Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 10 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 vs Continental Sport Contact 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 10 + 245 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Pilot Sport 3 67, Sport Contact 3 68.
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Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 245 reviews
“The SC3 didn't quite manage 10,000 miles on the front of my 406. On the rear they fared a little better. In fairness though I was asking them to put down well over 300lbft, in a FWD car with a hefty lump of a diesel engine sat above 'em”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
69
Dry
Sport Contact 3 +271Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 3 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 69 72 Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 69 = 69
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.4 = 71
No road tests of dry for Pilot Sport 3. 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 Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
70
Wet
Sport Contact 3 +272Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 3 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 70 73 Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 72
No road tests of wet for Pilot Sport 3. 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 Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
63
Comfort
Sport Contact 3 +265Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 3 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 60 64 Pilot Sport 3: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 59.8 = 63
Sport Contact 3: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 63.5 = 65
No road tests of comfort for Pilot Sport 3 or Sport Contact 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
60
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 3 +555Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 3 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 63 (est.) ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 57 48 Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 62.8 (est.) + 40% × 56.7 = 60
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 59.9 (est.) + 40% × 48.3 = 55
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport 3. 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 Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
–
Handling (owners)
No comparison68Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 3 Sport Contact 3 Reviews found online – 68
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport 3 | Continental Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 67 | 68 |
| Dry | 69 | 71 |
| Wet | 70 | 72 |
| Comfort | 63 | 65 |
| Treadwear | 60 | 55 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 68 |
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less 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
67
/ 100
Pilot Sport 3
68
/ 100
Sport Contact 3
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 Sport 3
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Tire B Sport Contact 3
Pros
- Exceptional dry and wet grip
- High levels of steering precision and road feedback
- Progressive handling characteristics at the limit
Cons
- Rapid tread wear, particularly on the front axle
- High purchase price relative to longevity
- Increased road noise as the tire wears
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Michelin Pilot Sport 3
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Continental Sport Contact 3
Community sentiment regarding the Continental Sport Contact 3 is polarized. While several drivers praise its aesthetic appeal, ride comfort, and solid wet and dry grip, others express strong dissatisfaction with rapid tread wear, inconsistent traction across temperature ranges, and relatively high pricing compared to newer alternatives.
forums.m3cutters.co.uk
·2009-01-16
“Just had mine replaced. Ended up getting Contact 3's on the back, same as the front, to keep them all the same. Went to National tyres and they quoted me £518 + £6.50 valves + £11.50 balance for 2 rears. Said he'd have to do better than that, ended up paying £421 all in after a bit of haggling and they had 2 in stock.”
bobistheoilguy.com
·2017-06-16
“Originally Posted By: edyvw Continental Sport Contact 3 What car and size? I had this tire on my '96 M3 in 245/40-17 all around on 8.5" wheels. I liked it, especially coming from the awful Kumhos and Falkens I had run before, but I remember it feeling a bit squishy for my taste. The PS2 was a better performer in every way, with only a slight NVH penalty IIRC.”
r/TyreReviews
·5 upvotes ·2024-05-06
“I've got good news. SportContact 3 can be bought new in your size. I believe this is a legacy OE that is still in production. But they are 80 Euros more expensive than current PremiumContact 7 / SportContact 7 www.tyreleader.ie/car-tyres/continental/contisportcontact-3/235-45-r17-97w-805902”
Top themes
#rapid tread wear#wet and dry grip#high replacement cost#ride quality and feel#temperature sensitivity#dated tire technology
Based on 38 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport 3 | B · Continental Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer tire | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 10 | 22 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 19″ | 16″ – 20″ |
| Sizes in common | 1 | 1 |
Which one should you actually buy?
67
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 3
68
/ 100
Continental Sport Contact 3
Too close to call: Michelin Pilot Sport 3 and Continental Sport Contact 3 are within 2 points overall. Michelin Pilot Sport 3 is stronger on treadwear. Michelin Pilot Sport 3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 60 vs 55 on treadwear.
Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 3
Tire B · Continental Sport Contact 3
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Pilot Sport 3 or Sport Contact 3?
Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport 3 or Sport Contact 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport 3 or Sport Contact 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 71 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport 3 or Sport Contact 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 63 vs 65 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport 3 or Sport Contact 3?
Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 60 vs 55 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