I've read all the "horror" stories regarding MPSC's in the rain. I've also seen conflicting comments. I'll wait to form my own opinion.

With the MPSC being the only 19" option for the RS, I am curious about how well they perform on the street (the RS will be a DD for me). Specifically, is this a tire that you need to get a lot of heat into before it starts working? In other words, is it stupid to run MPSCs on the street? I have no experience with them. I had the Corsas when you could get them and am a fan.

Someone also recently told me that Michelin changed the compound recently to make the MPSC more street-able. Can anybody corroborate this? I'm trying to decide if I want to sell the 19s on my RS when it arrives and replace w/ 18s for more tire options.

Thanks,

 

I've put 3K miles on MPSC and they handle just fine for spirited street driving. Granted they are overkill in performance and price, but they came with the car (2010 GT3).

I'll be replacing with Michelin Super Sports. From what i've heard from others they are more comfortable for street driving, in addition to all the other reasons to choose the SS over the MPSC for street driving (wet performance, wear rating, price, etc).

 

MPSC's are far from the only option in 19" Plenty of other choices as well.

 

RJ

Stick to your 19's and get Super Sports as a all-reason tire. How serious are you about tracking it? I ask this becuase if that was all you were going to do with it, then I would recommend a different path. However, that does not seem to be the case from what you are saying - you want to drive this thing on the street, as well as track.......

 

The 3.8L RS wears different size tires than the non-RS variant. There is no street tire that provides a matched set for the RS on 19s that also matches factory sizing. Other option is to deviate from factory spec but my pref will probably be to go w/ 18s in order to open up more tire options.

On the std. GT3, yes, I agree plenty of other options. I have Bridgestone RE11s on mine which I really like. (Currently in process of being traded in on RS -- car hits transporter on Monday.)

 

They're a perfectly well-behaved tire for regular street driving. Tires do take a bit to come up to temp. Not much of an issue for me considering ambient temp is routinely above 110 degrees 6 months out of the year which translates into VERY hot pavement.

Their biggest issue is handling in the wet. Again, seeing as we have only a few days of rain a year, it hasn't been an issue. But per your sig, living in Seattle could be a problem. Not like you'll instantaneously spin and crash if the tires touch water, but if you're not judicious with your throttle, you may find yourself facing oncoming traffic

 

Thanks again for replies thus far. Just wanting to clarify my initial question a bit.

I have no doubt that the MPSCs will do fine on the street. However, if they need a lot of heat in them in order to perform at or near their full potential then you're not going to realize this on the street -- even if driving spiritedly.

I can see how someone might think MPSCs are fine on the street because even cold, the tires probably provide good traction in comparison to non-R compound tires. As I mentioned, I have no experience with them. However, for the street you may be better off (i.e, better performance) with a high-performance street tire that does not need a lot of heat to perform well.

Maybe I'm wrong, but unlike the Corsas, my sense it that the MPSC is a tire that it intended for the track, and that is DOT approved so that you can drive the car to and from the track w/o needing to carry them on your back. If so, it's probably not a very sensible tire for the street, not only from a $$$ standpoint but also performance standpoint.

Also as I mentioned above, someone recently told me that Michelin changed the compound in the MPSCs to make them more street-able. Not sure what to make of this. It's not a tire I've paid any attention to but now I need to because I'm trading my std 3 in for an rs, and it has them.

Thanks,

 

From what I heard, the Cup+/N-spec tires have different a compound and bigger grove than the original one to be better suited for street driving.

I only used the cup+ one that came with my car, so I cant say for sure. As for using it in wet weather, I read somewhere that for damp (no standing water) condition, the cup will actually have more grip than PS2 due to the compound. The real problem for the cup is hydroplaning because of the minimal tread.

 

Great track and spirited driving grip. I have 3 track days and another 2k miles. Unfortunately they don't have much life left in them. My next tire will be the MPSS or longer life tire like RE-11.

 

Took my car out this AM for a spirited drive only to find that my selected mountain roads were getting rained on. I had my track wheels with MPSC's on them. The tires are to the wear bars so I was a bit nervous. While it was no downpour, the MPSC's did a LOT better than I expected. The car didn't feel on ice or dangerous at all. The tires were fine. I guess so long as it's not dumping, they will be fine on the street.

 

Agree with everyone here. Damp roads are OK, but standing water is dangerous, car hydroplans too much and you don't feel secure to keep driving. Twice I was caught in unpredicted heavy rain and I had to turn around, drove slowly home and changed another car.

 

I run cups as my street tire and the are amazing on the road. But I never drive my rs in the rain. If it rains in would not go over 50. The tread wear is also 70 compared to 150 or 200 from other street tires. Try the new super sport they are designed to handle the rain as well.