Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Review
Text: Yousef Alvi // Photography: Michelin
When I was younger, I used to sell tires at a local tire shop. It wasn’t a glamourous gig by any means but it paid the bills and also gave me an appreciation for how important tires are on a vehicle. Dealing with retail customers coming in with everything from Bentleys to Geo Metros…I had exposure to the broad swath of consumer knowledge but more often than not…consumer ignorance.
The phrase ‘cheap, black and round’ was heard once a day by me. I usually would reply back with how important it was to get a solid set of tires and if anything it can be a safety issue. DIdn’t matter. Cheap, black and round won the day until I was proven right.
A customer came in with 3 year old BMW 7 series with the M sport package. Lovely and beautiful car. The tires were absolutely shot and he wanted nothing but cheap replacements. Oh sure I tried to sway the lovely gentlemen into a set of Michelins or even a set of Continentals. He wasn’t having it.
So that day…I had enough. We installed the Chinese tires he wanted and I typed on the ticket ‘warned customer about ride quality, handling, braking differences. accepted X tires regardless’. Gave the customer his keys and went about my day.
A week later, I get a phone call from the same guy. It went like this:
Cheap Ass: Hey my car is riding horribly. The steering feels weird, there is so much road noise and it’s getting scary in the wet.
Me: Sir. As I explained before…it’s the tires you chose. Unfortunately your vehicle requires a certain level of tire and these are quite the opposite.
Cheap Ass: This is unacceptable. You have to do something. You never said any such thing.
Me: Sir, I apologies but I did…repeatedly. I also wrote it on your invoice. I’m more than happy to swap those out for the tires I mentioned previously
Cheap Ass: *silence* No thank you.
Me: Have a great day!
Fast forward another week. The same guy walks in sulking and asks for the tires I recommended to begin with.
If you’re not mechanically inclined to understand why tires play such a big difference…let me explain it this way.
“It’s the only physical connection you have to the road. Your tires play a significant contribution in braking, acceleration, handling and ride comfort. Doesn’t matter if it’s a base Corolla or a McLaren. If the tires are crap…your car is crap.
”
So now we come to these. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. They are…without a doubt…the best tires on the market today. I can say this because I spent my own money on a set and they have truly transformed my personal car.
The steering has an immediacy that missing with the stock tires, the grip levels far exceed what you can accomplish on the street, the road noise is significantly less and the ride quality is nothing short of spectacular.
A set of Pilot Sport 4S’ will be the single most beneficial thing you can do to your vehicle… period. It will transform your vehicle into the very best it can be. Don’t cheap out. Get a set and you won’t regret it.
