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Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S vs Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 81–63

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Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4 S

Summer

Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 82 · 6,601 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 7 in 2024 Autobild Sportscars Summer TIre Test R20 (rolling resistance)

“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!”

Tire BPirelli

P Zero Trofeo R

Summer

Tests 61 · 6 tests Owners 63 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 4 in 2022 Track Day Tyre Test (dry handling)

Category by category

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

  1. 91

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 S +11
    80
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SP Zero Trofeo R
    Professional tests (TWG score)9284
    Reviews found online8975
    Dry Braking (% of best)100%82%
    Dry Handling (% of best)98%100%
  2. 85

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 S +38
    47
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SP Zero Trofeo R
    Professional tests (TWG score)8543
    Reviews found online8555
    Wet Braking (% of best)92%68%
    Wet Circle (% of best)87%91%
    Wet Handling (% of best)99%94%
  3. 75

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 S +11
    64
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SP Zero Trofeo R
    Professional tests (TWG score)70–
    Reviews found online8159
  4. 69

    Noise

    Pilot Sport 4 S +16
    53
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SP Zero Trofeo R
    Professional tests (TWG score)7144
    Reviews found online–65
  5. 71

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 S +12
    59
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SP Zero Trofeo R
    Professional tests (TWG score)70–
    Reviews found online7154
  6. 86

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 S +14
    72
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SP Zero Trofeo R
    Reviews found online8672
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4 SPirelli P Zero Trofeo R
Relative Score 81 63
Dry 91 80
Wet 85 47
Comfort 75 64
Noise 69 53
Treadwear 71 59
Handling 86 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Pilot Sport 4 S

P Zero Trofeo R

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 SP Zero Trofeo RΔBoth?
Curved Aquaplaning Curved 96% #4/7 · 2025 Autobild Sports Cars UUHP Tyre Test 87% #9/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test +9.2 Different tests
Dry Braking Dry 100% #2/6 · 2018 EVO UUHP Tyre Test 82% #5/5 · 2019 17 inch Track Day Tyre Test +17.5 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 98% #8/9 · 2025 EVO Summer Tyre Test 100% #1/4 · 2022 Track Day Tyre Test −1.6 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 100% #1/7 · 2024 Autobild Sportscars Summer TIre Test R20 82% #10/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test +18.0 Different tests
Noise Other 100% #4/10 · 2020 Auto Bild UHP 19 inch Tyre Test 98% #8/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test +1.9 Different tests
Price Other 41% #8/9 · 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tyre Test 58% #9/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test −17.0 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/5 · 2025 AutoView Sports Tyre Test 25% #4/9 · 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tyre Test +75.0 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 97% #4/8 · 2021 Sport Auto UHP Summer Tyre Test 79% #9/9 · 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tyre Test +18.0 Different tests
Subj. Dry Handling Subj 85% #7/9 · 2025 EVO Summer Tyre Test 90% #2/5 · 2019 17 inch Track Day Tyre Test −5.2 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 92% #5/7 · 2024 Sports Car Tyre Test 68% #9/9 · 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tyre Test +24.1 Different tests
Wet Circle Wet 87% #7/8 · 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test 91% #9/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test −3.6 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 99% #2/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test 94% #3/4 · 2022 Track Day Tyre Test +4.8 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 P Zero Trofeo R

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and track performance
  • Outperforms competitors like the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 in lap times
  • Maintains structural integrity and performance under hard driving on track

Cons

  • Extremely short tread life and fast wear, especially on the street
  • Poor wet performance and lack of feedback in wet conditions
  • Requires proper heat management (needs to be hot) for optimum performance
All owner themes in the P Zero Trofeo R 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 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/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/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
#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

Tire B

Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S B · Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1101
Rim diameters17″ – 22″19″
Tread depth—5/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R

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

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 85 vs 47 on wet.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 69 vs 53 on noise.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 86 vs 72 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 71 vs 59 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
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Tire B · Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R
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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.

81

Leads

Pilot Sport 4 S

Amazon