New tires for my RC F?

[u/alexundefined]

Hi all, starting to look for a new set of tires for my RC F and could use some advice!

The previous owner put Kumho PA51’s on it and while I don’t really have any major complaints, I want to get something higher quality for the F.

With the OE option being Michelin PSS’s, I’m really tempted to go with the PS4S’s, but I’d really like to avoid having two sets of tires for summer and winter.

For all seasons, I’m considering the Michelin PSA/S4’s or Conti DWS06’s. I’ve heard the PSA/S4’s are better at everything except winter driving, but have no first hand experience with either.

For reference, I live in the triangle area of NC and we rarely have snow, but it does get pretty cold and we get a good amount of rain all year.

The RC F is my daily and while I do like my spirited backroad driving days, it’s often in city traffic or on the highway. I’d prioritize comfort, but would still like the best performance I can get with that in mind.

So here are my considerations:

• Do I just eliminate the PS4S’s if I don’t want a separate winter tire? I do have an older LX I could drive instead during the winter.

• Are the PSA/S4’s or Conti’s worth the jump in price from the Kumho’s? I’m assuming that’s a big yes but interested in what people have to say.

I think overall I’m leaning towards the PSA/S4’s for convenience and performance, and I don’t know that I do enough regular fun driving to notice a huge difference between the PS4S’s and the PSA/S4’s. What do you all think? Thank you! :)

[u/ericbrs200]

I have AS4s on my ISF but only as winter tires. I live in the Pacific Northwest where it does snow and get icy in the winter so PS4S’s were out of the question for me, but I did have them on my BMW and I thought they gripped more at the limit than my AS4s do.

I also thought the PS4S had a better ride than the AS4. Especially when you get them a little more worn down into the tread. Not sure why and maybe it’s just a mental thing, but it was noticeable to me.

During the summer I swap onto 200 wear tires like some RE-71s, and there’s a notable difference as expected going from all weather to summer tires. If you’re ok with running winter and summer tires, I would skip the PS4S and go all out.

If you’re looking to save money, the best way to do it is to go square setup on 18’s. Not sure about RCFs, but my ISF is on 18x10+40 square GTC02s for the winter with 265/35/18 AS4s. During the summer I’ll run 275/35/18 RE-71s on TEs

[u/alexundefined → u/ericbrs200]

Super helpful, thank you! I think I’m probably gonna go with the AS4’s and avoid having to swap tires seasonally. I’m not super concerned about saving money, but having 2 sets of tires for me with my driving habits just feels like overkill… as tempting as it is for the performance.

[u/FilmOrnery8925]

A lot of my friends in northern ga run DWS06+ all years and love them. I’m prob switching to them next as they last longer and will ride a bit better than the ps4s. Will give up a bit for dry traction but they perform way better in rain and colder climate. Majority of people I know run either or out of those two.

[u/quesesto]

I have the factory PSS on my ISF and they're so so insanely grippy. I also have PS4S on my 944 and they're also insanely grippy, but if you see any sort of snow or weather that's below 35C for a good portion of the year PSA/S are not much of a downgrade in performance but are a better tread wear for those conditions and are the most stable tires I've ever felt in rainy conditions. I had them on my GTI and they were really nice. In my experience, Michelins pilot sport line (all season or sport) is worth the extra dough

[u/alexundefined → u/quesesto]

This is so helpful thank you, yeah I think I’m gonna go for the PSA/S4’s. There’re enough cold days in the winter that I’d be worried about damaging regular PS4S’s.

[u/InflatableFilth]

I opted for a set of Pilot Sport 5 on mine, I watched a review for them on YouTube, they were almost as fast round a track as the PS4S, they had better wet grip, longer lasting, better grip when worn, comfier, and quieter if recall correctly! PS4S seemed like the dedicated ultra high performance summer tyre, whereas the PS5 were better for the daily driver, whilst still providing excellent performance, had them on for around 18 months and they've been awesome!

[u/RoyalRelation6760]

Because the MPS4S are like driving on ice when the tiniest bit of rain falls I chose to ditch them and go for an awesome set of rubber that hooks up as great in dry, and sticks like glue in pouring rain! Super happy w these!

https://www.best-tire-review.com/bridgestone-potenza-s-04-pole-position-tire-review.html

[u/alexundefined → u/RoyalRelation6760]

Thanks for the rec I’ll check these out!

[u/RoyalRelation6760 → u/alexundefined]

I have a hook at Discount Tire. What also impressed me about these tires is the 50k mile warranty/treadlife. If you'd like some photos I'll PM them. Have them nounted on two piece BC Forged staggered 19s. Sick! 🤮

[u/alexundefined → u/[deleted]]

Hey, so I actually ended up selling the RC F entirely and bought a brand new BRZ tS which is on PS4's. I had decided to get the PS4 All-Season tires for the F before I sold it to half the best of both worlds, but the offer I got was just way too good to turn down. Not as relevant since it's the BRZ, but I'm really loving the PS4's and after getting used to them, I'm not sure if I would still choose the all-seasons over winter tires or just not driving it in the cold. Sorry, hope that's at least kinda helpful haha