of differences in diameter are similar to the differences between front and rear in stock fitments, or the differences that can arise through unequal tire wear so I don’t expect they would create a problem. 29.1 vs 28.3 - 3% and nearly an inch - is much larger than what the car would likely be designed to accommodate and I would be very worried about those systems not working well.

Increasing both front and rear diameters by a similar amount will make speedometer/odometer readings a bit inaccurate but not badly so and shouldn’t effect the control systems in the vehicle (says a guy who doesn’t actually design those systems and is only making educated guesses about how they work…).

Ahhh the infamous Tahoe trips that force All Seasons on you Cali folks lol

I’m on Long Island, NY and have to race against the seasonal temps. Mid Dec when tirerack claims to get inventory may be risky.

The only other option I was pondering was the Goodyear Eagle Sport AS. They have them in stock fronts and 295/30/21 which I don’t mind size wise. There Tesla / Audi certified. Haven’t had much luck w Goodyear in the past tho the stock Assymetric 3s on my car seem ok.

Sponsored

 

[m3sharif]

Any chance you got the ND0 tires on your car? Curious hope they worked out.

 

[SergeyIndy]

I ordered the ND0 275/35 front and 325/30 rear - Panamera tires. Sizes differ slightly more from stock but there was a Taycan Turbo S performance kit they sold in Germany with that tire size so it should fit.

I also wanted matching front and rear, and the ND0 was a plus since the Panamera is similar in weight and intended usage. M01 (Mercedes OEM) were a little closer but sold out at Tire Rack and I felt Porsche variants might be tuned a bit better for what I liked than Mercedes.

They go onto the car next week, I will post both fit and driving impressions.

I am looking forward to your feedback on fit and driving impressions of the Panamera ND0 tires.

 

[mrmax]

I am looking forward to your feedback on fit and driving impressions of the Panamera ND0 tires.

I like them - great for all season.

I feel like I lost a tiny bit of crispness in the steering from the P Zero R, but that was only noticeable back to back. Now that I have had them on for a week or two the car just feels great.

I am sure on a track they give out a bit before the P Zero R. Also launch mode neither tire can handle the power - I think I would need Trofeo RS with some heat in them to hit 0-60 in 1.9 with rollout / 2.1 total… but even for sporty driving day to day they feel good, plenty of grip, good feedback.

Ride is much better at/near comfort pressure (37-38 cold, 40-41 warm); high 40s the car isn’t nearly as smooth and it feels like it may have less grip.

 

[Fun TC Driving]

I find it interested that at least for the Taycan 4S CT with the 21” Aero Design wheels (245/40 and 285/35’s) with one summer tire offered for it being Hankook EVo ION NFO’s, that Porsche does not offer a single all season tire in that size.

 

[m3sharif]

I find it interested that at least for the Taycan 4S CT with the 21” Aero Design wheels (245/40 and 285/35’s) with one summer tire offered for it being Hankook EVo ION NFO’s, that Porsche does not offer a single all season tire in that size.

Yeah Porsche doesn’t make it easy with these stock tire sizes. The new 21” Aero wheels are also 0.5” narrower than all the other 21” wheels so even if you had options in this size it wouldn’t be mountable on the 9.5/11.5 stock Mission Es or RS Spyders.

The best I can find that comes close to this narrower option (preferable to me for NE Snow and to reduce that annoying Ackerman effect in the front when turning in cold/wet conditions) is Michelin PS4AS 255/40/21 & 295/35/21 which seem readily in stock and have good load / speed ratings (Y).

I’m just worried that the 29”/29.1” overall diameter may cause rubbing issues in turning or if air suspension is in low or lowered height. The stock 20” wheel options are 28.7”/29” by comparison. Not much difference in the rear but the fronts would be 0.3” taller

 

[DerekS]

Welp my PS4S bit the bullet today. I drove over a rock or branch of some kind and flattened one to zero. I was on a steep mountain road so I limped my way down to the base before stopping to call the flatbed.

Looks like I got 9883 miles out of them and a little over a year.
I already needed to replace them Jan or Feb, so I'm going ahead with a full set.

I am planning to return to the N-rated EV-flavored Pirellis. I've been happy with the Michelins, my primary reason for backtracking is road noise.

One downside of the P-Zeros is they were much more prone to road hazards.

 

[Redhot2474]

20231110 Update

Having used the tires for over a month now, I'm quite happy.

Unscientific Observations:

• Car handles a LOT better in the wet and dry performance is quite good as well.
• I have seen a small decrease in range, but I cannot tell if its the new tires or the change in seasons. Regardless, its small enough that it doesn't worry me.
• Road noise is basically the same as before.

Conclusion: Would I buy Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires again for my Taycan? Definitely. Recommended.

