Gt350 all season tires

[JAJ]

If you want Michelin A/S 3+ tires on all four corners, which are less expensive than the N-Spec A/S Plus tires, you can actually do 265/40x19 fronts and 275/40x19 rears on 10.5" front rims and 11" rear rims. Michelin approves those rims for those tires, and maxing out the width fitment is a Porsche trick to enhance handling and road feel, so they'll work fine on OEM GT350 rims.

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[oldbmwfan]

Agree with everything you're saying.

Then we have to talk about the GT350 owner who doesn't track it . That's a whole 'nother crazy thing, but of course, my opinion (owning one w/o going to the track at least a time or two a year is a waste...as a Mustang GT w/ PP is arguably a better street car in most situations). I've never been into the 'garage queen' thing.

Agree with that ;-)

That's why I run the OE Carbon Fiber wheels with Cup 2s on the track and Signature SV501 with MPSS for the street (and I do park the R from November-March in Chicagoland ... E39 M5 and Fiesta ST get me through the winter, both on dedicated winter tires).

 

[oldbmwfan]

these tire sizes are expensive. I bought the Pilot Sport A/S+ for my car, 235 / 18", and they set me back around $180 each. If you buy tires narrower than stock, does that increase risk of scuffing a wheel ?

They are not cheap tires, but they are very good tires. They are the only all-season I would even consider letting near a performance car.

The AS3+ have a pretty good rim protector band on them, but yes the more you stretch the sidewall, the less curb protection you will have. Just park carefully.

 

[Hack]

@03reptile, thanks again for walking through this discussion - this is my exact situation. Living in the Pacific NW (Portland, OR) we see our fair share of rain, temps below freezing, and the occasional snow. I would say the bulk of my daily driving will be in the rain and the cold dry temps during late fall/winter - if it snows, she stays in the garage. To confirm, are these the tire spec you've been referencing? I noticed the difference in tread pattern, has this made a difference at all in your experience?

The Pilot Super Sport tires are good in cold and wet as long as there isn't ice. You can get by in a pinch on ice, but I wouldn't recommend driving regularly on them in ice.

Of course it's your choice, but I would generally encourage GT350 owners to go with a more performance oriented tire rather than an all-season if at all possible so they can enjoy the performance of the car.

 

[HaleFire]

I replaced my OEM MPSSs with the AS3+ (275 front, 285 rear) last Fall. My original intention was to run that setup through the colder months and get a new set of rims in the spring for summer rubbers. I was pleasantly surprised with how well the AS3+ handled and gripped, so after a few drives I found it harder to justify the expense of another set of tires. My driving is limited to mountain cruises so I'm not exactly exploring the edge of its limits, though. Once I'm in a position to track the car I will pick up a second set of tires.

 

[oldbmwfan]

The Pilot Super Sport tires are good in cold and wet as long as there isn't ice. You can get by in a pinch on ice, but I wouldn't recommend driving regularly on them in ice.

Of course it's your choice, but I would generally encourage GT350 owners to go with a more performance oriented tire rather than an all-season if at all possible so they can enjoy the performance of the car.

One could argue it's more fun to have less grip, to a point. ;-)

 

[Hack]

One could argue it's more fun to have less grip, to a point. ;-)

I doubt even the most eloquent argument could convince me of that. Otherwise I might as well be driving a Miata or a Camry. I drive sporty cars for the feeling of acceleration and cornering force.

On edit - I have chosen to stay away from the highest grip tires, but that's mostly because I don't want to spend the money to replace tires every 5,000 miles or less - and I need to be able to drive on rainy days.

 

[oldbmwfan]

I doubt even the most eloquent argument could convince me of that. Otherwise I might as well be driving a Miata or a Camry. I drive sporty cars for the feeling of acceleration and cornering force.

On edit - I have chosen to stay away from the highest grip tires, but that's mostly because I don't want to spend the money to replace tires every 5,000 miles or less - and I need to be able to drive on rainy days.

Yep. I also drive balanced cars for the handling, which is most fun when sliding. I usually leave the winter tires (skinny 15"s) on the Fiesta ST for a good month after the weather starts to warm up because it's so much fun to toss the car around without going massively fast. I do agree that the GT350 is a different experience, but I would totally understand someone complaining that the limits are so freaking high that you really can't have fun with it on the street. (I actually agree, which is why mine goes to the track. There is no way to explore the real handling of the car in public without being a total sociopath. On the street, most of the fun is in the noise and the thrust, but there are better cars for thrust.)

Then again I also own an 85-HP BMW on 165 tread width tires and used to love thrashing around a 100-HP Mk2 GTI, so maybe I'm weird.

 

[Hack]

Yep. I also drive balanced cars for the handling, which is most fun when sliding. I usually leave the winter tires (skinny 15"s) on the Fiesta ST for a good month after the weather starts to warm up because it's so much fun to toss the car around without going massively fast. I do agree that the GT350 is a different experience, but I would totally understand someone complaining that the limits are so freaking high that you really can't have fun with it on the street. (I actually agree, which is why mine goes to the track. There is no way to explore the real handling of the car in public without being a total sociopath. On the street, most of the fun is in the noise and the thrust, but there are better cars for thrust.)

Then again I also own an 85-HP BMW on 165 tread width tires and used to love thrashing around a 100-HP Mk2 GTI, so maybe I'm weird.

