Tests – · none yet Owners 61 · 4 reviews
Best test result: #5 of 7 in 2014 Motorrad Premium Touring Motorcycle Tyre Test (overall ranking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop RoadSmart II vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 85–63
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Tests 84 · 23 tests Owners 82 · 6,449 reviews
Best test result: #9 of 50 in 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? (overall ranking)
“In my experience they are quite long wearing tires and well worth the cost. I used to get around 40k out of most tyres. My first set of ps4’s lasted 55k and now the ps5’s are trending to beat it. I'm a pretty spirited driver around the roundabouts of Canberra too, though I only have a hatch so experiences may vary. As to performance I've driven them on my i30 n-line and other people’s i30N, BRZ, tesla 3, and stinger and the tyres have more grip than I have guts to push them on public roads. In both wet and dry they are very confidence inspiring and a hell of a lot of fun.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
63
Dry
Pilot Sport 5 +2588Why this score
Source RoadSmart II Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) – 91 Reviews found online 60 84 -
61
Wet
Pilot Sport 5 +2990Why this score
Source RoadSmart II Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) – 92 Reviews found online 58 87 -
65
Comfort
Pilot Sport 5 +1075Why this score
Source RoadSmart II Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) – 71 Reviews found online 61 81 -
–
Noise
No comparison45Why this score
Source RoadSmart II Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) – 30 -
64
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 5 +1882Why this score
Source RoadSmart II Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) – 87 Reviews found online 63 75 -
64
Handling
Pilot Sport 5 +1983Why this score
Source RoadSmart II Pilot Sport 5 Reviews found online 64 83
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop RoadSmart II | Michelin Pilot Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 63 | 85 |
| Dry | 63 | 88 |
| Wet | 61 | 90 |
| Comfort | 65 | 75 |
| Noise | – | 45 |
| Treadwear | 64 | 82 |
| Handling | 64 | 83 |
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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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
63
/ 100
RoadSmart II
85
/ 100
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.
| Discipline | Category | RoadSmart II | Pilot Sport 5 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #5/7 2014 Motorrad Premium Touring Motorcycle 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 RoadSmart II
Pros
- High levels of dry and wet grip for sport-touring applications
- Excellent steering precision and rider feedback
- Inspires confidence in varied riding conditions for satisfied users
Cons
- Reported lack of rear tire traction during aggressive cornering
- Inconsistent performance leading to safety concerns in wet weather
- Perceived inferiority compared to competing sport-touring brands
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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Dunlop RoadSmart II
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Community opinion on the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is overwhelmingly positive for daily street driving, praising its exceptional wet grip, tread longevity, and quiet comfort compared to run-flats and older performance tires. However, several enthusiasts note downsides for aggressive or track use, specifically citing softer sidewalls, muted steering feedback, and poor heat resistance leading to delamination under track conditions. Most drivers consider it an outstanding premium all-rounder for sporty street cars rather than a dedicated track or extreme-performance tire.
r/TeslaUK
·3 upvotes ·2026-03-27
“Pilot sport 5? Hi, after replacement tyres for M3. Just touched 30k miles and all 4 need doing. Michelin 235/45 ZR18 (98Y) XL TL PILOT SPORT 5 I was looking at these 154 pounds from Costco. Only they’re not T rated. Was comparing them with the original 235/45 ZR 18 PILOT SPORT 4 XL TO TESLA these are 204 pounds at Costco. Thoughts on whether the PS5 will be ok please? Visited a couple of independent tyre shops yesterday, 1 quoted budget 100 each through to PS4s at 230 each. The second wouldn’t quote on non Tesla approved, so just quoted the PS4 T0s at 203 each. Cheers”
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 :(”
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.”
Top themes
#wet grip performance#tread wear longevity#daily driving comfort#track heat delamination#soft sidewall steering feedback#road noise levels#comparison with ps4s
Based on 174 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop RoadSmart II | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer Premium Touring tires | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Motorcycle | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 66 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 22″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
63
/ 100
Dunlop RoadSmart II
85
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 90 vs 61 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 88 vs 63 on dry.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 83 vs 64 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 82 vs 64 on treadwear.
Tire A · Dunlop RoadSmart II
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
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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.