Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 56 reviews
Michelin Pilot Exalto looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Pilot Exalto 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 0 + 27 road tests and 56 + 6,665 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 86–73
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Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 86 · 6,665 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.
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73
Dry
Pilot Sport 4 S +2093Why this score
Source Pilot Exalto Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 25 tests ≈ 71 (est.) 95 Reviews found online 75 92 Pilot Exalto: 60% × 70.9 (est.) + 40% × 75 = 73
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 94.6 + 40% × 91.5 = 93
No road tests of dry for Pilot Exalto. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
-
76
Wet
Pilot Sport 4 S +1288Why this score
Source Pilot Exalto Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests ≈ 74 (est.) 86 Reviews found online 77 91 Pilot Exalto: 60% × 74.4 (est.) + 40% × 77.4 = 76
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 85.9 + 40% × 90.5 = 88
No road tests of wet for Pilot Exalto. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
69
Comfort
Pilot Sport 4 S +978Why this score
Source Pilot Exalto Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 70 84 Pilot Exalto: 40% × 68.9 (est.) + 60% × 69.5 = 69
Pilot Sport 4 S: 40% × 70.4 + 60% × 83.5 = 78
No road tests of comfort for Pilot Exalto. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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–
Noise
No comparison69Why this score
Source Pilot Exalto Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests – 70 Reviews found online – ≈ 66 (est.) Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 69
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4 S. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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71
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 4 S +172Why this score
Source Pilot Exalto Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 75 74 Pilot Exalto: 60% × 69.4 (est.) + 40% × 74.6 = 71
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 74.1 = 72
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Exalto. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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75
Handling (owners)
Pilot Sport 4 S +1590Why this score
Source Pilot Exalto Pilot Sport 4 S Reviews found online 75 90 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison72Why this score
Source Pilot Exalto Pilot Sport 4 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests – 72
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Pilot Exalto | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 86 |
| Dry | 73 | 93 |
| Wet | 76 | 88 |
| Comfort | 69 | 78 |
| Noise | – | 69 |
| Treadwear | 71 | 72 |
| Handling (owners) | 75 | 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 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
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
73
/ 100
Pilot Exalto
86
/ 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 Pilot Exalto
Pros
- Exceptional tread life and durability
- Strong, predictable grip in both wet and dry conditions
- Progressive handling characteristics near the limit
Cons
- High retail price point
- Softer sidewalls can lead to reduced steering feedback and responsiveness
- Increased road noise reported by some 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 Pilot Exalto
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/Golf_R
·1 upvote ·2021-03-17
“I run the all seasons on my Golf because I drive ~400+ miles per week in all matter of weather. The high tread wear rating and all-weather grip make more sense for me. But, having run the max performance PS4s before, if you’re cool with having two sets, they are basically impossible to beat. Absolute magic tires.”
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.”
r/TyreReviews
·41 upvotes ·2026-03-17
“Am I the owner of the newer PS4s?😁 Hello everyone, new in the sub and just want to share my love for the Pilot Sport 4s. This is the third set and I love it. To me they are the perfect compromise beetween performance anche tyre wear. Last set last me 43k km, I do lot of highway and some spirited drive when possibile. I also had a set of Sport Contact 7, awesome grip, to me better than the PS4s, almost too much for my stock Golf. They also wear out faster. I saw yesterday the review of Potenza Sport Evo and they promise very week, maybe next time I’ll try!”
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 Pilot Exalto | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 110 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 22″ |
| UTQG | — | 300 A - AA A |
Which one should you actually buy?
73
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Exalto
86
/ 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 93 vs 73 on dry.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 90 vs 75 on handling.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 88 vs 76 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 78 vs 69 on comfort.
Tire A · Michelin Pilot Exalto
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
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Pilot Exalto or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Which is better in the wet, Pilot Exalto or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 88 vs 76 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Exalto or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 93 vs 73 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Pilot Exalto or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 78 vs 69 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Pilot Exalto or Pilot Sport 4 S?
Neither, by our numbers: 71 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