Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

Dear Sir,

I’ve had two 911s so far (996 Cabriolet C4S Gen2 and currently 997 Cabriolet C4S Gen2), and commute around 100 miles a day all year round!

I’ve recently got to the point of considering changing all four tyres and have previously always gone for Michelin Pilot Sport 2 N2, however I see Michelin has since produced the Pilot Sport 4 and 4S. Seeing the excellent reviews and indeed seeing that they got a mention in a previous edition of your fine magazine (Issue 199) by James Mcgrath, where he quoted them as ‘legendary’, I decided to bite the bullet and order a set. Unfortunately they do not come with the Porsche ‘N’ rating and so was cautioned by the dealer, in this case Black Circles, that they may not be suitable for my car?

I read a number of reviews that supported the excellent performance and decided to do some more research via the Porsche manufacturer’s website dealing with tyres. The advice given was to go to your local Porsche dealership which I duly did, in this case Porsche Swindon, only to be told these are not authorised by Porsche, however if I let them know my tyre size they would provide details of suitable ‘N’ rated tyres??

I think the average Porsche owner is fully aware of suitable ‘N’ rated tyres and even the process involved, plus that Porsche test over 150 tyres each year but it takes time to get them approved and updated on their list. I was really after a degree of support to clarify that as the latest, improved and technically updated version, then these would be suitable and are only awaiting the formal ‘stamp’ to be approved.

Having seen your magazine’s article I went ahead and can only say the 4S are indeed superior.

I was wondering, what is the view of Total 911 regarding this situation and do you have any ‘insider’ knowledge of subsequent approval of these particular tyres, so that we can all ‘officially’ benefit from them? Geoff Hewson

It’s a great point you raise regarding the perpetual ‘N’ versus ‘non N-rated’ tyre debate. We are told Porsche carries out extensive testing on numerous tyres to ensure suitability for each of its vehicles, and we have also seen that the N-rated system has recently diversified further to include model-specific tyres (the

911’s is ‘NA’) rather than brand-specific ratings. Despite this, tyre preference is, for many people, a personal choice.

While we have been told that moving away from N-rated rubber on our 911s could invalidate our warranty (where applicable) a recent chat with a tyre expert in the industry clarified it would be extremely difficult, legally speaking, for a manufacturer to invalidate a warranty, as the N-rated tyres are ‘recommended’ and not compulsory.

In the view of Michelin’s 4S, it is a brilliant tyre and is multi award-winning. We’re not sure why it hasn’t been given N-rated status yet by Porsche, but the reality is many enthusiasts are running them on their 911s currently, with great success. As a magazine we’d encourage readers to make the right choice for them. Regardless of being N-rated, your tyres should be purchased new (NEVER part worn), all corners should be the same tyre brand and line of tyre, and that brand should be reputable. I hope that helps!