What difference does a thumb make? If we talk about the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S NAO tires that are fitted to the Porsche 911, there is a big difference between them. In this video, Tire Reviews tests both sizes and examines their features.
Michelin manufactures the Pilot Sport 4S NAO specifically for the 992 generation of the Porsche 911 Carrera. The standard setup has a 19-inch diameter rubber in the front and a 20-inch size in the rear. Shoppers can upgrade to a 20-inch nose and 21-inch tail pair.
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The video explains that this is not a situation where the larger diameter choice is just a slightly larger version of the smaller ones. Michelin had different teams working on each configuration.
For normal, everyday driving on the road, there isn’t much disparity between these tires. Dry braking from 62 miles per hour to 3 mph (100 kilometers per hour to 5 km/h) takes 108.86 feet (33.18 meters) for the smaller size and 108.37 feet (33.03 meters) for the bigger one. That’s a difference of just 5.9 inches.
On a wet road, stopping from 50 mph to 3 mph (80 km/h to 5 km/h) takes 110.33 feet (33.63 meters) for the smaller tires. Larger ones need 110.47 feet (33.67 meters). That’s a difference of just 1.6 inches.
The contrasts between the tires are more evident on the track. The video starts on a wet track. The driver notes that the smaller ones seem to have a little more tendency to oversteer. On the clock, the differences are harder to see. The 19/20-inch combo runs the Michelin test course in an average of 97.55 seconds. The 20/21-inch configuration cuts that time to 96.83 seconds, making the gap between them just 0.72 seconds.
Around the same track in the dry, the wider tires really show their benefits. The rider comments that the optional setup resembles the Michelin Cup 2 track rubber. The smaller setup does an average time of 71.53 seconds, and the larger ones cut things down to 70.43 seconds. The difference is 1.1 seconds.
Porsche is currently preparing a refresh for the 911 Carrera. It has active slats up front and the cabin has a fully digital instrument cluster.
Jonathan Benson from Tire Reviews was invited to Motor1.comit is ride on cars podcast:
