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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 80–57

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Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

Tests 84 · 21 tests Owners 74 · 12,686 reviews

“The Pilot Sport 4's are great tires for dual duty use. You'll want to keep hot pressures below 37-38 PSI. Anything above that they get very greasy, very fast. In the cars I've driven with them (a few BMW M cars, a 911 I think if I remember), you'll usually set your best laps in the first 4-5 laps of a session depending on temps. Once they over heat heat, as with any street tire, you have to park them for an hour to get the temps down again (downside to steel radials). I'd also recommend Hankook RS4s if you want a more durable track tire. That's what I run. Very long lasting, but not as great in the wet as the PS4s would be. Road noise would also be an issue for street use.”

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 +28
    57
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S001 RFT
    Professional tests (TWG score)88–
    Reviews found online8151
  2. 87

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +28
    59
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S001 RFT
    Professional tests (TWG score)91–
    Reviews found online8155
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    42
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S001 RFT
    Reviews found online–24
  4. 78

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +24
    54
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S001 RFT
    Professional tests (TWG score)83–
    Reviews found online7139
  5. 74

    Noise

    Pilot Sport 4 +14
    60
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S001 RFT
    Professional tests (TWG score)76–
    Reviews found online7249
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +12
    58
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S001 RFT
    Professional tests (TWG score)76–
    Reviews found online6153
  7. 78

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 +27
    51
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Potenza S001 RFT
    Reviews found online7851
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT
Relative Score 80 57
Dry 85 57
Wet 87 59
Snow – 42
Comfort 78 54
Noise 74 60
Treadwear 70 58
Handling 78 51

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

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Recomputed
Headline score

Pilot Sport 4

Potenza S001 RFT

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 S001 RFT

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and durability
  • Precise steering feedback and handling responsiveness
  • Strong dry-road grip

Cons

  • Poor wet-weather traction and hydroplaning resistance
  • High levels of road noise and cabin vibration
  • Harsh, stiff ride quality over road imperfections
All owner themes in the Potenza S001 RFT review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Positive

Community opinion on the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (and PS4S/AS variants) is overwhelmingly positive, with users frequently praising the massive upgrades in grip, wet weather performance, and steering feel compared to stock run-flats or budget tires. While some note trade-offs in tread life, cost, and colder temperature performance, they are widely regarded as a top-tier choice for daily driving and spirited handling.

r/AMG ·37 upvotes ·2026-01-09

“Much deserved extra care and new PS4 tires today! Switched over to Michelin PS4 High Performance summer tires from Continental run flats on my C43, and it’s a world of difference in terms of ride quality and noise. She also got the much needed love and care with a nice hand car wash! Jealous GL63 peeking from behind, next post will be a side-by-side photo!”
r/BMW ·1 upvote ·2024-09-24

“I basically always ran Michelins on the BMWs I had. Pilot Super Sport on the E91 335d (which unexpectedly did really well wrt longevity with 600nm+ and a heavy foot) and now PS4 ZP (so the runflat type) on my 320hp F31 330d. They are just really really good. Pretty pricey though.”
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.”
Top themes
#Exceptional Grip and Handling#Wet Weather Performance#Ride Quality and Noise#Tread Life and Wear#Run-Flat Replacement#Summer vs All-Season Comparison

Based on 131 community posts

Tire B

Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 B · Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6214
Rim diameters16″ – 20″17″ – 21″
Tread depth—9/32″
UTQG—280 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT

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

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 85 vs 57 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 59 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 51 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 54 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
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Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT
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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