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 12,721 + 42 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 81–65
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Tests 85 · 21 tests Owners 76 · 12,721 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 – · 1 test Owners 56 · 42 reviews
Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests | 89 | ≈ 68 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 84 | 67 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 89.3 + 40% × 84 = 87
HTR Z III: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 67
No road tests of dry for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / – tests | 93 | ≈ 65 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 85 | 60 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 92.6 + 40% × 84.5 = 89
HTR Z III: 60% × 65 (est.) + 40% × 60.2 = 63
No road tests of wet for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | ≈ 53 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | – | 14 |
HTR Z III: 60% × 52.7 (est.) + 40% × 14 = 37
No road tests of snow for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests | 81 | ≈ 68 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 72 | 64 |
Pilot Sport 4: 40% × 81.2 + 60% × 71.7 = 76
HTR Z III: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 64.3 = 66
No road tests of comfort for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests | 73 | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 66 (est.) | 62 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 70
HTR Z III: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
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.
No road tests of noise for HTR Z III. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 1 tests | 78 | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 59 |
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 59.5 = 71
HTR Z III: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 59.1 = 66
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 81 | 65 |
| Source | Pilot Sport 4 | HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests | 76 | – |
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 | Sumitomo HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 81 | 65 |
| Dry | 87 | 67 |
| Wet | 89 | 63 |
| Snow | – | 37 |
| Comfort | 76 | 66 |
| Noise | 70 | 65 |
| Treadwear | 71 | 66 |
| Handling (owners) | 81 | 65 |
| Efficiency | 76 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. 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
HTR Z III
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 | HTR Z III | 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 | #17/22 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires | – | 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.
“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.”
“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.”
“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 · Sumitomo HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 62 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 19″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 300 - 320 A - AA A | 300 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Sumitomo HTR Z III
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 89 vs 63 on wet.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 67 on dry.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 81 vs 65 on handling.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 76 vs 66 on comfort.
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Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 89 vs 63 on our wet score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 87 vs 67 on our dry score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 70 vs 65 on our noise score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 76 vs 66 on our comfort score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 71 vs 66 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
