My recently purchased 2017 XE Prestige 35t RWD came with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ ZR tires. They are pretty new. The inspection report has tread depth of > 7/32" on each tire. Coming from Pirelli P Zeros on my old X-Type, the ride seems very smooth to me.

The right front tire has a fairly large crack in the sidewall, so the dealer is replacing it. Problem is that the Pilot Sport 3+ is now out of production and impossible to source. I've tried. So, I'm being forced to replace it with the new Pilot Sport A/S 4. My first thought is/was that this is probably not a big deal. But maybe it is?

Any thoughts/comments on a "mismatched" set of tires on the front? Should I replace both with Pilot Sport 4s?

Thanks!!

 

It's probably not a big deal if the tread pattern is similar. If you're unhappy after the fitting, then fit another one on the other side. It should all be OK then.
When I bought my MG TF, it had 3 Goodyears and one Continental. The Continental was on the rear off-side and the handling of the car was really dreadful, like it was about to leap into the ditch any time ! So I had the rears replaced with the later, recommended, Falken tyres and the car was transformed. When the fronts wore out I replaced these with the same make and type and it almost became a new car, totally stable and nice to drive. Of course the MG TF, being a mid-engine sports car is quite sensitive to tyres but it taught me that mixing makes of tyres on the same axle is not good practice !

 

When something similar happened to one of my four Pilot 4s, I tried replacing the front pair of a half-worn set. The new treads had a strange "grooving" effect on steering in my car, I did not care for it at all as the car did not want to drive straight. So I ended up replacing the rears too, and it drove perfectly as I had been recently aligned. If you want that new tire bliss, replace all four with Pilot 4s (Sport Cup 2's not available in our tire size, unfortunately) and get a good alignment to boot. My 2c.

 

I wouldn't mix the Pilot Sport 4s summer tire with the all seasons, if that's what you're asking.

 

Just a quick follow up here. Fortunately, I was able to source a single new Pilot Sport A/S 3+ on eBay. And I'm glad I did.

The tread pattern on the Pilot Sport A/S 4 is significantly different from the 3+, and as others have suggested, I've got to believe this would have affected the ride.

Car is now riding great on its set of four matched tires (tyres)...

Happy New Year everyone!

 

It's important with awd to keep the axle tires the same . If you go online, you might be able to find just the one tire. You can be 2 to 332 of tread depth the difference, but it's very important to keep the same type of tire the same ,make the same model. It may be time to invest in some winter tires. I find Nokia Hakkapalitta,s the best .they have just come out with an amazing new winter tire. Of course you have to buy 4 we have a 2017 XE 3.5 T all wheel drive and love the Hakkapalitta,s

 

The Internet can be an amazing place ,to find ,just that one tire!