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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S vs Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 82–73

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Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4 S

Summer

Tests 80 · 27 tests Owners 82 · 6,570 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 5 in 2025 AutoView Sports Tyre Test (dry handling)

“Depending on the size they are absolutely overkill for street use on stock motor. I just installed a set of 245 ps4s on 17x9 rpf1s and its almost impossible to trigger the abs and traction co trol. The car is on absolute rails. That being said, if you have the money, there is not really any negatives from that. I intend to use mine on track days. Felt the cup 2s were overkill for 2 to 3 track days a year.”

Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Summer

Tests 73 · 1 test Owners 74 · 308 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 3 in Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres (straight aqua)

“Is the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 a good choice for a daily driver? I've been considering changing my tires to Michelin Primacy 4 for my Mazda 2. I've been quoted with Michelin Pilot Sport 3 ones with manufacturing date of mid 2024 for 25% less, that the garage wants to clear from their warehouse. Is this an overkill? Edit: Thank you all for your help. I went with the PS3 and it seems that it was a good choice. Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. 90

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 S +17
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SPilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score)9169
    Reviews found online8979
    Dry Braking (% of best)97%95%
    Dry Handling (% of best)100%97%
  2. 85

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 S +7
    78
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SPilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score)8576
    Reviews found online8580
    Wet Braking (% of best)95%89%
    Wet Handling (% of best)95%97%
  3. 75

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 S +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SPilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score)70–
    Reviews found online8173
  4. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SPilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score)69–
  5. 71

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 S +6
    65
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SPilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score)70–
    Reviews found online7264
  6. 86

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 S +9
    77
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SPilot Sport 3 PS3
    Reviews found online8677
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4 SMichelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3
Relative Score 82 73
Dry 90 73
Wet 85 78
Comfort 75 71
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 71 65
Handling 86 77

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Pilot Sport 4 S

Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryPilot Sport 4 SPilot Sport 3 PS3ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 97% #5/9 · 2025 EVO Summer Tyre Test 95% #3/3 · Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres +2.4 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 100% #1/5 · 2025 AutoView Sports Tyre Test 97% #3/3 · Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres +3.0 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 100% #1/7 · 2024 Sports Car Tyre Test 80% #3/3 · Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres +20.2 Different tests
Price Other 40% #6/6 · 2018 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test 82% #3/3 · Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres −42.2 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 50% #2/10 · 2020 Auto Bild UHP 19 inch Tyre Test 50% #2/10 · 2013 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 94% #6/7 · 2024 Sports Car Tyre Test 100% #1/3 · Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres −5.9 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 95% #2/10 · 2020 UHP, UUHP and Track Day Tyre Test 89% #3/3 · Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres +5.9 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 95% #8/11 · 2023 Sport Auto UHP Tyre Test 97% #3/3 · Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance Tyres −2.3 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry grip
  • Outstanding wet-weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Enhanced ride comfort and compliance over road imperfections

Cons

  • Faster-than-expected tread wear, particularly with spirited driving
  • Softer sidewalls can result in a slightly spongy or 'squidgy' feel during aggressive cornering
  • Higher initial purchase price compared to some mid-range alternatives
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 3 PS3 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

Positive

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is widely praised by the community as a premier max performance summer tire, offering exceptional dry and wet grip, precise steering feel, and refined road manners for daily driving and spirited street use. While some users note higher pricing and relatively quick wear on heavier vehicles or hot tracks, it remains a benchmark choice that many enthusiasts gladly return to despite alternatives like Continental or Kumho.

r/Corvette ·1 upvote ·2026-07-14

“I live in north east ohio and have a 730 wheel horsepower zr1. I have the pilot sport 4s summer tire. When the car was stock I could drive it in 45 and up and feel safe. Now at 730 it’s a little so so around 48 degrees. As far as rain. I have never felt like I was out of control with the car up to 75-80 in a fkin monsoon worth of rain. I had 10K miles on them with plenty of burnouts and plenty of 170 mph pulls and they had excellent tread life still, I had to replace due to a nail and an object in the road ruining the sidewall on the other one. I know everyone says they don’t last for shit, but 10K miles on a ZR1 track alignment and I had plenty of tread on them. I bet they’d go 20-30K miles with my driving style no problem.”
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/WRXSTi ·149 upvotes ·2025-07-09

“New tires Pilot Sport 4s got some new Pilot Sport 4s in 245/40/18. way different to my yokohama advan AS+. a lot more grip, obviously. very minimal to no sidewall flex. very good tires. i had pilot sport 3's on my 2013 hatchback wrx back in the day. feels good to get back on some good tires again. Read more”
Top themes
#Dry and Wet Grip#Tread Life and Wear#Price vs Value#Track Performance Limits#Daily Comfort and Noise#Alternatives Comparison

Based on 104 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Mixed

The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) is largely viewed as an older generation tire, often overshadowed by its successor, the PS4. While some users consider buying discounted warehouse stock for daily driving or note limited size availability, others strongly advise against choosing the PS3 when newer iterations are available. (Note: Several posts in the discussion confuse the tire with the PlayStation 3 gaming console.)

r/tires ·3 upvotes ·2025-08-02

“Michelin PS3 MO1 vs Pirelli Pzero MO About to order 4 new tires for this 2012 Mercedes CLS500 SB (X218), but tire choices are quite limited. Sizes: 255/40R18 99Y front 285/35R18 97Y rear Currently running Pirelli Pzero MO on all corners, which are in desperate need of replacement. Unfortunately, Michelin PS4, PS5 or PS4S are not available in both these sizes in Europe. The PS4 has been quite an improvement over the PS3 iirc, so it feels wrong to go for the PS3. However, the Pirelli Pzero MO isn’t the newest PZ5 iteration nor the previous PZ4 I suppose. So… Should we go for another set of Pirelli Pzero or the Michelin PS3? (PFA) Read more”
Top themes
#PS3 vs PS4 comparison#Limited size availability#Discounted warehouse stock#Daily driving suitability#Tread life expectations#Console confusion

Based on 10 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available110—
Rim diameters17″ – 22″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S — better dry, handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 90 vs 73 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 86 vs 77 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 85 vs 78 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 71 vs 65 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

82

Leads

Pilot Sport 4 S

Amazon