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 12,714 + 8 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 83–74
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Tests 85 · 21 tests Owners 76 · 12,714 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 75 · 8 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests | 89 | ≈ 71 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 84 | 75 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 89.3 + 40% × 83.9 = 87
Ecsta KU19: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 75.4 = 73
No road tests of dry for Ecsta KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests | 92 | ≈ 75 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 84 | 78 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 92.5 + 40% × 84.4 = 89
Ecsta KU19: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 78 = 76
No road tests of wet for Ecsta KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests | 82 | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 72 | 77 |
Pilot Sport 4: 40% × 81.6 + 60% × 71.7 = 76
Ecsta KU19: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 76.5 = 74
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests | 73 | – |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 66 (est.) | – |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 73.2 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 70
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests | 78 | ≈ 68 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 71 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 59.5 = 71
Ecsta KU19: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 70.7 = 69
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 81 | 78 |
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests | 76 | – |
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 | Kumho Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 83 | 74 |
| Dry | 87 | 73 |
| Wet | 89 | 76 |
| Comfort | 76 | 74 |
| Noise | 70 | – |
| Treadwear | 71 | 69 |
| Handling (owners) | 81 | 78 |
| 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
Ecsta KU19
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Based on 246 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 | B · Kumho Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 62 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 18″ |
| UTQG | 300 - 320 A - AA A | — |
Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Kumho Ecsta KU19
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Ecsta KU19 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 73 on dry.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 89 vs 76 on wet.
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Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 89 vs 76 on our wet score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 87 vs 73 on our dry score.
Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 74 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 69 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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
