Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Energy 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. Based on 0 + 27 road tests and 42 + 6,614 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 84–60

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Michelin Energy
Tire AMichelin

Energy

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 57 · 42 reviews

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 4 S

Summer

Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 82 · 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.

  1. 55

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 S +37
    92
    Why this score
    SourceEnergyPilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 25 tests≈ 60 (est.)94
    Reviews found online4889

    Energy: 60% × 60 (est.) + 40% × 48.4 = 55

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 93.6 + 40% × 88.6 = 92

    No road tests of dry for Energy. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 61

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 S +24
    85
    Why this score
    SourceEnergyPilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests≈ 63 (est.)85
    Reviews found online5785

    Energy: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 61

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 85.3 + 40% × 84.6 = 85

    No road tests of wet for Energy. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 65

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 S +10
    75
    Why this score
    SourceEnergyPilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 68 (est.)70
    Reviews found online6081

    Energy: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 60.2 = 65

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 80.8 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Energy. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEnergyPilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests–70
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 67.3 (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.

  5. 67

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 S +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceEnergyPilot Sport 4 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 66 (est.)70
    Reviews found online6771

    Energy: 60% × 66.1 (est.) + 40% × 67.3 = 67

    Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 71.4 = 71

    No road tests of treadwear for Energy. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 51

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 4 S +35
    86
    Why this score
    SourceEnergyPilot Sport 4 S
    Reviews found online5186
Scores at a glance
Michelin Energy vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMichelin EnergyMichelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Relative Score 60 84
Dry 55 92
Wet 61 85
Comfort 65 75
Noise – 69
Treadwear 67 71
Handling (owners) 51 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 starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Energy

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 Energy

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and durability
  • Noticeable improvements in fuel economy
  • Low road noise and comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • Lack of steering feedback and road feel
  • Inconsistent or poor grip in wet conditions
  • High price point relative to competitors
All owner themes in the Energy review

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
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 4 S review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Energy

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

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

Positive

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.

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.”

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...”

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.”

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 Energy B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—110
Rim diameters—17″ – 22″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Energy

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 92 vs 55 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 86 vs 51 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 85 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 75 vs 65 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Energy
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

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Energy or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Which is better in the wet, Energy or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 85 vs 61 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Energy or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 92 vs 55 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Energy or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 75 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Energy or Pilot Sport 4 S?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 71 vs 67 on our treadwear score.

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