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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Continental ExtremeContact Sport — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 80–74

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Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

Tests 84 · 21 tests Owners 75 · 12,676 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 49 in 2020 Tyre Market Overview Braking Test (overall ranking)

“Wow! You burn rubber. I totally appreciate what you’ve said and on my old e60 I ran both contis D06 and Michelins ps4 for 3 sets each. Both different feel and wear. Contis lasted longer but didn’t feel as nice as PS4. Now I’m in another BMW and cannot rotate the same way with a staggered wheel size. I’m in NC, when I drove PS4, in cold weather, they wore out quickly. They are a summer tire for sure, but I will use a slightly higher pressure to lengthen service life. That camber is rough on the inner tire shoulder / tread and the all season contains held up better there.”

Tire BContinental

ExtremeContact Sport

Summer

Tests 74 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 45 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 5 in 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test (wet braking)

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 +9
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)8774
    Reviews found online8180
    Dry Braking (% of best)80%100%
    Dry Handling (% of best)99%98%
  2. 87

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +9
    78
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)9078
    Reviews found online8178
    Wet Braking (% of best)97%100%
    Wet Handling (% of best)99%100%
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    47
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4ExtremeContact Sport
    Reviews found online–32
  4. 78

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)83–
    Reviews found online7174
  5. 74

    Noise

    Pilot Sport 4 +3
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)7673
    Reviews found online7269
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +1
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)7670
    Reviews found online6168
  7. 78

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 +4
    74
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4ExtremeContact Sport
    Reviews found online7874
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4Continental ExtremeContact Sport
Relative Score 80 74
Dry 85 76
Wet 87 78
Snow – 47
Comfort 78 72
Noise 74 71
Treadwear 70 69
Handling 78 74

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
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

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

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Pilot Sport 4

ExtremeContact Sport

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 4ExtremeContact SportΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 80% #3/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 100% #2/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test −20.0 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #3/10 · 2017 AMS Summer UHP Tyre Test 98% #3/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test +1.0 Different tests
Noise Other 97% #4/11 · 2022 AutoBild Sports Cars UHP Summer Tyre Test 99% #2/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test −1.3 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/49 · 2020 Tyre Market Overview Braking Test 50% #2/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test +50.0 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 97% #5/45 · 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout 100% #1/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test −3.0 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 99% #3/10 · 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test 100% #1/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test −0.8 Different tests

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 ExtremeContact Sport

Pros

  • Exceptional dry and wet traction with high confidence in the rain
  • High value for money compared to primary competitors like Michelin
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality for an ultra-high-performance tire

Cons

  • Softer sidewalls leading to a slight delay or lack of immediate steering feedback and precision
  • Requires a brief warm-up period in colder temperatures, sometimes causing temporary vibrations
  • Stiff ride over sharp road imperfections noted by some users
All owner themes in the ExtremeContact Sport 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) is overwhelmingly positive, with users frequently praising the massive grip, excellent steering feel, and dramatic improvements in ride quality compared to OEM run-flats. While some note that they wear out relatively quickly and can be noisy on highways or sensitive to cold temperatures (below 40°F), they are widely considered a top-tier performance tire for both daily driving and spirited use.

r/wrx_vb ·3 upvotes ·2025-04-10

“I switched to ps4s. Sidewall is a little softer so they have a more comfortable ride at the expense of a little numbness during normal driving. Grip limits seem pretty similar. Ps4s should last longer. We'll see. Would buy again over stock dunlops.”
r/GR86 ·20 upvotes ·2023-07-13

“PS4 tires for sale (OEM 18” takeoffs) I’ve got some PS4 take offs for sale. Only 2000 miles on them. Asking $400. Located in Boulder Colorado area. Willing to meet up within a few hundred miles. No tears, plugs or curbing. Read more”
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
#Exceptional grip and handling#Ride quality and noise#Tread life and wear#Cold weather limitations#PS4 vs PS4S comparison#Run-flat replacement upgrade

Based on 122 community posts

Tire B

Continental ExtremeContact Sport

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 B · Continental ExtremeContact Sport
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available621
Rim diameters16″ – 20″17″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—340 AA A
Treadwear warranty—30,000 mi
Sidewall—Black Side Wall
Max pressure—44 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Continental ExtremeContact Sport

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better dry, wet and comfort. 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 76 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 78 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 72 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 74 on handling.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Continental ExtremeContact Sport
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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