[dc]T[/dc]ires are a very personal thing, and changing them can represent a significant investment in the unknown. That being said, last year I published my first impressions on the Michelin Pro Race 4 SC tires that I picked up at Velofest. I was hesitant at the time: I was replacing an extremely durable, nice riding set of Vittoria Rubino Pro IIIs and had poor luck with Michelins in the past. Specifically, the Pro Race 3s that I used had an extremely short lifespan and were somewhat puncture prone. I was hoping that the Pro4s had rectified this problem. Much to my surprise, the Pro 4s gave a very favorable first impression, and were extremely solid during the first 250 miles that comprised my first impression.
Having spent the rest of the season on them it's time for my final thoughts on their performance, their value and make my recommendation.
"Performance In All Circumstances"
[pullquote]The biggest disappointment was the longevity of the Pro4s.[/pullquote]At least that's what Michelin would lead you to believe. In honesty, I can't complain much about the actual performance of the tire on the road. Cornering during wet and dry conditions was very solid: the tires had a lot of grip even as they were leaned over onto the shoulders. This can be chalked up to the dual tread compound and the "V" shaped profile of the tire itself. Michelin also claims there's a bit of silica compound on the shoulders to aid in gripping the road under all conditions.
The ride quality of the Pro4s was pretty decent assuming the tire pressure was a bit lower than the Rubino Pros that they replaced. I typically ran 85PSI front and 90 PSI rear in the Rubinos, but to get the same ride quality I had to drop that pressure by about 7 PSI front and back. Unfortunately, since the Pro4s required a bit lower pressure to be comfortable, they also became more prone to pinch flatting, which happened several times.
The biggest disappointment was the longevity of the Pro4s. I typically get about 5500 miles out of a set of Rubino Pros, maybe more depending upon the conditions the tire was used in. In the case of the Pro Race 3s which I had used in the past, I ended up swapping them out after about 2500 miles: the durability was terrible. In the case of the Pro4, they were only marginally better, lasting about 3500 miles. While not terrible, 3500 miles is a far cry from the 5500 that I get out of the Vittorias.
[pullquote]Flat tires became much more commonplace, with four of them in the following 2000 miles[/pullquote]Not really helping the longevity case was the fact that the Pro4s became flat-prone after around 1500 miles, about the same time which I noticed the center treat compound had worn down significantly. The tires were no longer "v" shaped in profile, instead taking on a very worn, square-ish profile to them. Around the same time flat tires became much more commonplace, with four of them in the following 2000 miles of use. Contrast this to one flat during the entire lifespan of the Rubino Pros, and I'm not thrilled with the durability or reliability of the Pro4s.
The Bottom Line
For a retail price of $75 (compared to about $45 for the Rubino Pro) per tire, a difference of 2000 fewer miles really hits hard. I wasn't able to quantify if the Pro4s were actually faster (I commented in the initial impressions that they seemed to corner better, feeling a bit less "squirmy" under hard lateral loads) in terms of MPH differences. Yes, they are about 35ish grams lighter than the Rubino Pros (apiece), but I can easily carry one smaller water bottle if I wanted to save those grams elsewhere. For that matter, the weight difference between the Rubino Pro and Pro 4 is negligible to me anyway: I'm not racing on either of them, merely using them as my "everyday" training tires (racing is done on tubulars, folks) so the weight is not really a concern.
[pullquote]I can't recommend them for anything but a race day tire.[/pullquote]The bottom line to me is that the Pro 4s are an improvement over the Pro 3s, but they are still significantly lacking when compared side-by-side to my benchmark favorite, the Rubino Pro. If you're looking to race on clinchers for convenience, and you're looking to do so on a tire that won't shatter the chequebook, the Pro 4s will probably serve you well. But I can't recommend them for anything but a race day tire. It's not that I don't like the way they handle (I do; they handle very well), but as a daily use or training tire, I have to pass on these because of durability and reliability issues.
Comments? Do you have a different experience to share? Post below and be heard.
