Michellin 4S or A/S 3 on 8.5 Contour wheel

[Javier H]

So I want something sticky with a decent life span (50k). Esthetically I don't want the rubber protruding too much from the wheel.

245/40/17s?

Sounds like 235/40 is a better bet

but I am gravitating towards a wider patch.

Is there that much of a different between the 4S or AS3? Primacy?

or ditch michellin and get Khumos at almost half the price?

[MarcoZandrini]

As in most things, you get what you pay for. You live in SoCal, but do you head for the mountains where you could encounter snow? If “no” there’s no need to by an AS tire. To me AS tire are a lousy compromises-they’re ok in both dry and snow. Btw, all tires are a compromise.
You’re not going to get 50k miles out of a Michelin 4S. It’s “mileage rating” is 300. That means it’s a high performance tire but it won’t last much over 25k miles.

Go to www.tirerack.com to research into tires’ characteristics.