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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Bridgestone Potenza S-02 — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 80–65

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Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

Tests 84 · 21 tests Owners 74 · 12,691 reviews

“Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires are noisy (a followup) I have been asked on this sub if the PS4 tires on my wife’s Bolt are noisy, and I wasn’t sure how to answer. Well, we made two 60-mile round trips this past weekend, mostly on highways with 55 and 70 mph speed limits, and I have to say that the tires are kind of noisy. Certainly not as quiet as EV-oriented tires are. The grip is fantastic, so we really like them. If you are sensitive to noise, though, these Max Performance class tires are probably not for you.”

Category by category

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

  1. 85

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 +15
    70
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)88–
    Reviews found online8171
  2. 87

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +21
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)91–
    Reviews found online8165
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    61
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S-02
    Reviews found online–55
  4. 78

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +15
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)83–
    Reviews found online7157
  5. 74

    Noise

    Pilot Sport 4 +11
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)76–
    Reviews found online7257
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +13
    57
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)76–
    Reviews found online6151
  7. 78

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S-02
    Reviews found online7872
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4Bridgestone Potenza S-02
Relative Score 80 65
Dry 85 70
Wet 87 66
Snow – 61
Comfort 78 63
Noise 74 63
Treadwear 70 57
Handling 78 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.

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

Less important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Pilot Sport 4

Potenza S-02

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 4

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry traction with outstanding resistance to aquaplaning
  • Noticeable improvement in ride comfort and a reduction in cabin noise compared to standard run-flat tires
  • Progressive and predictable breakaway limits during spirited driving

Cons

  • Faster-than-average treadwear, particularly under aggressive driving or on rear-wheel-drive performance cars
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to a slight lack of initial steering precision and a vague feel at the limit for hardcore enthusiasts
  • Performance drops off significantly in cold, freezing, or snowy winter conditions
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 4 review

Tire B Potenza S-02

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and superior cornering performance
  • Outstanding steering feedback, communication, and progressiveness
  • Faithful reproduction of original equipment (OE) handling characteristics for sports cars like the Honda S2000

Cons

  • Very rapid and sometimes extreme tread wear
  • Poor performance and loss of traction in cold weather or below certain temperatures
  • High noise levels and stiff ride compromising comfort
All owner themes in the Potenza S-02 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Positive

The community widely regards the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 line as a premium upgrade offering exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and superior ride comfort compared to OEM or run-flat tires. While celebrated for performance, users frequently discuss its high price tag, faster treadwear, and noticeable drop in EV efficiency. Some drivers also note increased road noise and reduced traction when temperatures drop near freezing.

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.”
f30.bimmerpost.com

“Quote: Originally Posted by weston.__ I will be going down the non-rft route, Pilot Sport 4. You're not the only one to say the ride quality with non-rft is a massive improvement and this is the reason why I will change once the time comes. I went from Bridgestone S001 RFT to 'go-flats' and have found the suppleness an obvious difference. Since I put the pressure to the mid point between the low and high load plated pressures I have yet to have any of the heartstopping thumps come through the suspension that the Bridgestone seemed prone to.”
r/JettaGLI ·59 upvotes ·2026-09-27

“Reminder: Tires are the key to this car Just replaced my Michelin Pilot Sport 4 AS tires with a new set ahead of the rainy season. Lasted 36K miles. It was the best mod to the car and a fresh set reminded just how good a brand new set is. The car is glued to the road, riding wonderfully smooth and quiet. Spend the money, get the best tires for you. The tune can wait. And it will need it.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Run-flat replacement upgrade#Treadwear and longevity#Cold weather performance#Road noise and comfort#EV range and efficiency#Comparison to Continental tires

Based on 246 community posts

Tire B

Bridgestone Potenza S-02

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 B · Bridgestone Potenza S-02
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available62—
Rim diameters16″ – 20″—
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—140 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Bridgestone Potenza S-02

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

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 66 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 85 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 63 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 70 vs 57 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
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Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza S-02
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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.

80

Leads

Pilot Sport 4

Amazon