bluenoser

My dealer mistakenly installed Michelin Sports instead of the A/S tires, and has ordered the A/S replacements. I was alarmed at how little rim protection there was with the Sports - way less than the EL42s and I'm concerned that the Sport A/S may be the same (haven't seen the A/S in person. Can anyone comment on the rim protection offered by the Sport A/S.
BTW the Sports are the quietest and smoothest of the four sets of tires I've had on this car.

04TLMan

Can you explain what a rim protector is??? Is some physical part or just a fatter tire that will hit the curb before the rim??

6speedv6

It is a "lip" protruding from the tire wall almost at the edge of the rim, which in case of a curb perpetration will create a 1/4 of an inch layer of rubber between the curb and the edge of the rim.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/pr.../falhz3.xl.jpg

Look closely at the upper left corner of the pic and you will see the lip under the lettering.

svtmike

Here is one of my PS A/S tires - the right rear. There's a slightly oblique angle that shows how the sidewall protrudes beyond the rim, and a front view showing that the rim does not protrude beyond the sidewall at all.

My tires are stock size - 235/45/17 - and are inflated to 35 psi. There is a small rubber ridge just outside the rim. I believe these tires offer better protection than the EL42s, but I don't purposely test that theory!





Hope this helps. Thanks for the opportunity to use the wireless flash capability of my Nikon D70.

Mike

bluenoser

Thanks for the photos Mike, it looks like there's a little more protection than from the Pilot Sports but not as much as I've seen on some others. With the BS RE030s, that were on previously, my wife (her car) actually made pretty good contact with a curb without marking the rim - nice scuff on the tire though.