Tests 74 · 2 tests Owners 72 · 152 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2017 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test (dry braking)
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 81–73
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 74 · 2 tests Owners 72 · 152 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2017 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test (dry braking)
Tests 80 · 27 tests Owners 82 · 6,601 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 6 in 2018 EVO UUHP Tyre Test (overall ranking)
“Best alternative to Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Time for some new tires and it seems like the pilot sport 4s is backordered everywhere in 235/45-17 or similar sizes. Been using the pilot super sport for a few summers and love them so just wanted to get basically the same thing. What other tire in that size is the next closest thing? Some of the competitors aren't made in that size or a close enough one. As far as the tirerack test results for a max performance summer tire the Continental extreme contact sport is available in that size but the other 2 in the test aren't. I'm not set on buying from them just using it to check availability.”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 77 | 91 |
| Reviews found online | 73 | 89 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) | 100% | 97% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) | 90% | 100% |
| Source | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 75 | 85 |
| Reviews found online | 76 | 85 |
| Wet Braking (% of best) | 95% | 80% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) | 99% | 92% |
| Source | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 71 | – |
| Reviews found online | 64 | – |
| Source | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 75 | 81 |
| Source | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 71 | 69 |
| Source | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 73 | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 71 | 71 |
| Source | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 72 | 86 |
| Category | Michelin CrossClimate | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 81 |
| Dry | 75 | 90 |
| Wet | 75 | 85 |
| Snow | 68 | – |
| Comfort | 72 | 75 |
| Noise | 69 | 68 |
| Treadwear | 72 | 71 |
| Handling | 72 | 86 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
CrossClimate
Pilot Sport 4 S
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.
| Discipline | Category | CrossClimate | Pilot Sport 4 S | Δ | Both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 100% #1/8 · 2017 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test | 97% #5/9 · 2025 EVO Summer Tyre Test | +2.7 | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 90% #7/14 · 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test | 100% #2/8 · 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test | −9.2 | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 100% #1/8 · 2017 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test | 74% #9/11 · 2023 Sport Auto UHP Tyre Test | +26.0 | Different tests |
| Noise | Other | 98% #5/10 · 2017 All Season Tyre Test | 100% #2/4 · 2025 Sport Auto UUHP Tyre Test | −1.9 | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | 11% #9/14 · 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test | 100% #1/6 · 2018 EVO UUHP Tyre Test | −88.9 | Different tests |
| Straight Aqua | Straight | 97% #3/10 · 2017 All Season Tyre Test | 97% #7/9 · 2021 Auto Bild UUHP Summer Tyre Test | +0.3 | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 95% #3/10 · 2017 All Season Tyre Test | 80% #4/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | +15.4 | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% #2/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test | 92% #5/9 · 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tyre Test | +6.8 | Different tests |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Community opinion on the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is overwhelmingly positive, with users praising its exceptional dry and wet grip, precise steering feel, and overall refinement for daily driving and spirited road use. While some note that they are pricey and can wear out quickly under aggressive track conditions or heavy vehicle weights, they are widely considered the benchmark high-performance max summer tire. Competitors like Continental ExtremeContact Sport and Kumho are frequently mentioned as budget-friendly alternatives, but many drivers ultimately return to the PS4S for its unmatched confidence and all-around performance.
“The Pilot Sport 4's are great tires for dual duty use. You'll want to keep hot pressures below 37-38 PSI. Anything above that they get very greasy, very fast. In the cars I've driven with them (a few BMW M cars, a 911 I think if I remember), you'll usually set your best laps in the first 4-5 laps of a session depending on temps. Once they over heat heat, as with any street tire, you have to park them for an hour to get the temps down again (downside to steel radials). I'd also recommend Hankook RS4s if you want a more durable track tire. That's what I run. Very long lasting, but not as great in the wet as the PS4s would be. Road noise would also be an issue for street use.”
“The Michelin tyres you're thinking of that might be dicey in rain are the pilot sport cup 2, which are effectively street legal 'track' tyres. The pilot sport 4 s has great rain + dry performance, however if you have a Honda Accord its probably overkill - consider going down a tier towards the pilot sport 5 (non s) (The ps4s has been great for me in the wet but they're realistically more tyre than I need)”
“I live in north east ohio and have a 730 wheel horsepower zr1. I have the pilot sport 4s summer tire. When the car was stock I could drive it in 45 and up and feel safe. Now at 730 it’s a little so so around 48 degrees. As far as rain. I have never felt like I was out of control with the car up to 75-80 in a fkin monsoon worth of rain. I had 10K miles on them with plenty of burnouts and plenty of 170 mph pulls and they had excellent tread life still, I had to replace due to a nail and an object in the road ruining the sidewall on the other one. I know everyone says they don’t last for shit, but 10K miles on a ZR1 track alignment and I had plenty of tread on them. I bet they’d go 20-30K miles with my driving style no problem.”
Based on 109 community posts
| Attribute | A · Michelin CrossClimate | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 110 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 22″ |
Michelin CrossClimate
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.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 90 vs 75 on dry.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 86 vs 72 on handling.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 85 vs 75 on wet.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 75 vs 72 on comfort.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
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.