Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Defender T+H 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 1 + 27 road tests and 1 + 6,614 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 84–72
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Tests 82 · 27 tests Owners 86 · 6,614 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.
-
70
Dry
Pilot Sport 4 S +2393Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 25 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 94 Reviews found online 71 92 Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.9 = 70
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 94.3 + 40% × 92.1 = 93
No road tests of dry for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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73
Wet
Pilot Sport 4 S +1588Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests ≈ 72 (est.) 86 Reviews found online 73 91 Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 73
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 86.4 + 40% × 90.7 = 88
No road tests of wet for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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65
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) – Reviews found online 62 – Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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68
Comfort
Pilot Sport 4 S +1179Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 67 84 Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 67 = 68
Pilot Sport 4 S: 40% × 70.4 + 60% × 84.2 = 79
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison69Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests – 70 Reviews found online – ≈ 67 (est.) Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 69
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4 S. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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73
Treadwear
Defender T+H +172Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 76 70 Reviews found online 68 74 Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 68 = 73
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 74.1 = 72
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–
Handling (owners)
No comparison90Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Reviews found online – 90 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison72Why this score
Source Defender T+H Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests – 72
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Defender T+H | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 84 |
| Dry | 70 | 93 |
| Wet | 73 | 88 |
| Snow | 65 | – |
| Comfort | 68 | 79 |
| Noise | – | 69 |
| Treadwear | 73 | 72 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
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Neutral
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Less important
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Not important
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
72
/ 100
Defender T+H
84
/ 100
Pilot Sport 4 S
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 | Defender T+H | Pilot Sport 4 S | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 100% #1/8 · 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | 62% #6/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | #1/10 2026 ACE Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
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 Defender T+H
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/CarTalkUK
·4 upvotes ·2025-01-26
“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.”
r/cars
·4 upvotes ·2018-08-21
“I’ll say this. Going from the Pilot Super Sport to the Pilot Sport 4 S of the same size, I’m disappointed in the soft sidewall of the 4 S. This is an 8.5” wide wheel with 235/40/18 tires. The left-right fast slalom action got a bit mushy like the weight transfer was slowed down when I switched to the 4 S. I think a shorter sidewall 4 S would perform better in this way, or the same tire on a 9” wide wheel too. That said, the dry and wet grip is exceptional. To save money, I’d recommend the Continental ExtremeContact Sport.”
r/WRXSTi
·149 upvotes ·2025-07-09
“New tires Pilot Sport 4s got some new Pilot Sport 4s in 245/40/18. way different to my yokohama advan AS+. a lot more grip, obviously. very minimal to no sidewall flex. very good tires. i had pilot sport 3's on my 2013 hatchback wrx back in the day. feels good to get back on some good tires again. Read more”
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 Defender T+H | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring All Season tire | Summer |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 110 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 22″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
72
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
84
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S — better dry, wet and comfort. Where the Michelin Defender T+H is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), 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 70 on dry.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 88 vs 73 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 79 vs 68 on comfort.
Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
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Defender T+H or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 88 vs 73 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 93 vs 70 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 79 vs 68 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 72 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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