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Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Continental Premium Contact 5 — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 80–69

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Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

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

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (overall ranking)

“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.”

Tire BContinental

Premium Contact 5

Summer

Tests 73 · 4 tests Owners 64 · 119 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test (dry 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 +14
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Premium Contact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)8871
    Reviews found online8170
    Dry Braking (% of best)98%100%
    Dry Handling (% of best)100%99%
  2. 87

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +11
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Premium Contact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)9178
    Reviews found online8173
    Wet Braking (% of best)100%87%
    Wet Handling (% of best)97%97%
  3. 78

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +7
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Premium Contact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)8375
    Reviews found online7166
  4. 74

    Noise

    Pilot Sport 4 +5
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Premium Contact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)7670
    Reviews found online72–
  5. 70

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +9
    61
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Premium Contact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)7669
    Reviews found online6148
  6. 78

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 4 +12
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Premium Contact 5
    Reviews found online7866
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4Continental Premium Contact 5
Relative Score 80 69
Dry 85 71
Wet 87 76
Comfort 78 71
Noise 74 69
Treadwear 70 61
Handling 78 66

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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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

Premium Contact 5

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 4Premium Contact 5ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 98% #6/9 · 2017 Auto Bild UHP Tyre Test 100% #1/9 · 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test −1.9 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 100% #2/9 · 2017 EVO Summer Tyre Test 99% #8/11 · 2021 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test +0.7 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 95% #2/10 · 2022 AutoBild 19 Inch Summer UHP Tyre Test 86% #9/11 · 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test +8.8 Different tests
Noise Other 99% #5/11 · 2018 AMS Summer UHP Tyre Test 99% #6/11 · 2021 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Price Other 66% #7/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test 79% #7/11 · 2021 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test −13.0 Different tests
Value Other 59% #20/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 60% #15/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test −0.3 Different tests
Wear Other 74% #5/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 77% #11/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test −2.6 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 100% #1/16 · 2015 European Tyre Test 185/60R14 0.0 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 99% #3/7 · 2019 EVO Summer Tyre Test 94% #12/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test +5.0 Different tests
Subj. Comfort Subj 98% #2/7 · 2019 EVO Summer Tyre Test 90% #2/11 · 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test +7.9 Different tests
Subj. Dry Handling Subj 90% #2/10 · 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test 78% #8/11 · 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test +12.0 Different tests
Subj. Wet Handling Subj 100% #1/11 · 2020 AMS 18 Inch Summer Tyre Test 80% #5/11 · 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test +20.0 Different tests
Total Cost of Ownership Total 0% #16/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 0% #17/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 100% #1/10 · 2017 AMS Summer UHP Tyre Test 87% #5/9 · 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test +13.0 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 97% #4/11 · 2019 Auto Bild Sports Car Tyre Test 97% #6/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test −0.5 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 Premium Contact 5

Pros

  • Exceptional grip in both wet and dry road conditions
  • High levels of ride comfort and low cabin noise
  • Predictable and safe handling characteristics

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear
  • Soft sidewalls leading to vague steering feedback and body roll
  • Performance degradation as the tread depth decreases
All owner themes in the Premium Contact 5 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/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.”
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/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.”
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

Continental Premium Contact 5

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 B · Continental Premium Contact 5
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6223
Rim diameters16″ – 20″14″ – 17″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Continental Premium Contact 5

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — 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 scores 85 vs 71 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 66 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 76 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 70 vs 61 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
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Tire B · Continental Premium Contact 5
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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