Cup 2 are great tyres, sometimes a little extreme for everyday road use maybe, they work best with some heat in them. I found the super sports a good compromise for the odd track day and yet they still worked well for everyday even in snow. Top choice though I'm going to have to get a set for any track adventures the Cupra has.
Cupra 280 Life...
- Thread starter Rydale13
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Cup 2 are great tyres, sometimes a little extreme for everyday road use maybe, they work best with some heat in them. I found the super sports a good compromise for the odd track day and yet they still worked well for everyday even in snow. Top choice though I'm going to have to get a set for any track adventures the Cupra has.
I changed the front just before xmas, I should have looked around instead of going for the same ones. What's the main differences?
Having used both the Potenzas (FN2 Type R) and Pilot Super Sports on both the FN2 and RS3 I'd say the main benefits of the Super Sports (all 235/19) are:
- Much improved feedback through the steering wheel, much easier to feel the limit of grip.
- Superb resistance to understeer, almost semi slick (eg R888) levels of grip on a dry day
- In the wet they still work as well as other tyres unlike the hardcore track day tyres
- They last significantly longer. The RS3 would destroy a front pair of Conti 5P in as little as 6k miles the Super Sports lasted at least twice as long including the odd track outing.
- Even wear across the tyre - they have a special construction which keeps the tyre surface level at higher speeds. It really does work well.
This will only matter if you like the odd track day:
- The tyre shoulders are a different compound so they withstand wear brilliantly. The Super Sports looked as good at the end of the day as the start which is rare for a road tyre.
- The grip levels are only just short of semi slicks, they howl but hang on gamely even when they get hot. Better still if it rains you can still go almost flat out (watch the braking distances!) which you can't on the likes of the R888.
I've yet to experience a better all round tyre that the Super Sport. If you just want a road tyre and have no interest in track work the current Goodyear Eagle F1 also gets great reviews. For me though I wanted that bit more.
The Pilot Sport Cup 2 is a full on track tyre and I wouldn't personally want to use them everyday on the road. They need a bit of heat in them to work well and can be a little skittish on very cold/wet days (good write up in evo this month on just that). I've had a few too many exciting journeys on the likes of R888 and A048 tyres to want that again. I'd imagine the Michelin will be slightly better than them in the wet/cold but if I run a set it will be purely for the track. They are reassuringly expensive too though the interweb says the Pirelli Trofeo R is even more hardcore and faster.
I did consider an immediate switch to super sports for the Cupra but the Potenzas are fine in this weather so that can wait a couple of months.
Having used both the Potenzas (FN2 Type R) and Pilot Super Sports on both the FN2 and RS3 I'd say the main benefits of the Super Sports (all 235/19) are:
- Much improved feedback through the steering wheel, much easier to feel the limit of grip.
- Superb resistance to understeer, almost semi slick (eg R888) levels of grip on a dry day
- In the wet they still work as well as other tyres unlike the hardcore track day tyres
- They last significantly longer. The RS3 would destroy a front pair of Conti 5P in as little as 6k miles the Super Sports lasted at least twice as long including the odd track outing.
- Even wear across the tyre - they have a special construction which keeps the tyre surface level at higher speeds. It really does work well.
This will only matter if you like the odd track day:
- The tyre shoulders are a different compound so they withstand wear brilliantly. The Super Sports looked as good at the end of the day as the start which is rare for a road tyre.
- The grip levels are only just short of semi slicks, they howl but hang on gamely even when they get hot. Better still if it rains you can still go almost flat out (watch the braking distances!) which you can't on the likes of the R888.
I've yet to experience a better all round tyre that the Super Sport. If you just want a road tyre and have no interest in track work the current Goodyear Eagle F1 also gets great reviews. For me though I wanted that bit more.
The Pilot Sport Cup 2 is a full on track tyre and I wouldn't personally want to use them everyday on the road. They need a bit of heat in them to work well and can be a little skittish on very cold/wet days (good write up in evo this month on just that). I've had a few too many exciting journeys on the likes of R888 and A048 tyres to want that again. I'd imagine the Michelin will be slightly better than them in the wet/cold but if I run a set it will be purely for the track. They are reassuringly expensive too though the interweb says the Pirelli Trofeo R is even more hardcore and faster.
I did consider an immediate switch to super sports for the Cupra but the Potenzas are fine in this weather so that can wait a couple of months.
Thanks for the info! I will definately look out for the Super Sports when these have a few K left in the them! I didn't even see them on the lists when searching.
The Super Sports do look good and seem to get good reviews in the wet. I'll run the cups and see what I think of them, if they seem dangerous in the wet ill just throw on the winter tires while i change the cup's for something else lke the ss's. Wont be using them for a while anyway (prob may/june i guess).
I think it's worth considering the weather with the Cup 2s, here is a quote from evo magazine from this months hot hatch test...
