Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Michelin Pilot Super Sport — 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 23 + 1 road tests and 6,510 + 1,506 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 90–78

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Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 5

Summer

± 4

Tests 86 · 23 tests Owners 87 · 6,510 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test (dry handling (tester's mark))

“Put some 235/45 R17 ps5’s on my 9-5 They fill up the arches quite nice!”

Michelin Pilot Super Sport
± 6

Tests 75 · 1 test Owners 82 · 1,506 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test (dry handling)

“Damn. 295s on Style 359Ms? That's pushing it a bit, isn't it? I so desperately wish Michelin would make a 285/30 PSS. I'm running 275/35s now, and while I like the extra rubber on the road, I don't like the increased sidewall height over the OEM 265/35.”

Category by category

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

  1. 92

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 5 +10
    82
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 5Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / 1 tests9377
    Reviews found online9090

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.2 + 40% × 90.2 = 92

    Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 77.5 + 40% × 89.7 = 82

  2. 94

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 5 +17
    77
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 5Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / 1 tests9473
    Reviews found online9384

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 93.3 = 94

    Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 73 + 40% × 83.7 = 77

  3. 78

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 5 +4
    74
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 5Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests71≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8376

    Pilot Sport 5: 40% × 70.9 + 60% × 83.4 = 78

    Pilot Super Sport: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 76.2 = 74

    No road tests of comfort for Pilot Super Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. 47

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 5Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / – tests33–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 33.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 47

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 5. 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.

  5. 86

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 5 +16
    70
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 5Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests92≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7873

    Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 92 + 40% × 77.9 = 86

    Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 70

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Super Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 89

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 5 +6
    83
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 5Pilot Super Sport
    Reviews found online8983
  7. 63

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 5Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests63–
Scores at a glance
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Michelin Pilot Super Sport: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 5Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Relative Score 90 78
Dry 92 82
Wet 94 77
Comfort 78 74
Noise 47 –
Treadwear 86 70
Handling (owners) 89 83
Efficiency 63 –

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 4

Pilot Sport 5

± 6

Pilot Super Sport

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

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 5Pilot Super SportΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 95% #10/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? 99% #2/9 · 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #4/4 · 2026 AutoView Value Sport Tyre Test 100% #1/9 · 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 91% #9/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? 95% #5/9 · 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/50 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? #2/9 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Pilot Sport 5

Pros

  • Outstanding wet and dry traction with high resistance to aquaplaning
  • Superior tread life and longevity compared to competitors and previous generations
  • Noticeable improvements in ride comfort and a quieter cabin over rough road surfaces

Cons

  • Softer sidewalls can lead to initial steering vagueness or understeer during hard cornering
  • Higher price point compared to some tier-one competitors
  • Performance and grip degrade significantly under intense track heat or heavy circuit use
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 5 review

Tire B Pilot Super Sport

Pros

  • Phenomenal dry grip and cornering stability
  • Precise steering response and excellent road feedback
  • Better-than-expected tread wear and mileage for a performance tire

Cons

  • Reduced grip and traction in cold weather (below 15°C)
  • Mediocre performance and tendency to aquaplane when tread wears down in heavy rain
  • High price point compared to some alternatives
All owner themes in the Pilot Super Sport review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Positive

Community sentiment towards the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is largely positive, with drivers frequently praising its outstanding wet grip, daily driving comfort, and impressive tread life. While widely recommended as a dependable, premium all-round performance tire, some enthusiasts criticize it for having a slightly numb steering feel, softer sidewalls, and poor heat resistance during track use compared to more aggressive alternatives.

r/AudiA5 ·1 upvote ·2026-04-30

“I had PS5’s on they were great literally all the grip you could ever want (not a very powerful car) and they have an incredibly long life span, I didn’t find them loud at all and i also now have an Audi a5 coupe and the car itself blocks out most noise especially if you have music on so it’s not something you should worry about, I know the Asym6 have more grip but it’s marginal I’d personally get the ps5’s just because of the beautiful side wall!”

r/CarsAustralia ·8 upvotes ·2025-09-10

“In my experience they are quite long wearing tires and well worth the cost. I used to get around 40k out of most tyres. My first set of ps4’s lasted 55k and now the ps5’s are trending to beat it. I'm a pretty spirited driver around the roundabouts of Canberra too, though I only have a hatch so experiences may vary. As to performance I've driven them on my i30 n-line and other people’s i30N, BRZ, tesla 3, and stinger and the tyres have more grip than I have guts to push them on public roads. In both wet and dry they are very confidence inspiring and a hell of a lot of fun.”

r/TeslaUK ·3 upvotes ·2026-03-27

“Pilot sport 5? Hi, after replacement tyres for M3. Just touched 30k miles and all 4 need doing. Michelin 235/45 ZR18 (98Y) XL TL PILOT SPORT 5 I was looking at these 154 pounds from Costco. Only they’re not T rated. Was comparing them with the original 235/45 ZR 18 PILOT SPORT 4 XL TO TESLA these are 204 pounds at Costco. Thoughts on whether the PS5 will be ok please? Visited a couple of independent tyre shops yesterday, 1 quoted budget 100 each through to PS4s at 230 each. The second wouldn’t quote on non Tesla approved, so just quoted the PS4 T0s at 203 each. Cheers”

Top themes
#wet grip performance#tread life longevity#daily driving comfort#track heat delamination#premium pricing comparisons#road noise levels#steering feel feedback

Based on 173 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Positive

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is widely praised by the community as a benchmark high-performance street tire offering outstanding dry grip, sharp cornering capability, and decent ride comfort for daily driving. Many drivers note that its successor, the Pilot Sport 4S, improves upon it—especially in cold and wet conditions—while several users highlight downsides such as poor winter/snow capability, premium pricing, and eventual rubber degradation or tread cracking as the tires age.

r/MiataNC ·21 upvotes ·2026-07-15

“Swapped out the 6+ year old Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires for some Kumho Ecsta Sports… Bought my NC2 in April 2025. It came with Michelin Pilot Super Sports made in late 2018/early 2019. Previous owner didn't drive much, so they had plenty of tread. Figured I'd run them for another year before I replaced them. They handled great and I put ~6,000 miles on them in the 13 months I've owned the car. I could tell they rode a little bit hard and recently, the tread blocks on the outside edge of the tires started cracking. So, I replaced them with the new Kumho Ecsta Sport tires in the factory 205/45/17 size. I don't track or autocross the car, so OEM size is good for me… I only drove it straight home from Discount Tire, so I haven't really put these thru their paces. So far, they ride a lot better and seem to have better grip than the old Super Sports that were on the car (not sure if that's because they're so new and the Michelin's were old or what…). They seem quieter than the Michelins and the steering feel is different, but I can't really quantify how it feels it with words, sorry! I should wash my car this weekend and shine these new shoes up :-)”

r/GolfGTI ·3 upvotes ·2018-03-23

“12k on two consecutive sets of PSS. Stage 2 MK6 (285whp/325wtq), drive fairly aggressively, an odd track day or two here and there, full suspension but run aggressive alignment settings. No abnormaly quick wear in any one spot, they just look like racing slicks when I’m done. If you can afford it, they are well worth the $$. Other tires may come close in performance, but for daily use, can’t beat the comfort of the PSS”

mustang6g.com ·2 upvotes ·2020-11-13

“OK. PSS vs. PS4S. I used both of these on my 2011 GT500. In general the PS4S is an modest upgrade over the PSS. Slightly better dry grip. Bigger improvement in wet grip. Better grip when not warmed up yet. I did not that the PS4S is more sensitive to very cold (below freezing) temperatures, so I put the GT500 away a little sooner for winter. For my GT350, I switched to the A/S 3+ (275/35/R19 front, 285/35/R19 rear) and have been really liking them. I am sure they are slower on a track, but on the street they just grip and scoot on corners or straight aways (slightly less grip on a hard launch - but haven't tried launch control yet). It is very nice not having to worry about rain or cold. Still plan to put her in storage before the first snow to avoid the salt.”

Top themes
#Dry grip and cornering#Comparison to PS4S#Poor snow performance#Tread life and wear#High purchase price#Age and cracking issues#Daily driving comfort

Based on 364 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 5 B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6650
Rim diameters16″ – 22″17″ – 23″
UTQG320 - 340 A - B A300 AA A
Sizes in common1818

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better wet, treadwear and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 94 vs 77 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 86 vs 70 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 92 vs 82 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 89 vs 83 on handling.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport

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Pilot Sport 5 or Pilot Super Sport?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport 5 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 94 vs 77 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport 5 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 92 vs 82 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport 5 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 78 vs 74 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport 5 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 86 vs 70 on our treadwear score.

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