Tests 66 · 1 test Owners 58 · 45 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Avon ZX7 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 23 road tests and 45 + 6,510 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 90–63
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Tests 86 · 23 tests Owners 87 · 6,510 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test (dry handling (tester's mark))
“Put some 235/45 R17 ps5’s on my 9-5 They fill up the arches quite nice!”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
64
Dry
Pilot Sport 5 +2892Why this score
Source ZX7 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 23 tests 64 93 Reviews found online 64 90 Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 89% 95% ZX7: 60% × 63.9 + 40% × 64.4 = 64
Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.2 + 40% × 90.2 = 92
-
69
Wet
Pilot Sport 5 +2594Why this score
Source ZX7 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 23 tests 69 94 Reviews found online 69 93 Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 81% 91% ZX7: 60% × 68.8 + 40% × 69.3 = 69
Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 93.3 = 94
-
64
Comfort
Pilot Sport 5 +1478Why this score
Source ZX7 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 71 Reviews found online 61 83 ZX7: 40% × 67.2 (est.) + 60% × 61.3 = 64
Pilot Sport 5: 40% × 70.9 + 60% × 83.4 = 78
No road tests of comfort for ZX7. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
–
Noise
No comparison47Why this score
Source ZX7 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 15 tests – 33 Reviews found online – ≈ 66 (est.) Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 33.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 47
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 5. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
-
50
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 5 +3686Why this score
Source ZX7 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests ≈ 57 (est.) 92 Reviews found online 39 78 ZX7: 60% × 56.7 (est.) + 40% × 39.3 = 50
Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 92 + 40% × 77.9 = 86
No road tests of treadwear for ZX7. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
62
Handling (owners)
Pilot Sport 5 +2789Why this score
Source ZX7 Pilot Sport 5 Reviews found online 62 89 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison63Why this score
Source ZX7 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 17 tests – 63
Scores at a glance
| Category | Avon ZX7 | Michelin Pilot Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 63 | 90 |
| Dry | 64 | 92 |
| Wet | 69 | 94 |
| Comfort | 64 | 78 |
| Noise | – | 47 |
| Treadwear | 50 | 86 |
| Handling (owners) | 62 | 89 |
| Efficiency | – | 63 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
63
/ 100
ZX7
90
/ 100
Pilot Sport 5
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Avon ZX7 finished ahead 0 times and Michelin Pilot Sport 5 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | ZX7 | Pilot Sport 5 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 89% | 95% | −6.4 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? · 245/45 R19 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 81% | 91% | −10.2 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? · 245/45 R19 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #30/50 | #9/50 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? · 245/45 R19 |
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
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
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
Positive
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Community sentiment towards the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is largely positive, with drivers frequently praising its outstanding wet grip, daily driving comfort, and impressive tread life. While widely recommended as a dependable, premium all-round performance tire, some enthusiasts criticize it for having a slightly numb steering feel, softer sidewalls, and poor heat resistance during track use compared to more aggressive alternatives.
r/i20n
·17 upvotes ·2025-07-21
“Tyres: Ps5’s initial impression Tyres seem to be a common question across a few forums so I thought ide share. So after 12 months (27,000kms) with my i20n, I was (over) due to replace my tyres. While I loved the p-zeros, I wasn’t keen on the short life, so went with the pilot sport 5. My impressions as follows: Initial impression: a lot less road noise than the p-zero City drive: no noticeable difference (apart from the reduced noise) Highway drive: handling is not noticeably changed, but the reduced noise is really appreciated here! Twisty’s: the difference here is notable, ps5’s don’t provide quite the same aggressive limitless grip feel as the p-zeros. Still holds the line perfectly but noted a bit of slip on the inside front wheel under heavy throttle. I do approx 100km on back roads commuting to and from work every day, so I’ll update this thread if I find anything worth reporting Read more”
r/ft86
·2 upvotes ·2026-07-21
“PS5 is a very good allround, comfortable but grippy tire. PS4S has a stiffer sidewall and is way sportier but harsher. There is to date no successor for the PS4S. I switched from PS4S to PS5 on my mustang and its a way better fit for a daily tire. I would remommend to get PS5 for the rear aswell.”
r/Miata
·2 upvotes ·2026-05-13
“Anyone else greatly disappointed with their Michelin Pilot sport 5? My 10th anniversary recently got a set of 16 inch ND wheels (due to better tires being available on 16s) and a set of brand new PS5s. It’s on the original bilstein suspension with H&R sway bars and poly bushings all around. After having driven the PS5s for around 4k km i have to say i really don’t like them most of the time. Pros: They’re numb, which is amazing for highway driving. You really can’t feel anything from the tires and they’re super quiet. Cons: They’re numb. I literally can’t feel what they’re doing, they just don’t give any useable feedback from the road and the main thing i do is spirited driving. They also overheat extremely fast? I take five to six quicker turns and on the next turn in the entire car is just sliding around doing whatever the fuck it wants all while there still being no feedback whatsoever.. I’m frustrated af because i thought i’d treat myself to a good nice quality set of tires for once and thats the result.. I have driven on Kumho PS71s for i think a thousand km’s last year and they were waaay grippier and gave very good feedback. The car just isn’t as fun to drive now and it sucks hard. Rant over, thanks for listening. Tldr: Tyre bad :(”
Top themes
#wet grip performance#tread life longevity#daily driving comfort#track heat delamination#premium pricing comparisons#road noise levels#steering feel feedback
Based on 173 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Avon ZX7 | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 66 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 22″ |
| UTQG | — | 320 - 340 A - B A |
Which one should you actually buy?
63
/ 100
Avon ZX7
90
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better treadwear, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 86 vs 50 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 92 vs 64 on dry.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 89 vs 62 on handling.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 94 vs 69 on wet.
Tire A · Avon ZX7
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
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ZX7 or Pilot Sport 5?
Which is better in the wet, ZX7 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 94 vs 69 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, ZX7 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 92 vs 64 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, ZX7 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 78 vs 64 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, ZX7 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 86 vs 50 on our treadwear score.
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.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology