Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 27 + 5 road tests and 6,632 + 63 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 S leads, 83–79 Narrow edge
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Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 86 · 6,632 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.”
Tests 80 · 5 tests Owners 78 · 63 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2026 Summer SUV Tyre Test (dry handling)
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 25 / 5 tests | 95 | 92 |
| Reviews found online | 92 | 80 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 94% | 99% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 100% | 99% |
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 94.6 + 40% × 91.7 = 93
Potenza Sport Evo: 60% × 92.5 + 40% × 79.5 = 87
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / 5 tests | 86 | 91 |
| Reviews found online | 90 | 83 |
| Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 100% | 97% |
| Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 90% | 97% |
| Wet Circle (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 87% | 100% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 90% | 95% |
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 86 + 40% × 90.4 = 88
Potenza Sport Evo: 60% × 91.1 + 40% × 82.6 = 88
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 3 tests | 70 | 75 |
| Reviews found online | 84 | 73 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 84% | 100% |
Pilot Sport 4 S: 40% × 70.4 + 60% × 84 = 79
Potenza Sport Evo: 40% × 75 + 60% × 72.7 = 74
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / 4 tests | 70 | 30 |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 67 (est.) |
| Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 98% | 96% |
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 69
Potenza Sport Evo: 60% × 30.4 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 45
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4 S or Potenza Sport Evo. 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.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 70 | 73 |
| Reviews found online | 74 | 72 |
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 74.4 = 72
Potenza Sport Evo: 60% × 72.8 + 40% × 71.7 = 72
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 90 | 84 |
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / 4 tests | 72 | 47 |
| Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 98% | 90% |
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S | Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 83 | 79 |
| Dry | 93 | 87 |
| Wet | 88 | 88 |
| Comfort | 79 | 74 |
| Noise | 69 | 45 |
| Treadwear | 72 | 72 |
| Handling (owners) | 90 | 84 |
| Efficiency | 72 | 47 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Pilot Sport 4 S
Potenza Sport Evo
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.
In the overall rankings of 2 tests that ran both, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S finished ahead 1 times and Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Pilot Sport 4 S | Potenza Sport Evo | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 94% | 99% | −5.2 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 100% | 99% | +0.8 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 98% #4/10 · 2025 Tire Rack UUHP Summer Tyre Test | 67% #14/20 · 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 96% #4/7 · 2025 Autobild Sportcars Summer Tire Test R20 | 90% #3/7 · 2026 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 100% | 97% | +3.1 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 90% | 97% | −7.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 87% | 100% | −12.6 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 90% | 95% | −5.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 84% #8/10 · 2025 Tire Rack UUHP Summer Tyre Test | 92% #6/20 · 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 84% | 100% | −16.1 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Noise | Noise | 98% | 96% | +1.9 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 98% | 90% | +7.5 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test · 255/35 R19 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/10 | #3/10 | – | 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ACE Summer Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“My 2020 Kia Forte GT came with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires. Those were not going to work in the PNW as a daily driver tire. I went right to Costco and bought some Michelin Pilot All season tires, the ones that compete with the Continental DWS at the time. I listed the take offs on Craigslist for $400 and sold them that day.”
“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.”
“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.”
Based on 208 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S | B · Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 110 | 108 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | 16″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | — | 8/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 300 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 57 | 57 |
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
Narrow edge: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S — better efficiency, noise and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 72 vs 47 on efficiency.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 69 vs 45 on noise.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 93 vs 87 on dry.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 90 vs 84 on handling.
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Neither, by our numbers: 88 vs 88 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 93 vs 87 on our dry score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 69 vs 45 on our noise score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 79 vs 74 on our comfort score.
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 72 vs 47 on our efficiency score.
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
