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Michelin Pilot Road 4 Tires Review

80K views 166 replies 77 participants last post by  atgatt 
#1 ·
I see that Michelin has a new tire, Pilot Road 4 Tires.
Maybe I'll get them next year after my PR3's are wore out.


 
#2 ·
Call me superficial, but I keep buying the Pilot Road 2, cause they look better, I didnt like the look of the PR3, and the PR4 looks even less sexy (almost looks like a Harley tire)...that said, I'm sure they'll be super awesome like most tires Michelin produce. I just never felt the need for more then what the Pilot Road 2 offered. Grip is amazing in all conditions from cold to wet to dry and hot.
 
#4 ·
I just never felt the need for more than what the Pilot Road 2 offered. Grip is amazing in all conditions from cold to wet to dry and hot.
I was a fan of PR2s on other bikes, but not on the MTS. Maybe it's the greater torque of the bike with its lighter weight, or maybe I'm pushing them a bit, but on wet roads near the coast, I lose the rear end every ride. Nothing major, but it does step out, and I've still got a good amount of tread left, proper air pressure, etc.

I'm gonna give the PR3s or 4s a try next. Could care less about the looks of the tire when I'm zipping through curves with a big smile on my face.
 
#7 ·
Sexyniss is the last thing I look for when buying tyres. Looks won't do much on a wet road when I need grip.

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Like I said, the PR2 have never let me down, if they had, then I'd find something else. But on top of being awesome tires, they ALSO look good :)

I remember once on my FZ8 it was raining, tires were cold, asphalt was cold, I wanted to spin the rear wheel while leaving the stop sign...shifted my weight on the front, rev the engine, popped the clutch and to my surprise, the front lifted instead of the rear spinning! I often get to ride in cold and slippery conditions here and these tires have just always amazed me at the grip they offered. So even if the PR3 would offer 3.6% more grip in the wet, I don't care, as I'm not aiming for track times, the PR2 are already among the best sport touring tires in the wet anyways. And to top that off, they last twice as long as any other tire I tried.
 
#11 ·
I'm at 6,000 out back, alot of which is 2 up loaded, and 90+ interstate. Still have tread left out of my PR3's as well.
 
#6 ·
Hopefully they give more feedback and steer a little quicker than the PR3 s, was the only things i didnt like about them, looks like they have addressed that with less outer tred and a larger contact patch, great tyres for touring bikes tho
 
#14 ·
What turned me off on the pr4 s review is the harder compound center n sides . Mechelin is thinkn by longevity to customers but I'm comfortable with the softer compound tire from pr3 s and the mileage I'm getting too. The pr3 s will break loose from time to time but tend to consistently stick . My 2 cnts

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#15 ·
Folks I've never run sport-touring tires on my Ducs since mileage has been less important than edge grip. Whether I use it all or not (I don't), I want the ultimate grip available for dry weather canyon runs. Cheap insurance.

BUT - I have experimented with sport-touring rear tires on my heavy ZRX1200R and settled on PR2s, since their tread matches very closely the pattern on the Pilot Powers I run on the front, and for that heavy, torquey bike I need ST tires to even get 3k miles out of a rear. The newer PR versions have changed the tread pattern enough to make mixing models iffy for handling so I continue to seek out the PR2s. I can tell the PRs are less grippy than full sport tires but its not by much and for the rear only I can manage it (I want the most confident front tire I can find though). If the PR4s are an evolution to better grip while maintaining longevity then they might be an option for both front and rear, no matter how they look.
 
#24 ·
Any thought whether the PR4s will be useable on unpaved town dirt/gravel roads? Not looking for hard-core (or even soft core) off road -- just something that won't squirm all over the place if I'm riding a road that the Town and State gov't doesn't think is worth using asphalt on (i.e., over 50% of roads in Vermont).
 
#37 ·
I found the Scorpions to be ok but I hear a lot log good things about the PR3s from those that have them on their bikes. As for the PR4s time will tell.

I ride my bike pretty much every day in all weather. I am not looking for all out edge grip as I don't get on the edge regularly even when honing around here. I would like to have very good grip dry and the best I can get wet with decent milage.

So far I am thinking the PR3s would be the right choice until we know more about the PR4
 
#42 ·
I can't add much to this conversation, other than to reply to the above and say the pr3's aren't up to track duty if it's warm out, they get greasy feeling really quickly...
However, if yu find yourself out there in early spring or late fall and it's going to be 40-50's, they are unbelievable. After a cold October weekend at nyst, I'll be leaving the race rubber off if I encounter those kind of track temps again.
 
#43 ·
I've been running Pilot Power 3s on the rear and find them a great balance between grip and longevity - I get around 8-9000km (5-6000 miles) out of them.

Despite this I think I might try a Pilot Road 4 Trail next given it's designed for big adventure bikes that rarely leave the tarmac and has the medium centre and soft sides, as opposed to the hard/medium of the PR4 and PR4GT.

I think I'll run it with the the PR3 front which is softer than the the 4s as I usually run a soft single compound front such as a PP or PP Pure.
 
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#45 ·
I've been following this since I'm getting close to needing new tires, in a week or two. Problem is my dealer can't get any PR3's, they are backordered everywhere. At this point, I'm leaning towards Pilot Power 3's as I never ride in the rain and I don't mind trading some longevity for grip, I'm using the bike more for canyon carving and commuting than long distance touring. Are the PP3's quick to warm up in average ambient temps? I would think they behave even better on dry roads and warm weather since they don't all the x-sipe cuts that may make the rubber move around when very hot. What do you think? Do the PR3's really suit the Multi better than PP3's?
 
#47 ·
I am in the process of changing over from PR3 to PP3. I have one on the front and should get one on the back soon. I feel just like you and we ride the same roads. I work in Menlo Park. I think they are the way to go for guys like us who ride in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Sport bike tires on our bikes, for how we ride, in the area where we live makes perfect sense. Even one tire on the front made the bike feel better. But fresh rubber will do that however, that improvement seems to have stayed with the bike. Can't wait to get the rear on there. And that's what I think.
 
#52 ·
Yes sir. But I don't want to ride in wet and muddy conditions. The bike is to hard to clean...LOL

Brute72,
Why don't you join us on one of our GroupRides. Momo1970 is one of my GroupRide buddies. We have severial Muliti's in the group depening on who shows up. Check us out at...GroupRides Forum Pages - GroupRides Forum (La Honda, CA) - Meetup

I have the 2012 PP with the Greg Tracy 555 number plate.
We have rides schduled for this Saturday and Sunday.
 
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