"[The Megane 275 Trophy] On cold Cup 2s it's a real handful though. In fact the first few miles are like driving a racer on stone-cold slicks. If you attempt to drive even at half speed through a corner, the Trophy either slides wide at the front or snaps suddenly into big, scary oversteer. Even with the stability systems left on, it feels grumpy and very edgy indeed....most people might find it a bit, um, terrifying."
My experience with the R26.R on R888s was quite similar it just wouldn't stop on a cold day. I had one too many nervous journeys to and from trackdays especially once the tyres were well worn. All that said if truly I wanted to run a set I still would.
"[The Megane 275 Trophy] On cold Cup 2s it's a real handful though. In fact the first few miles are like driving a racer on stone-cold slicks. If you attempt to drive even at half speed through a corner, the Trophy either slides wide at the front or snaps suddenly into big, scary oversteer. Even with the stability systems left on, it feels grumpy and very edgy indeed....most people might find it a bit, um, terrifying."
My experience with the R26.R on R888s was quite similar it just wouldn't stop on a cold day. I had one too many nervous journeys to and from trackdays especially once the tyres were well worn. All that said if truly I wanted to run a set I still would.
My wife drove the Cupra today for the first time(had it close to 4 months hated it), she said seat far to low even when she raised them. She did like colour and that was about it. She will be 60 soon so may be she would like Nissan note or some thing else old people drive. We have a Peugeot 5008 as well and you sit so high up my car then feels low.
Sure, here you go, short explanation here. Does no justice to how good the tyres feel though, it truly is magic stuff. The Le Mans link mean they feel fast even at standstill 
For clarity I have no association with Michelin, I just a customer and a bit of a tyre nerd. 
http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-pilot-super-sport (click the technology tab to see the detail - also copied in as text below)
In you prefer the full technical description there is a good video here. The details of the twaron belt and dual compound start at about 10 minutes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SsOG8GUc0Q
Twaron Belt:
• At very high speed, The Twaron® belt ensures greater stability.
• Its variable tension grips the centre of the tread more tightly than the shoulders.
Centrifugal force is thus better controlled and forces are distributed more evenly.
Dual Compound Techology:
• A novel distribution of two different rubber compounds between the outer and inner sides of the tread.
• Outer side: a novel carbon black-reinforced elastomer derived directly from the Le Mans 24 Hour Race.
The result: extreme endurance even under the tightest cornering.
• Inner side: the latest generation of elastomers with exceptional wet grip to mould themselves to the slightest irregularities in the road surface and break the film of water.
For clarity I have no association with Michelin, I just a customer and a bit of a tyre nerd. http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-pilot-super-sport (click the technology tab to see the detail - also copied in as text below)
In you prefer the full technical description there is a good video here. The details of the twaron belt and dual compound start at about 10 minutes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SsOG8GUc0Q
Twaron Belt:
• At very high speed, The Twaron® belt ensures greater stability.
• Its variable tension grips the centre of the tread more tightly than the shoulders.
Centrifugal force is thus better controlled and forces are distributed more evenly.
Dual Compound Techology:
• A novel distribution of two different rubber compounds between the outer and inner sides of the tread.
• Outer side: a novel carbon black-reinforced elastomer derived directly from the Le Mans 24 Hour Race.
The result: extreme endurance even under the tightest cornering.
• Inner side: the latest generation of elastomers with exceptional wet grip to mould themselves to the slightest irregularities in the road surface and break the film of water.
Much sales bull there but I didn't realise Mich. had stated to mix their compounds.
I'm far from a Mich tyre fan, In fact I can't stand any of their tyres for many reason's, but I have to say, this is the best road tyre they have ever produced and you really can't go wrong with it.
But for me I'd still not buy any through..
I'm far from a Mich tyre fan, In fact I can't stand any of their tyres for many reason's, but I have to say, this is the best road tyre they have ever produced and you really can't go wrong with it.
But for me I'd still not buy any through..
Fair enough, I'm sure there are many opinions on tyres here. Like you I speak as I've found.
PSS work for me as a good mix between road and occasional track tyre. In the interests of balance you'll find similar technology - dual compound, centre belt, kevlar shoulders on Dunlop Sport Maxx TT & Race. Pirelli Trofeo also follow a similar pattern.
PSS work for me as a good mix between road and occasional track tyre. In the interests of balance you'll find similar technology - dual compound, centre belt, kevlar shoulders on Dunlop Sport Maxx TT & Race. Pirelli Trofeo also follow a similar pattern.
Well I just had a call from the stealers to say that my cup2's are on a 12 week wait :s so they are happy to order them and I wait for them (which will mean running my winters prob 1 month longer than I'd like) or see if they can get some super sports sooner perhaps :s
Not sure now...
Not sure now...
Well I'd be happy with PSS but they quoted me more money for them than the cups which seems a bit strange
Blimey that is strange you can pick up PSS for less than £150 a corner and Cups are usually closer to £200.
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