Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 21 + 0 road tests and 12,691 + 245 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 84–68
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Tests 85 · 21 tests Owners 76 · 12,691 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (dry braking)
“Those are Pilot sport 4 (all season). If it had s after the 4 it would be the summer high performance version. I put the pilot sport 4 on wife's GTI autobahn 2016. Great handling tire, stiff side walls, not the smoothest ride but best overall.”
Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 245 reviews
“Conti Sport Contact 3's for me at the moment. Had them on for a couple of thousand and have been spot on - road holding excellent and wet driving excellent!”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests | 89 | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 85 | 72 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 89.1 + 40% × 84.5 = 87
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.4 = 71
No road tests of dry for Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests | 93 | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 85 | 73 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 93.1 + 40% × 84.7 = 90
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 72
No road tests of wet for Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests | 83 | ≈ 68 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 72 | 64 |
Pilot Sport 4: 40% × 83.4 + 60% × 72.4 = 77
Sport Contact 3: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 63.5 = 65
No road tests of comfort for Sport Contact 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests | 73 | – |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 67 (est.) | – |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 71
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests | 78 | ≈ 60 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 48 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 59.5 = 71
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 59.9 (est.) + 40% × 48.3 = 55
No road tests of treadwear for Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 81 | 68 |
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests | 76 | – |
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 | Continental Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 84 | 68 |
| Dry | 87 | 71 |
| Wet | 90 | 72 |
| Comfort | 77 | 65 |
| Noise | 71 | – |
| Treadwear | 71 | 55 |
| Handling (owners) | 81 | 68 |
| Efficiency | 76 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Pilot Sport 4
Sport Contact 3
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
| Discipline | Category | Pilot Sport 4 | Sport Contact 3 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #7/9 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | #1/10 2012 EVO Max Performance Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“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.”
“I ran the stock 17" Ecopia's on my Ecosport for about 45k km. Luckily didn't face any side wall cuts. Overall it was a average tyre with decent grip levels - good grip without any squealing when driving up a ghat road quite enthusiastically even at the fag end of it's life. Ride quality was pretty bad and the smallest of ruts would result in a thud and being low profile amplified it even more. The tyres developed these cracks along the shoulder around the 35-40k mark which should not have happened due to which I changed them at 45k even though there was probably enough thread for about 5-10k km more. Moved to the Michelin PS4 now and the difference is night and day!”
“Quote: Originally Posted by ua549 In over 55 years of driving I've never gotten more than 20k miles on a set of tires. Michelin Pilot Sport is the worst at 6k miles twice in a row with free factory replacements though I've gotten 18k miles on Michelin AS3 tires once or twice. Dunlop Sport is second at 15k miles. Overall Pirelli Cinturato P7 are the longest wearing tires I've owned over the years at 20k miles consistently. I swap out run flat tires if they come on a new car. I believe that heat is a major cause of tire wear. Even after a 2 mile trip @ 35 mph the tires on my E300 register about 120°F. Cold they are between 80°F and 85°F. In the dead of winter they are 5° colder. The OEM tires on my 5 year old '18 E300 got 12k miles. The car has 20k miles on it now and the P7 tires are about 40% worn. My experience with Summer tires is 15 to 18k max. The only Summer tires that I have owned that lasted more than 20 were the Pilot Sport PS4...which BTW is one of their marketing highlights, longer tread wear...though still shorter than all seasons which normally are rated for 30k or more.”
Based on 246 community posts
Community sentiment regarding the Continental Sport Contact 3 is polarized. While several drivers praise its aesthetic appeal, ride comfort, and solid wet and dry grip, others express strong dissatisfaction with rapid tread wear, inconsistent traction across temperature ranges, and relatively high pricing compared to newer alternatives.
“Just had mine replaced. Ended up getting Contact 3's on the back, same as the front, to keep them all the same. Went to National tyres and they quoted me £518 + £6.50 valves + £11.50 balance for 2 rears. Said he'd have to do better than that, ended up paying £421 all in after a bit of haggling and they had 2 in stock.”
“Originally Posted By: edyvw Continental Sport Contact 3 What car and size? I had this tire on my '96 M3 in 245/40-17 all around on 8.5" wheels. I liked it, especially coming from the awful Kumhos and Falkens I had run before, but I remember it feeling a bit squishy for my taste. The PS2 was a better performer in every way, with only a slight NVH penalty IIRC.”
“I've got good news. SportContact 3 can be bought new in your size. I believe this is a legacy OE that is still in production. But they are 80 Euros more expensive than current PremiumContact 7 / SportContact 7 www.tyreleader.ie/car-tyres/continental/contisportcontact-3/235-45-r17-97w-805902”
Based on 38 community posts
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 | B · Continental Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 62 | 22 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 16″ – 20″ |
| Sizes in common | 17 | 17 |
Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Continental Sport Contact 3
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better wet, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 90 vs 72 on wet.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 71 on dry.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 71 vs 55 on treadwear.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 81 vs 68 on handling.
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Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 90 vs 72 on our wet score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 87 vs 71 on our dry score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 77 vs 65 on our comfort score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 71 vs 55 on our treadwear score.
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.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology
