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Head-to-head Updated

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 80–71

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Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

Tests 84 · 21 tests Owners 74 · 12,686 reviews

“Reminder: Tires are the key to this car Just replaced my Michelin Pilot Sport 4 AS tires with a new set ahead of the rainy season. Lasted 36K miles. It was the best mod to the car and a fresh set reminded just how good a brand new set is. The car is glued to the road, riding wonderfully smooth and quiet. Spend the money, get the best tires for you. The tune can wait. And it will need it.”

Category by category

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

  1. 72

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 +13
    85
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–88
    Reviews found online7581
  2. 73

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +14
    87
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–91
    Reviews found online7481
  3. 72

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +6
    78
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–83
    Reviews found online7571
  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–76
    Reviews found online–72
  5. 67

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +3
    70
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–76
    Reviews found online6861
  6. 73

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 +5
    78
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Pilot Sport 4
    Reviews found online7378
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental ContiMaxContact MC5Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Relative Score 71 80
Dry 72 85
Wet 73 87
Comfort 72 78
Noise – 74
Treadwear 67 70
Handling 73 78

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.

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

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

ContiMaxContact MC5

Pilot Sport 4

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 ContiMaxContact MC5

Pros

  • Exceptional cabin noise reduction and quiet operation
  • High level of ride comfort and bump absorption
  • Strong value-for-money proposition compared to premium performance rivals

Cons

  • Tread wear can be rapid when subjected to aggressive or spirited driving
  • Sidewalls are relatively soft, which may feel less progressive at the absolute limit
  • Reports of increased puncture susceptibility once tread depth decreases
All owner themes in the ContiMaxContact MC5 review

Tire B Pilot Sport 4

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry traction with outstanding resistance to aquaplaning
  • Noticeable improvement in ride comfort and a reduction in cabin noise compared to standard run-flat tires
  • Progressive and predictable breakaway limits during spirited driving

Cons

  • Faster-than-average treadwear, particularly under aggressive driving or on rear-wheel-drive performance cars
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to a slight lack of initial steering precision and a vague feel at the limit for hardcore enthusiasts
  • Performance drops off significantly in cold, freezing, or snowy winter conditions
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 4 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5

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

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Positive

The community widely regards the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 line as a premium upgrade offering exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and superior ride comfort compared to OEM or run-flat tires. While celebrated for performance, users frequently discuss its high price tag, faster treadwear, and noticeable drop in EV efficiency. Some drivers also note increased road noise and reduced traction when temperatures drop near freezing.

r/BMW ·1 upvote ·2024-09-24

“I basically always ran Michelins on the BMWs I had. Pilot Super Sport on the E91 335d (which unexpectedly did really well wrt longevity with 600nm+ and a heavy foot) and now PS4 ZP (so the runflat type) on my 320hp F31 330d. They are just really really good. Pretty pricey though.”
f30.bimmerpost.com

“Quote: Originally Posted by weston.__ I will be going down the non-rft route, Pilot Sport 4. You're not the only one to say the ride quality with non-rft is a massive improvement and this is the reason why I will change once the time comes. I went from Bridgestone S001 RFT to 'go-flats' and have found the suppleness an obvious difference. Since I put the pressure to the mid point between the low and high load plated pressures I have yet to have any of the heartstopping thumps come through the suspension that the Bridgestone seemed prone to.”
r/TeslaModelS ·1 upvote ·2025-03-27

“I was running pilot sport 4s on my MS. (19” wheels) I was lucky to get 13,000-14,000. I just switched to Kumho Majesty 9’s for about 1/3 the price. Currently have 4,000 miles on them and just to rotated. Fingers crossed I can get 13,000 miles out of them.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Run-flat replacement upgrade#Treadwear and longevity#Cold weather performance#Road noise and comfort#EV range and efficiency#Comparison to Continental tires

Based on 246 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—62
Rim diameters—16″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better wet, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 85 vs 72 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 72 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 73 on handling.

Tire A · Continental ContiMaxContact MC5
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
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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.

80

Leads

Pilot Sport 4

Amazon