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Head-to-head Updated

Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 3 — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 3 leads, 66–62 Narrow edge

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Tire ACooper

Zeon RS3-G1

All Season

Tests – · 1 test Owners 56 · 234 reviews

“I just put a set of 20" Zeon RS3-G1's on my Taurus SHO. Have about 1000 miles on them so far. Replaced a near bald set of Michelin Primacy's that I had 60k on. Really liking the Coopers. They are quiet, handle GREAT, have good wet and dry traction. They did firm up the ride a little bit but that's fine as I like a firm ride. Could also be that this application requires the Extra Load version. With the $100 rebate on a set of 4 and paying $164/ea at Walmart it was a no-brainer. Time will tell how they wear but I think they will do fine.”

Category by category

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

  1. 63

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 3 +7
    70
    Why this score
    SourceZeon RS3-G1Pilot Sport 3
    Reviews found online6072
  2. 66

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 3 +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceZeon RS3-G1Pilot Sport 3
    Reviews found online6471
  3. 53

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceZeon RS3-G1Pilot Sport 3
    Reviews found online42–
  4. 65

    Comfort

    Level
    65
    Why this score
    SourceZeon RS3-G1Pilot Sport 3
    Reviews found online6161
  5. 64

    Noise

    Pilot Sport 3 +1
    65
    Why this score
    SourceZeon RS3-G1Pilot Sport 3
    Reviews found online6162
  6. 63

    Treadwear

    Zeon RS3-G1 +2
    61
    Why this score
    SourceZeon RS3-G1Pilot Sport 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)72–
    Reviews found online5058
  7. 52

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 3 +13
    65
    Why this score
    SourceZeon RS3-G1Pilot Sport 3
    Reviews found online5265
Scores at a glance
CategoryCooper Zeon RS3-G1Michelin Pilot Sport 3
Relative Score 62 66
Dry 63 70
Wet 66 70
Snow 53 –
Comfort 65 65
Noise 64 65
Treadwear 63 61
Handling 52 65

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

Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Zeon RS3-G1

Pilot Sport 3

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 Zeon RS3-G1

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong dry and wet pavement traction
  • Low road noise levels and high ride comfort

Cons

  • Inconsistent tread life with reports of premature wear
  • Limited performance in heavy snow or ice
  • Potential for slight decrease in fuel economy
All owner themes in the Zeon RS3-G1 review

Tire B Pilot Sport 3

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Cooper Zeon RS3-G1

Positive

Community sentiment toward the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 is generally very positive, with owners highlighting strong wet and dry traction, quiet operation, and exceptional value for money compared to premium rivals. It is frequently considered as a budget-friendly alternative to the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 for high-performance and daily driving needs. Minor caveats noted by drivers include potential initial flatspotting, firmer ride compliance, and differences in steering feel.

r/CrownVictoria ·31 upvotes ·2024-01-17

“Treated my land yacht to some new rubber to keep it anchored in the snow. Cooper Zeon RS3-G1”
r/Mustang ·2021-08-04

“Are Cooper ZEON RS3-G1 - SIZE: 275/40R19 enough for an ecoboost? I got a flat rear tire and only changed 1 tire. I ended up with a cooper zeon RS3. The other 3 tires are fairly worn Michelin pillot sports of the same size. No one near me had the pilot sports and I needed to get this done fast as I had to go to work still. Now my car veers to the left when accelerating and to the right when I left off the pedal. Would replacing the other rear tire with the same cooper zeon solve the issue or do I need to change all 4 tires? Are the coopers good enough? The guy at ford said he'd never put a cooper on a mustang but maybe he though I had a GT?”
r/ShopCanada ·3 upvotes ·2020-03-02

“[Canadian Tire] [Canadian Tire] Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 All Season Tire $109.73 Certain Sizes YMMV Deal Link Price: $109.73 Savings: 40% Expiry: March 26, 2020 Retailer: Canadian Tire Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 All Season Tire CLEARANCE (ON SELECT STYLES/SIZES) Copper Zeon RS3-G1 is a high-performance tire tuned for three-season and light snow conditions providing exceptional grip, handling and durability to your sports sedan or coupe. FEATURES Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 All Season Tire is for high performance vehicles and enthusiast drivers The tread compound and design features great grip, stability and durability Delivers great performance on dry and wet pavement 3-D Micro Gauge sipes improve the stability of tread elements providing enhanced handling in wet and dry roads Asymmetrical tread pattern provides grip and stability during cornering maneuvers and reduced tire noise Made with a silica tread compound that is specially formulated to provide maximum dry and wet traction Cooper’s trademarked visual wear indicator provides peace of mind through informing drivers how worn their tires are ... 80013.html CLEARANCE (ON SELECT STYLES/SIZES) 225/40/18 for example, $109.73 EACH Stocktrack for 225/40/18 TireRack Review ... eon+RS3-G1 Stack with the SDM Can Tire $300 for $325 GC for more savings! Happy Hunting”
Top themes
#Value and pricing#Wet and dry grip#Comparison to Continental DWS06#Quiet ride and road noise#Wide size availability#Cold weather performance

Based on 26 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 3

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3
CategoryAll Season—
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available810
Rim diameters17″ – 20″15″ – 19″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
UTQG500 AA A—
Treadwear warranty45,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Cooper Zeon RS3-G1

Michelin Pilot Sport 3

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 3 — better handling, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 65 vs 52 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 70 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 70 vs 66 on wet.

Tire A · Cooper Zeon RS3-G1
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3
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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.

66

Narrow edge

Pilot Sport 3

Amazon