tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Sport 01 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 80–58

Check price on Amazon · Pilot Sport 4 or SP Sport 01 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

Tests 84 · 21 tests Owners 74 · 12,686 reviews

“Reminder: Tires are the key to this car Just replaced my Michelin Pilot Sport 4 AS tires with a new set ahead of the rainy season. Lasted 36K miles. It was the best mod to the car and a fresh set reminded just how good a brand new set is. The car is glued to the road, riding wonderfully smooth and quiet. Spend the money, get the best tires for you. The tune can wait. And it will need it.”

Category by category

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

  1. 59

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 +26
    85
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 01Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–88
    Reviews found online5481
  2. 57

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +30
    87
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 01Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–91
    Reviews found online5381
  3. 50

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 01Pilot Sport 4
    Reviews found online37–
  4. 60

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +18
    78
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 01Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–83
    Reviews found online5071
  5. 61

    Noise

    Pilot Sport 4 +13
    74
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 01Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–76
    Reviews found online5272
  6. 58

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +12
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 01Pilot Sport 4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–76
    Reviews found online5361
  7. 55

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 +23
    78
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 01Pilot Sport 4
    Reviews found online5578
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Sport 01Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Relative Score 58 80
Dry 59 85
Wet 57 87
Snow 50 –
Comfort 60 78
Noise 61 74
Treadwear 58 70
Handling 55 78

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.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

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

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

SP Sport 01

Pilot Sport 4

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 SP Sport 01

Pros

  • Precise steering response and sharp turn-in
  • Good dry grip and cornering stability
  • Comfortable and relatively quiet ride when new

Cons

  • Noticeable increase in road noise and droning as the tire wears
  • Deteriorating wet weather traction and reduced grip once tread wears below 4mm
  • Rapid or uneven tread wear reported by some heavier vehicle owners
All owner themes in the SP Sport 01 review

Tire B Pilot Sport 4

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry traction with outstanding resistance to aquaplaning
  • Noticeable improvement in ride comfort and a reduction in cabin noise compared to standard run-flat tires
  • Progressive and predictable breakaway limits during spirited driving

Cons

  • Faster-than-average treadwear, particularly under aggressive driving or on rear-wheel-drive performance cars
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to a slight lack of initial steering precision and a vague feel at the limit for hardcore enthusiasts
  • Performance drops off significantly in cold, freezing, or snowy winter conditions
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 4 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Dunlop SP Sport 01

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

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Positive

The community widely regards the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 line as a premium upgrade offering exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and superior ride comfort compared to OEM or run-flat tires. While celebrated for performance, users frequently discuss its high price tag, faster treadwear, and noticeable drop in EV efficiency. Some drivers also note increased road noise and reduced traction when temperatures drop near freezing.

r/BMW ·1 upvote ·2024-09-24

“I basically always ran Michelins on the BMWs I had. Pilot Super Sport on the E91 335d (which unexpectedly did really well wrt longevity with 600nm+ and a heavy foot) and now PS4 ZP (so the runflat type) on my 320hp F31 330d. They are just really really good. Pretty pricey though.”
f30.bimmerpost.com

“Quote: Originally Posted by weston.__ I will be going down the non-rft route, Pilot Sport 4. You're not the only one to say the ride quality with non-rft is a massive improvement and this is the reason why I will change once the time comes. I went from Bridgestone S001 RFT to 'go-flats' and have found the suppleness an obvious difference. Since I put the pressure to the mid point between the low and high load plated pressures I have yet to have any of the heartstopping thumps come through the suspension that the Bridgestone seemed prone to.”
r/TeslaModelS ·1 upvote ·2025-03-27

“I was running pilot sport 4s on my MS. (19” wheels) I was lucky to get 13,000-14,000. I just switched to Kumho Majesty 9’s for about 1/3 the price. Currently have 4,000 miles on them and just to rotated. Fingers crossed I can get 13,000 miles out of them.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Run-flat replacement upgrade#Treadwear and longevity#Cold weather performance#Road noise and comfort#EV range and efficiency#Comparison to Continental tires

Based on 246 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport 01 B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available262
Rim diameters17″ – 18″16″ – 20″
UTQG280 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport 01

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — 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 4 scores 87 vs 57 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 85 vs 59 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 60 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport 01
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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.

80

Leads

Pilot Sport 4

Amazon