I like to be able to bring it up close to or slightly beyond the point of sliding but not sliding around excessively. I just feel like I'm being destructive to the equipment when the car is all out of shape.

We all have our idiosyncrasies. I've started to really prefer quiet cars over loudness. I added sound deadening to both my former GT350 and the Z06 I currently drive. I love the feeling of peace and quiet, especially cruising on the highway.

 

[HossHug]

I like to be able to bring it up close to or slightly beyond the point of sliding but not sliding around excessively. I just feel like I'm being destructive to the equipment when the car is all out of shape.

We all have our idiosyncrasies. I've started to really prefer quiet cars over loudness. I added sound deadening to both my former GT350 and the Z06 I currently drive. I love the feeling of peace and quiet, especially cruising on the highway.

How fortuitous! I was just going to post about All Season tires!! I have a new 2019 GT350 with the Cup 2's. They are good tires for the track, but they tramline like a mother on regular public roads and after three week and 1000 miles, I'm getting rid of them. Not only do they tramline by hunting/seeking all over any irregularities in the roadways, but they have caused the steering resistance/effort to be quite high. I changed the steering effort to Comfort mode and the steering still requires more heft in physical inputs then I'm used to. We have a new BMW 340I and it's steering effort is perfect. Anyway...I will be driving the GT350 during the winter months when the roads are clear and free of salt deposits, so the Cup 2's were going to go anyway, as they are a "summer only" tire and turn to hockey pucks when temps drop below 50 degrees. It is simply dangerous to drive "summer only" tires in cooler temperatures. I have a tire dealer friend who provides lots of racing tires and also shaves competition tires for SCCA drivers etc. so he's very knowledgeable. I asked him to find me an All Season tire that would come as close as possible to the OEM Cup 2's size and also not adversely effect the speedometer's accuracy. This is what he recommended and they are on the car now. Fronts: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's in 275/40/19 size. Rears: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus N-spec in 285/40/19 size. These tires come very close to the width and height of the OEM tires and the Tramlining is totally gone!!! Yay!! I now have the steering mode set at sport and it's resistance/feed back is very acceptable. So the Cup 2's made for a steering experience that was not positive for me and the A/S 3's on the front and rear completely changed the steering and feel of the car which is a big improvement. It still goes through the corners like a Porsche and I really don't notice any degradation in cornering limitation or any mid apex break away. It's a win win for me. Hope this helps you in your decision process!

 

[ruboz]

I'm getting after market rims in the R size (19x11 & 19x11.5) to mount road tires with the original carbon / cup's for the track. Is the correct size Michelin Sport A/S3 275/40/19 & A/S Plus N Speck 285/40/19 correct for the R rims too?

 

[Lurker_350]

I doubt even the most eloquent argument could convince me of that. Otherwise I might as well be driving a Miata or a Camry. I drive sporty cars for the feeling of acceleration and cornering force.

On edit - I have chosen to stay away from the highest grip tires, but that's mostly because I don't want to spend the money to replace tires every 5,000 miles or less - and I need to be able to drive on rainy days.

Now wait a second - aren't you the one who says a 911 is boring on the street because it is too hooked up?

To be honest, I actually enjoy hooning my 16 yr old (2004 model) WRX on the street as much as, if not more than, my GT350 since the limits are so much lower. You can get rotation at slower speeds and can use huge amounts of trail braking to start/stop the rotation. Of course, it could also be that it is worth about $4k so it is of little consequence if I ball it up.....

 

[Hack]

Now wait a second - aren't you the one who says a 911 is boring on the street because it is too hooked up?

To be honest, I actually enjoy hooning my 16 yr old (2004 model) WRX on the street as much as, if not more than, my GT350 since the limits are so much lower. You can get rotation at slower speeds and can use huge amounts of trail braking to start/stop the rotation. Of course, it could also be that it is worth about $4k so it is of little consequence if I ball it up.....

Yup, that's me. And I should probably have agreed with @oldbmwfan. To a point a little less grip makes it more interesting to drive a car on the street. He was and you are correct.
I always think of WRXs on the street as extra grip on snowy days, but it makes sense that cornering grip is lower than a GT350 or many other higher end vehicles when the roads are dry. My Fiesta has much more of a tendency to want to slide around than the GT350 as well. I think the Fiesta has not quite enough grip for me to love that part of it. However, I still like the Fiesta even though it's a top-heavy little s-box. I guess I forgive some of its imperfect behavior because it is really inexpensive.

 

[HossHug]

I'm getting after market rims in the R size (19x11 & 19x11.5) to mount road tires with the original carbon / cup's for the track. Is the correct size Michelin Sport A/S3 275/40/19 & A/S Plus N Speck 285/40/19 correct for the R rims too?

Check the Tire Rack site under the 285/40/19 Plus N spec information they say you can't use with any other MPS ATS 3 tire. IEE the 275/40/19 MPS A/S 3 Plus tire

 

[03reptile]

Check the Tire Rack site under the 285/40/19 Plus N spec information they say you can't use with any other MPS ATS 3 tire. IEE the 275/40/19 MPS A/S 3 Plus tire

I also read that cautionary note. I have 5K on the car and there is no difference that I can tell in the way the front and rears adhere during spirited cornering or stopping. I brought this disparity up to my racing tire expert who had recommended these tires and he believes it is more about lawyers covering the companies ass then any substantial danger in differences in tread adherence.

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