Tests – · none yet Owners 60 · 21 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Bridgestone Potenza S-02 vs Michelin Pilot Super Sport — 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 0 + 1 road tests and 21 + 1,507 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Super Sport is ahead, 78–65
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Tests 75 · 1 test Owners 82 · 1,507 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test (dry handling)
“Damn. 295s on Style 359Ms? That's pushing it a bit, isn't it? I so desperately wish Michelin would make a 285/30 PSS. I'm running 275/35s now, and while I like the extra rubber on the road, I don't like the increased sidewall height over the OEM 265/35.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
68
Dry
Pilot Super Sport +1482Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 77 Reviews found online 68 90 Potenza S-02: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 68
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 77.5 + 40% × 89.7 = 82
No road tests of dry for Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
-
66
Wet
Pilot Super Sport +1177Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 73 Reviews found online 64 84 Potenza S-02: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 64.2 = 66
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 73 + 40% × 83.8 = 77
No road tests of wet for Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
61
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) – Reviews found online 54 – Potenza S-02: 60% × 65.3 (est.) + 40% × 54 = 61
No road tests of snow for Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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58
Comfort
Pilot Super Sport +1674Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 53 76 Potenza S-02: 40% × 65.6 (est.) + 60% × 53.2 = 58
Pilot Super Sport: 40% × 70.3 (est.) + 60% × 76.2 = 74
No road tests of comfort for Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
No road tests of comfort for Pilot Super Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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61
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 54 – Potenza S-02: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 53.9 = 61
No road tests of noise for Potenza S-02. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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58
Treadwear
Pilot Super Sport +1270Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 61 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 52 73 Potenza S-02: 60% × 61.3 (est.) + 40% × 52 = 58
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 70
No road tests of treadwear for Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Super Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
71
Handling (owners)
Pilot Super Sport +1283Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Pilot Super Sport Reviews found online 71 83
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza S-02 | Michelin Pilot Super Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 78 |
| Dry | 68 | 82 |
| Wet | 66 | 77 |
| Snow | 61 | – |
| Comfort | 58 | 74 |
| Noise | 61 | – |
| Treadwear | 58 | 70 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 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 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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
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
Recomputed
Headline score
65
/ 100
Potenza S-02
78
/ 100
Pilot Super Sport
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Potenza S-02
Pros
- Exceptional dry grip and superior cornering performance
- Outstanding steering feedback, communication, and progressiveness
- Faithful reproduction of original equipment (OE) handling characteristics for sports cars like the Honda S2000
Cons
- Very rapid and sometimes extreme tread wear
- Poor performance and loss of traction in cold weather or below certain temperatures
- High noise levels and stiff ride compromising comfort
Tire B Pilot Super Sport
Pros
- Phenomenal dry grip and cornering stability
- Precise steering response and excellent road feedback
- Better-than-expected tread wear and mileage for a performance tire
Cons
- Reduced grip and traction in cold weather (below 15°C)
- Mediocre performance and tendency to aquaplane when tread wears down in heavy rain
- High price point compared to some alternatives
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Bridgestone Potenza S-02
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is widely praised by the community as a benchmark high-performance street tire offering outstanding dry grip, sharp cornering capability, and decent ride comfort for daily driving. Many drivers note that its successor, the Pilot Sport 4S, improves upon it—especially in cold and wet conditions—while several users highlight downsides such as poor winter/snow capability, premium pricing, and eventual rubber degradation or tread cracking as the tires age.
r/370z
·2 upvotes ·2017-10-20
“I switched to Pilot Super Sports a couple months ago and can say there is some noise reduction. So far they are holding up pretty well, probably better than the RE50A considering I did a fair bit of auto crossing with it. Biggest difference I noticed was grip, significantly more grip especially when abused (hot). I also went 255 up front so that may have had an effect on the grip as well. They are also more comfortable over rough surfaces.”
r/BMW
·1 upvote ·2014-01-22
“Damn. 295s on Style 359Ms? That's pushing it a bit, isn't it? I so desperately wish Michelin would make a 285/30 PSS. I'm running 275/35s now, and while I like the extra rubber on the road, I don't like the increased sidewall height over the OEM 265/35.”
r/Miata
·11 upvotes ·2026-10-07
“Worth bearing in mind the Sam Vimes "Boots" Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness. The tires I got on my new '17 RF GT didn't last very long, the two sets of cheap tires I replaced them with didn't either, then I put Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on it and they're great performers as well as outlasting the earlier sets combined.”
Top themes
#Dry grip and cornering#Comparison to PS4S#Poor snow performance#Tread life and wear#High purchase price#Age and cracking issues#Daily driving comfort
Based on 364 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza S-02 | B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 50 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 23″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 140 A A | 300 AA A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
65
/ 100
Bridgestone Potenza S-02
78
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Winner: Michelin Pilot Super Sport — better comfort, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 74 vs 58 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 82 vs 68 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 70 vs 58 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 83 vs 71 on handling.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S-02
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport
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Potenza S-02 or Pilot Super Sport?
Which is better in the wet, Potenza S-02 or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 77 vs 66 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza S-02 or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 82 vs 68 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Potenza S-02 or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 74 vs 58 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Potenza S-02 or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 70 vs 58 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