**Unofficial Tyre Thread**

Soldato
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Guys, how does the Eagle F1 Assymetric 5 compare to the PS4? My new car has Assy 5s all round, and the fronts will need replacing before the rears so I'm just pondering. A cursory look shows that they're a fair bit cheaper than the Michelins, but do they perform any worse?
 
Soldato
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Guys, how does the Eagle F1 Assymetric 5 compare to the PS4? My new car has Assy 5s all round, and the fronts will need replacing before the rears so I'm just pondering. A cursory look shows that they're a fair bit cheaper than the Michelins, but do they perform any worse?

 
Soldato
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Interesting, and it turns out the PS4S *is* available in 18".. I didn't think it was. I guess I'll have to determine whether they are worth the extra cost over the Assy 5.
 

mjt

mjt

Soldato
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I've ended up with brand new Assy 5s on the front and brand new PS4s on the back of my A6 (long story, don't ask).
You can't go wrong with either, and yes I know you're talking about PS4S. It probably boils down to cost. Do you think the PS4S is worth a hundred(?) quid over the F1A5s?
 
Soldato
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Do you think the PS4S is worth a hundred(?) quid over the F1A5s?

I haven't had experience with both tyres so I'm hoping that's what others can help me decide! The car won't be used on track, just spirited road use. I guess where they're likely to differ is performance in the wet?
 

mjt

mjt

Soldato
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I haven't had experience with both tyres so I'm hoping that's what others can help me decide! The car won't be used on track, just spirited road use. I guess where they're likely to differ is performance in the wet?
I believe the Michelins are marginally better in the wet.
 
Man of Honour
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I had the same dilemma when I was getting new shoes for my 440i
PS4 vs F1A5 vs PS4S

From what I can tell, there is no need to consider the PS4 as the F1A5 is superior and is also often cheaper as well.
So that leaves the F1A5 vs the PS4S. The PS4S is in a tier above (and competes with the F1SS rather than the F1A5) this reflects in the price differential of £100-150 for a set. However the F1A5 is only marginally inferior to the PS4S so it boils down to how much you're willing to pay as we're now past the point of diminishing returns.

tl;dr - both are excellent tyres... £500 vs £650 how much are you willing to spend?
(I ended up going with the PS4S lol)
 
Man of Honour
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From what I can tell, there is no need to consider the PS4 as the F1A5 is superior and is also often cheaper as well.

I disagree and made the opposite conclusion - in my size PS4S was only available for the rears, which limited me to PS4 or F1A5.

For example, on this test:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Reviews-UHP-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

The PS4 beats the F1A5 in:

Dry Braking
Dry Handling
Wet Handling
Curved aquaplaning
Noise
Rolling Resistance

The F1A4 beats the PS4 in:

Wet Braking
Straight aquaplaning

IMHO the two tyres are sufficiently close in all areas to be a matter of preference - for me personally the PS4 is my first Michelin tyre on my 5 Series after spending the last 15 years buying almost exclusively Goodyear tyres (I did have a set of Contisport once) and putting up with whatever came on cars I'd purchased (Mostly Bridgestone and Pirelli).

I have never been quite as satisfied with a tyre as I am the PS4. I think you are wrong to say there is no need to consider the PS4. There is every need to consider the PS4.
 
Man of Honour
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That review came out well after I bought the tyres.
This was the review I read at the time: https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Auto-Zeitung-Summer-UHP-Tyre-Test.htm

But it largely says the same thing, ie, they are broadly similar tyres.

The PS4 beats the AS5 in:

Dry Braking
Dry Handling
Wet Handling

It's the same with various other tests, here is one from last year:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2020-ADAC-18-Inch-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

PS4 wins test, F1A5 is third. PS4 better in wet, lower noise, same wear. AS5 better in dry.

Or this one:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2020-Auto-Bild-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

PS4 better than AS5 for Dry Braking, Dry Handling, Wet Braking, Straight Aquaplaning
AS5 better than PS4 for Wet handling, Wear

But the differences are so slight they trade places frequently depending on the test.

There is no basis to say there is no need to consider the PS4.
 
Man of Honour
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Except that the F1A5 is much cheaper that the PS4, often to the tune of £60-80 per set.
If they're so close in performance...what need is there to consider the PS4 if I can get the same for much cheaper?
 
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