Joel Newman
London, UK
Model 996 Turbo Year 2003
Acquired April 2014 This month the old girl, in a bid to get her ready for sale, has been treated to all-new boots. I did try and get my hands on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4s, as I have heard they really are rather good, but for love nor money I could not find a set anywhere.
It does seem odd that a freshly released tyre was so hard to come by, so I ended up going for some Michellin PS2S in the end. I have to say, they are utterly fantastic.
We all know what a difference new tyres make, but often we leave it till we are on the limit, or at least that’s what I do! The issue here is that subjectively you fail to notice the incremental loss, especially in a car you drive everyday, and even more so if it’s the only car you drive full stop.
I cannot fathom the level of grip available, and it does highlight that perhaps my last choice of tyre, some Vredestein Ultrac Vortis, were not as great as I thought they were. The difference really is night and day.
I do enjoy the odd spirited drive, and the PS2S allow you to get on the throttle mid-corner and keep your foot planted. No hint of wheelspin or loss of traction in the dry at all, which was not the case previously.
The braking, too, has improved a great deal, with reduced stopping distances. More emphatically, I’ve achieved a level of confidence in the car that simply has not been there in my four years of ownership, and it’s taken me three sets of tyres to get there.
In retrospect, the Pirelli P Zeros the car came in were noisy, not particularly grippy in the wet and wore at a rate that was frankly a little absurd. Now, only time will tell how the PS2S stand up, but in all other areas so far they have over delivered on my expectations. I wonder just how much better the PS4S actually are? If they are an improvement on the PS2, which we can assume they are, then they must be fantastic.
If you are in the market for some rubber then do see if you can get hold of Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. If, however, you can’t, the PS2S are by no means a substitute. In fact, my old C4, as many of you may remember, is now owned by a friend, who after one drive in my Turbo purchased a set there and then. I’m not sure what that says about him, but you won’t be disappointed!
The only issue that has arisen is that I have fallen a bit in love again with my Turbo and am keeping it for now, which I guess is a rather large testament to the new shoes.