Tests – · none yet Owners 76 · 9 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Alpin vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 82–75
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Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 82 · 6,601 reviews
“If you can burn through a set of rock hard Bridgestones in 8k miles then you must be driving like a nutter. Most will see 20k miles on the fronts. You also talk about "throwing" the car around. If you're flinging the car around, I think you'd find the car a lot more predictable on 4 tyres of the same type rather than those on the front axle being a lot gripper than those on the rear axle. I'd recommend 35psi fronts and 33psi backs, if you were running 4 x PS4s. Back end stability is a little way off the likes of a Golf GTI when you start flinging it around - rear axle grip for both wheels on a bend would be far better with multilink rear suspension (which the Polo doesn't have). I've momentarily lost the back end once when I had all Bridgestones on. My 2018 Polo GTI went tail happy doing some moderate acceleration out of a large roundabout (so large it was almost straight) when I had 4000.miles on - bone dry road on a warm day. In the outside lane, a Golf GTD gunned it at twice my rate of acceleration, with no drama. That was the incident that made me decide to ditch the Bridgestones for PS4s.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
73
Dry
Pilot Sport 4 S +1891Why this score
Source Alpin Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) – 92 Reviews found online 75 89 -
80
Wet
Pilot Sport 4 S +585Why this score
Source Alpin Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) – 85 Reviews found online 83 85 -
70
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source Alpin Pilot Sport 4 S Reviews found online 70 – -
74
Comfort
Pilot Sport 4 S +175Why this score
Source Alpin Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) – 70 Reviews found online 78 81 -
–
Noise
No comparison69Why this score
Source Alpin Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) – 71 -
73
Treadwear
Alpin +271Why this score
Source Alpin Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) – 70 Reviews found online 77 71 -
75
Handling
Pilot Sport 4 S +1186Why this score
Source Alpin Pilot Sport 4 S Reviews found online 75 86
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Alpin | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 75 | 82 |
| Dry | 73 | 91 |
| Wet | 80 | 85 |
| Snow | 70 | – |
| Comfort | 74 | 75 |
| Noise | – | 69 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 71 |
| Handling | 75 | 86 |
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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Neutral
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
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
75
/ 100
Alpin
82
/ 100
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 Alpin
Pros
- Exceptional grip and traction on snow and ice
- Noticeable performance improvement in cold and wet conditions
- High level of ride comfort and low noise levels
Cons
- Higher price point compared to some competitors
- Can feel overly aggressive or sensitive on loose surfaces like gravel
- Limited feedback on dry-weather performance from most users
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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Michelin Alpin
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
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.
r/RZ34
·1 upvote ·2026-10-08
“I got 30k miles out of the pilot sport 4s and pilot sport all season 4. The cost difference was not too bad and the all season 4 grip almost as well and are rated to 11f vs 40f for the pilot sport 4s. And they all wore evenly. Upsizing definitely made it feel more planted 245 275.”
camaro6.com
“Quote: Originally Posted by D_H I hated the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires. Was not happy with the wear. I wanted a drivable tire, and that's why I got them. They were pricy. Didn't last anywhere near the 30,000 mile range. Lasted just over 15,000 miles. Tire wear was not even, and the performance is a joke. But again, that's not why I got them. Tires always want to slip traction. I'm just going to stick with the stock tires from now on. I was wanting to know what everyone thought about these Atturo AZ850 front and rear tires though. I just put a very lightly used (from a friend) set of Atturo AZ850's in 1LE size on my 2020 2SS (I mounted them on MRR017 1LE Replica Wheels (285/30ZR20 Fronts and 305/30ZR20 Rears)), so far VERY happy with them especially considering the cost... They definitely hook better than my old 275 run flats...”
rennlist.com
“Quote: Originally Posted by gcurnew I got the Goodyear F1s on my car when delivered and found them surprisingly nice: good grip, quiet, compliant ride. Put PS4Ss on last year and while I'm happy with them, they are a tad noisier than the F1s with a slightly stiffer ride and no apparent difference in grip or handling. I know the Michelins are the "go to" tire and pretty much everyone raves about them...but I'm in the camp that thinks the F1s are an equivalent tire. Having had both, I would have just bought a set of F1 rears (my fronts were only partially worn) rather than a full set of Michelins. I've used Michelin exclusively for the past two decades. My car came with the F1s and was pleasantly surprised. Dare I say better than 4S? Excellent in the wet and dry and they don't seem to get greasy like the 4Ss can when pushed. Still don't know how they wear but unless performance drops off or noise suddenly goes up like with Pirellis, I might buy them again.”
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 · Michelin Alpin | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 110 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 22″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
75
/ 100
Michelin Alpin
82
/ 100
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.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 91 vs 73 on dry.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 86 vs 75 on handling.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 85 vs 80 on wet.
Tire A · Michelin Alpin
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
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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.