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Michelin Pilot Exalto looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental PureContact LS vs Michelin Pilot Exalto — 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 + 0 road tests and 25 + 56 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Exalto leads, 73–69 Narrow edge

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Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    Pilot Exalto +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSPilot Exalto
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6975

    PureContact LS: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 68.9 = 69

    Pilot Exalto: 60% × 70.9 (est.) + 40% × 75.1 = 73

    No road tests of dry for PureContact LS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Exalto. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 72

    Wet

    Pilot Exalto +4
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSPilot Exalto
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online7277

    PureContact LS: 60% × 71.5 (est.) + 40% × 72.2 = 72

    Pilot Exalto: 60% × 74.4 (est.) + 40% × 77.4 = 76

    No road tests of wet for PureContact LS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Pilot Exalto. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 67

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSPilot Exalto
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)–
    Reviews found online64–

    PureContact LS: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 63.9 = 67

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

  4. 59

    Comfort

    Pilot Exalto +10
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSPilot Exalto
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online5470

    PureContact LS: 40% × 65.7 (est.) + 60% × 53.8 = 59

    Pilot Exalto: 40% × 68.8 (est.) + 60% × 69.5 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for PureContact LS or Pilot Exalto. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSPilot Exalto
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online70–

    PureContact LS: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 68

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

  6. 68

    Treadwear

    Pilot Exalto +3
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSPilot Exalto
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6975

    PureContact LS: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 68.7 = 68

    Pilot Exalto: 60% × 69.4 (est.) + 40% × 74.5 = 71

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

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Exalto +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourcePureContact LSPilot Exalto
    Reviews found online6975
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental PureContact LSMichelin Pilot Exalto
Relative Score 69 73
Dry 69 73
Wet 72 76
Snow 67 –
Comfort 59 69
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 68 71
Handling (owners) 69 75

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
± 8

PureContact LS

± 8

Pilot Exalto

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 PureContact LS

Pros

  • Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Strong wet and dry traction with reliable handling
  • Good balance of everyday comfort and long treadlife

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can lead to less responsive or wandering handling during aggressive cornering
  • Develops temporary flat spotting when parked, causing morning vibrations
  • Poor winter performance, particularly lacking traction on snow and ice despite being an all-season tire
All owner themes in the PureContact LS review

Tire B Pilot Exalto

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and durability
  • Strong, predictable grip in both wet and dry conditions
  • Progressive handling characteristics near the limit

Cons

  • High retail price point
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to reduced steering feedback and responsiveness
  • Increased road noise reported by some users
All owner themes in the Pilot Exalto review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental PureContact LS B · Michelin Pilot Exalto
CategoryAll SeasonSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG700 A A—
Treadwear warranty70,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental PureContact LS

Michelin Pilot Exalto

Narrow edge: Michelin Pilot Exalto — better comfort, handling and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Exalto scores 69 vs 59 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Exalto scores 75 vs 69 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Exalto scores 73 vs 69 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Exalto scores 76 vs 72 on wet.

Tire A · Continental PureContact LS
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Exalto
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PureContact LS or Pilot Exalto?

Which is better in the wet, PureContact LS or Pilot Exalto?

Michelin Pilot Exalto, 76 vs 72 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, PureContact LS or Pilot Exalto?

Michelin Pilot Exalto, 73 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, PureContact LS or Pilot Exalto?

Michelin Pilot Exalto, 69 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, PureContact LS or Pilot Exalto?

Michelin Pilot Exalto, 71 vs 68 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