Head-to-head Updated

Avon ZX7 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 85–63

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Tire AAvon

ZX7

Summer

Tests 66 · 1 test Owners 62 · 45 reviews

Best test result: #30 of 50 in 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? (dry braking)

Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 5

Summer

Tests 84 · 23 tests Owners 82 · 6,414 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 4 in Michelin CrossClimate 3 & 3 Sport vs Pilot Sport 5 vs Primacy 5 (overall ranking)

“Great tires, used to run the stock Pirellis but the ride comfort was atrocious and there was really no performance benefit so I switched them for some PS5.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 65

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 5 +23
    88
    Why this score
    SourceZX7Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)6491
    Reviews found online6684
    Dry Braking (% of best)89%98%
  2. 70

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 5 +20
    90
    Why this score
    SourceZX7Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)6992
    Reviews found online7187
    Wet Braking (% of best)81%100%
  3. 67

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 5 +8
    75
    Why this score
    SourceZX7Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)–71
    Reviews found online6480
  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    45
    Why this score
    SourceZX7Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)–30
  5. 54

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 5 +28
    82
    Why this score
    SourceZX7Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)–87
    Reviews found online4675
  6. 64

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 5 +19
    83
    Why this score
    SourceZX7Pilot Sport 5
    Reviews found online6483
Scores at a glance
Avon ZX7 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryAvon ZX7Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Relative Score 63 85
Dry 65 88
Wet 70 90
Comfort 67 75
Noise – 45
Treadwear 54 82
Handling 64 83

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
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Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

ZX7

Pilot Sport 5

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryZX7Pilot Sport 5ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 89% #30/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? 98% #3/7 · Top Tire Review 2026 UHP Tyre Test: Big Brands vs Challengers −8.7 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 3% #30/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? 100% #1/4 · Michelin CrossClimate 3 & 3 Sport vs Pilot Sport 5 vs Primacy 5 −96.7 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 81% #31/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? 100% #2/4 · 2026 AutoView Value Sport Tyre Test −18.8 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A ZX7

Pros

  • Excellent grip and handling in both dry and wet conditions
  • High levels of ride comfort and steering precision
  • Competitive pricing compared to premium-tier alternatives

Cons

  • Significantly shorter tread life compared to OE and premium competitors
  • Frequent reports of premature sidewall or tread cracking/perishing
  • Poor performance in snow, slush, and off-road conditions
All owner themes in the ZX7 review

Tire B Pilot Sport 5

Pros

  • Outstanding wet and dry traction with high resistance to aquaplaning
  • Superior tread life and longevity compared to competitors and previous generations
  • Noticeable improvements in ride comfort and a quieter cabin over rough road surfaces

Cons

  • Softer sidewalls can lead to initial steering vagueness or understeer during hard cornering
  • Higher price point compared to some tier-one competitors
  • Performance and grip degrade significantly under intense track heat or heavy circuit use
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 5 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Avon ZX7

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Positive

Community opinion on the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is overwhelmingly positive for daily street driving, praising its exceptional wet grip, tread longevity, and quiet comfort compared to run-flats and older performance tires. However, several enthusiasts note downsides for aggressive or track use, specifically citing softer sidewalls, muted steering feedback, and poor heat resistance leading to delamination under track conditions. Most drivers consider it an outstanding premium all-rounder for sporty street cars rather than a dedicated track or extreme-performance tire.

r/kereta ·9 upvotes ·2025-12-15

“Have to replace my tyres soon, MC7 or PS5? Hi guys, I need to replace the tyres on my civic soon and I’m stuck between the MC7 and the PS5. I not a guy who will driving 180km/h in raining day so i think both performance is good enough for me. I did some research, it seems like MC7 have better performance overall. Also found that MC7 is cheaper than PS5 in my country (around RM600-700 cheaper for 4 tyres). I prefer tread life > noise/ comfort > performance (rarely drive over 120). Any feedback on the 2 brands would be super helpful. Thanks! === UPDATED === Thank you all for suggestions and opinions. So at the end i pick the MC7. Reasons: It’s possibly quieter compared to the PS5 The price is cheaper and come with 1 year premium (or what name i forgot) warranty There’s a Continental authorized dealer near my place I’ve never tried Continental before, so I decided to give it a try At the moment, the driving experience is a bit quieter than the previous PS4 (which is expected since it’s a new tire). As for performance, I haven’t really pushed it to the limit, but it’s more than sufficient for me, didn’t experience any wheel spin or loss of traction so far. One thing I do notice is that I can constantly hear small stones sticking to the tire and hitting the wheel arch which is very annoying. Also, on a personal note, I still prefer the sidewall shape of the PS5, so it took me some time to get used to the rounded sidewall of the MC7 Read more”

r/CarTrackDays ·17 upvotes ·2025-05-25

“Michelin PS5 Delaminating Near new PS5, running a low speed track, and the fronts basically fell apart after 2 sessions. I know these aren't track-focussed tires, but is this really expected for them? Looks like the tires got too hot, but I'm just shocked how poorly they performed on a stock car (Golf R). Not sure if it's worth contacting Michelin over this or not. Read more”

r/saab ·90 upvotes ·2026-03-28

“Put some 235/45 R17 ps5’s on my 9-5 They fill up the arches quite nice!”

Top themes
#wet grip performance#tread wear longevity#daily driving comfort#track heat delamination#soft sidewall steering feedback#road noise levels#comparison with ps4s

Based on 174 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Avon ZX7 B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—66
Rim diameters—16″ – 22″

Which one should you actually buy?

Avon ZX7

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better treadwear, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 82 vs 54 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 88 vs 65 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 90 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 83 vs 64 on handling.

Tire A · Avon ZX7
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

85

Leads

Pilot Sport 5

Amazon