Head-to-head Updated

Continental ContiSportContact 5P 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 123 + 6,510 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 86–62

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Continental ContiSportContact 5P
± 6

Tests 78 · 1 test Owners 48 · 123 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test (wet braking)

Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 5

Summer

± 4

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.

  1. 70

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 5 +22
    92
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 23 tests7893
    Reviews found online5990

    ContiSportContact 5P: 60% × 78.4 + 40% × 58.6 = 70

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.2 + 40% × 90.2 = 92

  2. 69

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 5 +25
    94
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 23 tests7794
    Reviews found online5893

    ContiSportContact 5P: 60% × 76.7 + 40% × 57.8 = 69

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 93.3 = 94

  3. 53

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)–
    Reviews found online42–

    ContiSportContact 5P: 60% × 61.3 (est.) + 40% × 41.7 = 53

    No road tests of snow for ContiSportContact 5P. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 54

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 5 +24
    78
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests≈ 64 (est.)71
    Reviews found online4883

    ContiSportContact 5P: 40% × 64.5 (est.) + 60% × 47.7 = 54

    Pilot Sport 5: 40% × 70.9 + 60% × 83.4 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for ContiSportContact 5P. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 59

    Noise

    ContiSportContact 5P +12
    47
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 15 tests≈ 66 (est.)33
    Reviews found online48≈ 66 (est.)

    ContiSportContact 5P: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 47.8 = 59

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 33.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 47

    No road tests of noise for ContiSportContact 5P. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    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.

  6. 43

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 5 +43
    86
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 53 (est.)92
    Reviews found online2878

    ContiSportContact 5P: 60% × 52.7 (est.) + 40% × 28.2 = 43

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 92 + 40% × 77.9 = 86

    No road tests of treadwear for ContiSportContact 5P. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 55

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 5 +34
    89
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Reviews found online5589
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    63
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 17 tests–63
Scores at a glance
Continental ContiSportContact 5P vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryContinental ContiSportContact 5PMichelin Pilot Sport 5
Relative Score 62 86
Dry 70 92
Wet 69 94
Snow 53 –
Comfort 54 78
Noise 59 47
Treadwear 43 86
Handling (owners) 55 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
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
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
± 6

ContiSportContact 5P

± 4

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.

DisciplineCategoryContiSportContact 5PPilot Sport 5ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/9 · 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test 95% #10/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? – Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 100% #2/9 · 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test 99% #4/4 · 2026 AutoView Value Sport Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 100% #1/9 · 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test 91% #9/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/9 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test #9/50 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A ContiSportContact 5P

Pros

  • Outstanding dry and wet traction providing confidence-inspiring grip
  • High level of steering feedback and precise high-speed cornering ability
  • Excellent ride comfort and bump absorption for an ultra-high-performance tire

Cons

  • Rapid and excessively fast tread wear, with many users replacing them under 10,000 miles
  • Prone to straight-line wheel spin and wheel hop during hard acceleration
  • Noticeable road noise as the tires wear down
All owner themes in the ContiSportContact 5P 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

Continental ContiSportContact 5P

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

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Positive

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 · Continental ContiSportContact 5P B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available4166
Rim diameters18″ – 22″16″ – 22″
Tread depth8 - 10/32″—
UTQG240 - 280 AA A320 - 340 A - B A
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—
Sizes in common1818

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ContiSportContact 5P

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better treadwear, handling and wet. Pick the Continental ContiSportContact 5P if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 86 vs 43 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 89 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 94 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 78 vs 54 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5P
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5

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ContiSportContact 5P or Pilot Sport 5?

Which is better in the wet, ContiSportContact 5P or Pilot Sport 5?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 94 vs 69 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, ContiSportContact 5P or Pilot Sport 5?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 92 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, ContiSportContact 5P or Pilot Sport 5?

Continental ContiSportContact 5P, 59 vs 47 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, ContiSportContact 5P or Pilot Sport 5?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 78 vs 54 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, ContiSportContact 5P or Pilot Sport 5?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 86 vs 43 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