Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Pirelli Powergy — Compared

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 + 1 road tests and 12,691 + 1,807 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 83–68

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Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4

Summer

± 4

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.”

Pirelli Powergy
Tire BPirelli

Powergy

Summer

± 6

Tests 77 · 1 test Owners 59 · 1,807 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test (noise)

“Avg 29mpg on a 2015 Mazda 3 Sport Nav 2L 165bhp, any ideas? I've had this car for about 3-4 weeks now, posted it here on this subreddit too. So far, I've done about 800 miles and my average fuel consumtion seems to be around 29mpg - 10.2L/100km. The car doesn't have its original rims, its on **MAM RS3** 18" rims with Pirelli Powergy tires 215/45/R18 (internet says these tires provide good fuel economy). On longer trips the average is about 40mpg-45mpg which still seems a bit high. My work commute is about 2 miles, and I do occasionally drive in a spirited manner. Is this okay? Thank you all!”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 87

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 +16
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Powergy
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / 1 tests8977
    Reviews found online8562

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 89.1 + 40% × 84.5 = 87

    Powergy: 60% × 77.2 + 40% × 62.4 = 71

  2. 90

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 +18
    72
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Powergy
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / 1 tests9376
    Reviews found online8565

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 93.1 + 40% × 84.7 = 90

    Powergy: 60% × 76 + 40% × 65 = 72

  3. 77

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 +14
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Powergy
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 1 tests8374
    Reviews found online7256

    Pilot Sport 4: 40% × 83.4 + 60% × 72.4 = 77

    Powergy: 40% × 73.9 + 60% × 55.6 = 63

  4. 71

    Noise

    Powergy +4
    75
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Powergy
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / 1 tests7380
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 71

    Powergy: 60% × 79.9 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 75

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy. 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.

  5. 71

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 +14
    57
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Powergy
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests78≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online6051

    Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 59.5 = 71

    Powergy: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.7 = 57

    No road tests of treadwear for Powergy. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  6. 81

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 4 +19
    62
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Powergy
    Reviews found online8162
  7. 76

    Efficiency

    Pilot Sport 4 +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4Powergy
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 1 tests7674
Scores at a glance
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Pirelli Powergy: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4Pirelli Powergy
Relative Score 83 68
Dry 87 71
Wet 90 72
Comfort 77 63
Noise 71 75
Treadwear 71 57
Handling (owners) 81 62
Efficiency 76 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 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.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 4

Pilot Sport 4

± 6

Powergy

The professional test results behind the scores

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.

DisciplineCategoryPilot Sport 4PowergyΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 80% #3/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 94% #4/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 90% #2/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 93% #3/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Curved Aquaplaning Wet 80% #5/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 81% #8/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 80% #2/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 92% #4/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 70% #8/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 96% #5/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Circle Wet 97% #4/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test 98% #3/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 70% #4/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 97% #2/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Comfort (tester's mark) Comfort 70% #5/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 93% #3/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Noise Noise 99% #6/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test 100% #1/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 80% #2/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 81% #5/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/9 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 #5/10 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test – 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 Powergy

Pros

  • Significantly reduced road noise and quiet highway ride
  • Strong dry and wet grip for daily commuting
  • Comfortable and smooth ride quality compared to run-flats

Cons

  • Faster than average tread wear or shallow initial tread depth
  • Negative impact on fuel economy (MPG) for some users
  • Soft sidewalls leading to muted steering feedback and less precise handling at the limit
All owner themes in the Powergy 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/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.”

team-bhp.com

“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!”

mbworld.org

“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.”

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

Pirelli Powergy

Mixed

Community opinions on the Pirelli Powergy are mixed, with some viewing them as a budget-friendly or decent mid-tier option for daily driving and fuel economy, while others criticize them as a lower-tier eco line compared to Pirelli's premium offerings like the Cinturato or P-Zero. Drivers report mixed experiences regarding ride comfort, and the tires are frequently discussed by owners dealing with mismatched tire setups after unexpected replacements.

r/tires ·1 upvote ·2026-08-31

“Ripples in side wall Just been washing the car and found what I can only describe as ripples in the side wall of my front-right tyre. Had these fitted in June, only just noticed the ripples. The other tyres are perfect. I’ve probably done around 2,000 miles on them. Should I be concerned, and do they look like a manufacturing defect, or as a result of damage? (I’ve not hit any serious potholes that I’m aware of). These tyres are Pirelli Powergy, fitted to a Volvo XC60. Date code is 3325. Any help gratefully received. Read more”

r/GRYaris ·3 upvotes ·2025-03-07

“Are Pirelli Powergy Winter the right winter tires for the GR? Hey, my parents bought a GR Yaris last week and it’s a great car but I looked at its winter tires and those are Pirelli Powergy Winter. I’m not an expert on tires but as far as I know the P-Zero Winter would be the right choice for a GR. My father didn’t bought them because he thought it was the right tires rather a tire salesman talked him into it. I talked him into Pirelli as those were the factory tires for his Volvo 850R and would be a better choice then his current Conti Premium 5 but somehow my father misunderstood me to that point that Pirelli’s are the greatest tires ever. So he asked the salesmen for the best Pirelli Tires and told the car it’s for but the salesman sold him those Powergy tires and said that not all Pirelli’s are in stock. As my father isn’t an enthusiast but loves likes to drive performance cars he didn’t knew better and now it’s too late. In my eyes a good salesman (not in the way of profit for the company rather costumer experience) would have told him that the P-Zeros winter are out of stock but can be ordered or would show him tires from different companies. Another option is the salesman though he meant the GR Sport Yaris for which P-Zero winters are too much as not many persons in their sixties drive a real GR. So my question are the Powergy enough for the GR or should he get P-Zeros next Winter (in a few weeks we will put on summer tires)”

r/tires ·1 upvote ·2025-05-18

“Pirelli cinturato P7 and Pirelli Powergy Hi all 👋🏼 So I had 4 Pirelli Cinturato P7’s on my Ford Focus ST. I got a flat tire (front left) while I was on vacation so I decided to get 2 new tires at the front. I asked the guy at the tire shop to get the same tires (so the Pirelli Cinturato’s). He got me Pirelli Powergy’s instead… He didn’t really speak English and there was not time as I was driving home the next day. So I just accepted it. Now my question is what’s the main difference between these tires? And does it matter I got 2 different tires now? (2 powergy’s at the front and 2 Cinturato’s at the back) Thanks!🙏🏼”

Top themes
#budget eco tire line#mismatched tire setups#fuel economy and efficiency#daily driving performance#comparison to cinturato series#ride comfort and vibrations#wet and winter grip

Based on 18 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 B · Pirelli Powergy
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available6287
Rim diameters16″ – 20″15″ – 21″
Sizes in common4141

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Pirelli Powergy

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better handling, wet and dry. Pick the Pirelli Powergy if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 81 vs 62 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 90 vs 72 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 71 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 77 vs 63 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Tire B · Pirelli Powergy

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Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 90 vs 72 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 87 vs 71 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy?

Pirelli Powergy, 75 vs 71 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 77 vs 63 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 71 vs 57 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Pilot Sport 4 or Powergy?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 74 on the efficiency score, within 3 points.

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.

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