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Dunlop Direzza DZ101 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Direzza DZ101 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S — 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 + 27 road tests and 8 + 6,649 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 86–66

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Dunlop Direzza DZ101
Tire ADunlop

Direzza DZ101

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 8 reviews

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 4 S

Summer

± 4

Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 86 · 6,649 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 15 in 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test (dry braking)

“A note about the pilot sport 4 S: in cold weather (below 5 degrees) even if it isn't icy, the tyre compound hardens and has dramatically reduced grip. They are excellent summer tyres though, good in the wet too. These days I run Uniroyal rainsport 5 and they're very good.”

Category by category

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

  1. 68

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 S +25
    93
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Pilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 25 tests≈ 68 (est.)95
    Reviews found online6892

    Direzza DZ101: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 68

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 94.6 + 40% × 91.5 = 93

    No road tests of dry for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 S +21
    88
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Pilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests≈ 68 (est.)86
    Reviews found online6590

    Direzza DZ101: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 67

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 85.9 + 40% × 90.4 = 88

    No road tests of wet for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 65

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 S +13
    78
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Pilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 68 (est.)70
    Reviews found online6383

    Direzza DZ101: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 63.4 = 65

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 40% × 70.4 + 60% × 83.4 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Pilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests–70
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4 S. 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.

  5. 61

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 S +11
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Pilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 63 (est.)70
    Reviews found online5874

    Direzza DZ101: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 57.6 = 61

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 74 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for Direzza DZ101. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 4 S +22
    90
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Pilot Sport 4 S
    Reviews found online6890
  7. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ101Pilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests–72
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ101Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Relative Score 66 86
Dry 68 93
Wet 67 88
Comfort 65 78
Noise – 69
Treadwear 61 72
Handling (owners) 68 90
Efficiency – 72

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
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
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
± 8

Direzza DZ101

± 4

Pilot Sport 4 S

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 Direzza DZ101

Pros

  • Highly competitive price point
  • Aggressive and attractive tread design
  • Surprising levels of ride comfort and low noise

Cons

  • Short tread life and rapid wear
  • Inconsistent performance and grip quality between different sets
  • Uninspiring wet weather traction for aggressive driving
All owner themes in the Direzza DZ101 review

Tire B Pilot Sport 4 S

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and predictable handling in both dry and wet conditions
  • Noticeable reduction in road noise and improved ride comfort compared to competitors and run-flats
  • Sharper steering response and improved cornering stability

Cons

  • High initial purchase price
  • Rapid tread wear reported by some aggressive drivers and track users
  • Soft sidewalls can cause a slightly vague or laggy initial response during rapid steering transitions
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 4 S review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Dunlop Direzza DZ101

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

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

Positive

The community widely regards the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S as a benchmark max-performance summer tire, praising its outstanding dry and wet grip, stability, and daily driving refinement. Common criticisms focus on its premium price, rapid tread wear on high-powered heavy vehicles or hot track sessions, and significantly reduced grip in cold weather. Many enthusiasts consider it an ideal street tire, though some note softer sidewalls compared to predecessors or recommend dedicated track tires for hard circuit driving.

mustang6g.com ·2020-11-15

“I just went 12k on PSS for mixed use weekend and HDPE. 275/35 19x10 front and 305/30 19x11rear stagger. I replaced the PS4s from stock purchased PP1. I immediately noticed the PSS seemed a little louder and the concrete joints were felt and heard. Now after putting on 285/35 and 325/30 MP4S I'm enjoying a better ride. I have a track event this weekend so I'll get to test the 4S in track duty.”
vwvortex.com ·2025-09-26

“My 2023 20th AE Golf R came with Hankook tires , and I've been very pleased with them. I'm a fairly aggressive driver and frequent the twisty roads in the Santa Monica Mountains. I also have a mildly modded Mk VI Golf R shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires on factory 18" rims, and the Hankooks seem to perform almost as well in the dry, but outshine the PS4s in the wet. I will most likely need new tires next year, but I am undecided between the Hankooks and the Michelin PS4AS tires . As for Continental tires ... I use Continental tubular tires on my road bicycle, but have experienced many problems, including massive chunking with them on my 1974 BMW 2002Tii and my 1979 Scirocco Gti , so I am not going to use them on my cars again.”
jaguarforums.com

“I had a similar experience with Discount Tire and brand new Michelin PS4S's. I clipped a large lane marker (not a dot, a turtle) with both driver's side tires and pinch-flatted them both. I had driven them less than 10 miles so Discount Tire replaced them for only $50 without me even asking for a discount. I had purchased them for about $450 each and didn't buy a road hazard warranty, so I was very pleased with Discount Tire.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Track day durability#High price vs alternatives#Tread life and wear#Cold weather performance#Sidewall stiffness and comfort

Based on 208 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ101 B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—110
Rim diameters—17″ – 22″
UTQG300 A A300 A - AA A

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Direzza DZ101

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S — better dry, handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Dunlop Direzza DZ101 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 93 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 90 vs 68 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 88 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 78 vs 65 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ101
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
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Direzza DZ101 or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Which is better in the wet, Direzza DZ101 or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 88 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Direzza DZ101 or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 93 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Direzza DZ101 or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 78 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Direzza DZ101 or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 72 vs 61 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