Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Power 2CT vs Michelin Pilot Road 3 — 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 + 0 road tests and 453 + 22 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Road 3 is ahead, 82–68

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Michelin Pilot Power 2CT
Tire AMichelin

Pilot Power 2CT

Summer

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 453 reviews

“Less than 200 miles on this brand new pilot power 2ct, and I got a flat. A goddamn staple thing. What do?”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 71

    Dry

    Pilot Road 3 +10
    81
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Power 2CTPilot Road 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 77 (est.)
    Reviews found online7289

    Pilot Power 2CT: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.1 = 71

    Pilot Road 3: 60% × 76.7 (est.) + 40% × 88.6 = 81

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Power 2CT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Road 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Pilot Road 3 +19
    86
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Power 2CTPilot Road 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 82 (est.)
    Reviews found online6691

    Pilot Power 2CT: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 65.8 = 67

    Pilot Road 3: 60% × 82 (est.) + 40% × 91 = 86

    No road tests of wet for Pilot Power 2CT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Pilot Road 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 70

    Comfort

    Pilot Road 3 +10
    80
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Power 2CTPilot Road 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7085

    Pilot Power 2CT: 40% × 69.3 (est.) + 60% × 70 = 70

    Pilot Road 3: 40% × 72.1 (est.) + 60% × 85.4 = 80

    No road tests of comfort for Pilot Power 2CT or Pilot Road 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 66

    Treadwear

    Pilot Road 3 +11
    77
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Power 2CTPilot Road 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6684

    Pilot Power 2CT: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 65.5 = 66

    Pilot Road 3: 60% × 72.3 (est.) + 40% × 83.9 = 77

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Power 2CT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Road 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  5. 63

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Road 3 +24
    87
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Power 2CTPilot Road 3
    Reviews found online6387
Scores at a glance
Michelin Pilot Power 2CT vs Michelin Pilot Road 3: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMichelin Pilot Power 2CTMichelin Pilot Road 3
Relative Score 68 82
Dry 71 81
Wet 67 86
Comfort 70 80
Treadwear 66 77
Handling (owners) 63 87

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.

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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Pilot Power 2CT

± 8

Pilot Road 3

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Pilot Power 2CT

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and high-angle cornering capability
  • Fast warm-up time from cold conditions
  • Excellent front-end feedback and planted feel

Cons

  • Abrupt or non-progressive transition point when reaching the limit of grip
  • Rear tire can kick out or lose communication under heavy acceleration
  • Some riders experience reduced confidence or slickness in wet conditions
All owner themes in the Pilot Power 2CT review

Tire B Pilot Road 3

Pros

  • Outstanding wet-weather traction and cornering grip
  • Confident performance and stability across varied road conditions
  • Improved steering agility and handling compared to older models

Cons

  • Shorter tread life reported by aggressive riders
  • Occasional complaints regarding vague front-end feedback or light steering feel
  • Higher price point noted by some users
All owner themes in the Pilot Road 3 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Pilot Power 2CT

Positive

Riders generally view the Michelin Pilot Power 2CT as a proven, sticky sport tire offering dependable cornering grip and solid wet-weather performance at an attractive price point. While praised for street confidence and light track use, many note that modern sport-touring tires offer better tread life for heavy commuting or straight-line highway riding.

superhawkforum.com

“the 2CTs are sticky tires unless they are old, baked in the sun in some warehouse, or otherwise altered for the worse. you can look on the side wall for the manufacture date. Lower the pressure on the rear to 32psi cold, front 30. Get them warmed up a little, get yourself on twisty road with some nice open curves that you can see through and go back and forth increasing your lean till you start to feel some slippage and by then you should know that you're about the max for what is safe on the roads. You can scrub them in in a parking lot if you need to, but not as much fun.”

bobistheoilguy.com ·2011-03-16

“Originally Posted By: Redline955 I've had 4 sets of Sportecs on my speed Triple. first the M1, then 2 sets of the M3's. A great tire in all conditions, but the rear would barely last 5000 miles. I have a set of the Michelin Pilot Road 2's on there, and will see how long they last. But Metzeler's are a very good tire. I had a Sprint ST 955i. The best tires I used on it were Pilot Roads. Great performance and wear. The road 2s should be even better. You did well to get 5000 miles on the back tire of a litre bike. My last back tire on my K1200S was good for 3,800km (about 2,400 miles). I'm about 4,000 kilometers into a set of Pilot Power 2CTs and they still look good. I've also got a set of pilot road 2's that are ready to be put on.”

fjrforum.com ·2006-10-30

“Along with this info from exskibum, I called Michelin and spoke with a tech. He said the C2 will work great on an FJR and I would not have to worry about sidewall flex from the size of the bike and rider. The only drawback of this tire over the "roads" is the longevity. and ofcourse YMMV but could prob expect 4-5k on the C2 and 8-10 k on the "roads". I will post later if I put the C2 on”

Top themes
#cornering grip#tire longevity#track day usage#dual-compound design#price and value#wet and cold performance#tire mixing setups

Based on 51 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Road 3

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Power 2CT B · Michelin Pilot Road 3
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typeMotorcycleMotorcycle

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Power 2CT

Michelin Pilot Road 3

Winner: Michelin Pilot Road 3 — better handling, wet and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Road 3 scores 87 vs 63 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Road 3 scores 86 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Road 3 scores 77 vs 66 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Road 3 scores 81 vs 71 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Power 2CT
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Road 3

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Pilot Power 2CT or Pilot Road 3?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Power 2CT or Pilot Road 3?

Michelin Pilot Road 3, 86 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Power 2CT or Pilot Road 3?

Michelin Pilot Road 3, 81 vs 71 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Power 2CT or Pilot Road 3?

Michelin Pilot Road 3, 80 vs 70 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Power 2CT or Pilot Road 3?

Michelin Pilot Road 3, 77 vs 66 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