-----
Introduction

I have a Taycan 4S with the Mission E 21" wheels. After ~25,000mi, the original Continental Procontact RX tires were worn enough that they hydroplaned on a light rain. Its replacement time. This is what I did. I searched the forums and didn't find this info anywhere else, so I'm sharing it. I hope its useful!

Use Case

Car is a daily driver. It is not tracked. I live in the Seattle WA area and I want to be able to drive the car most of the year. So, summer tires are not appropriate. We do get some snow in the winter, but not enough to justify a dedicated set of snow tires. Lastly, the Procontact RXs were never that great in the wet even when newer, so I would like to upgrade to something better.

Result

Go with a set of all-season tires to better deal with the weather. Spend the money to get GOOD ones so they will perform decently during wet weather and during "spirited" dry-weather driving. So, what all-season tires are available? In the stock sizes, you get Continental Procontact RX All-Season NF0. That's it. So, how do we improve on this? <Cue hold music here...> After doing some homework, its the rear 305/30-21 tires that are the limiting factor. So, what if we go up in size a bit to 315/30-21? Bingo! I can now get Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires with the proper load ratings.

Data

OEM Mission E 21" Wheels

Original OEM Tire: Continental Procontact RX All-Season NF0
Front Size
21" - 265/35-21 - Load Range: 101H XL
Rear Size
21" - 305/30-21 - Load Range: 104H XL

New Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 - Non NF
Front Size
21" - 265/35-21 - Load Range: 101Y XL
Rear Size
21" - 315/30-21 - Load Range: 105V XL MO1 (Yes - Mercedes AMG Spec...)

So - Do they fit?

YES. I had them installed by Discount Tire in Kirkland WA and they took the time to verify the clearances. The extra 10mm width is not a problem. The change in rear tire diameter is very minor - 28.2" (stock 305/30-21 tires) to 28.4" (315/30-21) - a change of 0.7%. For reference, the front tires are 28.3" (265/35-21) in diameter - right in the middle. I have the tires inflated to partial load pressures. Per the manual, this is 38lbs front / 36lbs rear for a Taycan 4S with two rear seats.

Initial impressions

NOTE: This is completely unscientific since I'm comparing new tires to worn out tires.

• The tires have stiffer sidewalls so there is more road feel in the steering wheel.
• Highway noise level in the cabin is not noticeably different.
• Rolling resistance feels slightly lower (better).

I'll comment again in a few weeks once I have some road time with them. In particular, I will be looking for any changes in range.

Last Thought - To use or not to use NF tires

For my use case, this is a non-issue. I'm not pushing the car to get the last few percent out of the tires. I'm much more worried about pedestrian issues like not hydroplaning, good grip in a variety of conditions, decent wear, and having fun driving this wonderful car.

Update on Michelins? Is life as good as contis ?

 

[DerekS]

Update on Michelins? Is life as good as contis ?

My opinion:

Pirellis > Michelins > Rolling on bare rims > Contis.

The Contis I had on my first Taycan were downright dangerous and terrible.

 

[Redhot2474]

My opinion:

Pirellis > Michelins > Rolling on bare rims > Contis.

The Contis I had on my first Taycan were downright dangerous and terrible.

So funny , I’m at 20k and still have about 20% left and actually enjoyed them(nothing to compare too) …trying to decide next pair, might just slap these on again

 

[DerekS]

So funny , I’m at 20k and still have about 20% left and actually enjoyed them(nothing to compare too) …trying to decide next pair, might just slap these on again

Have you ever driven in rain? I had them hydroplane on me on the highway WHEN BRAND NEW.

 

[Redhot2474]

Have you ever driven in rain? I had them hydroplane on me on the highway WHEN BRAND NEW.

Maybe cuz they were new? They really have been a good all around tire - just to work this morning with some snow on ground and 20k miles on tires , no issues

 

[jasonh]

Update on Michelins? Is life as good as contis ?

Still like Michelins a lot for spirited daily driving. They have done well in the Seattle wet.

 

[Jonathan S.]

My opinion:

Pirellis > Michelins > Rolling on bare rims > Contis.

The Contis I had on my first Taycan were downright dangerous and terrible.

As much as I enjoyed the humor of that formulation…
… generalized about major tire brands seem worthless.
(Or is that a worthless generalization?)

Sure some obscure Godzilla Superpower brands seem intended to serve only as a foil in Tyre Reviews tests where he includes a budget model just to show how good everything else is by comparison.
And a smaller brand like Vredestein makes only expensive tires.

But all the major brands make both lame OEM models and more expensive models for the enthusiast market.

To take Continental as an example, I’ve had two other German cars that came with the ProContact TX, which is a typically OEM tire that can be most graciously described as generally inoffensive, and probably pretty much the same as the RX variant that comes on the Taycan.
But the Continental DWS06+ is universally beloved.

And as much as I love my Michelin CrossClimate2 I’m sure that Michelin also has some OEM models that are designed mainly for test drive ride comfort and EPA efficiency ratings.

Sponsored