Tests 86 · 23 tests Owners 87 · 6,540 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!”
Vredestein Ultrac Cento looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Vredestein Ultrac Cento — 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 + 0 road tests and 6,540 + 23 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 90–71
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Tests – · none yet Owners 73 · 23 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
92
Dry
Pilot Sport 5 +2270Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 Ultrac Cento Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / – tests 93 ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 90 71 Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.2 + 40% × 90.3 = 92
Ultrac Cento: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 70
No road tests of dry for Ultrac Cento. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
94
Wet
Pilot Sport 5 +2173Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 Ultrac Cento Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / – tests 94 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 93 74 Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.8 + 40% × 93.3 = 94
Ultrac Cento: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 73.8 = 73
No road tests of wet for Ultrac Cento. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
78
Comfort
Pilot Sport 5 +870Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 Ultrac Cento Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests 71 ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 83 71 Pilot Sport 5: 40% × 70.9 + 60% × 83.4 = 78
Ultrac Cento: 40% × 69.2 (est.) + 60% × 70.9 = 70
No road tests of comfort for Ultrac Cento. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
47
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 Ultrac Cento Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / – tests 33 – Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) – Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 33.3 + 40% × 66.3 (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.
-
86
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 5 +1472Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 Ultrac Cento Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests 92 ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 78 76 Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 92 + 40% × 77.9 = 86
Ultrac Cento: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 75.5 = 72
No road tests of treadwear for Ultrac Cento. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
89
Handling (owners)
Pilot Sport 5 +2069Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 Ultrac Cento Reviews found online 89 69 -
63
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 Ultrac Cento Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests 63 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport 5 | Vredestein Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 90 | 71 |
| Dry | 92 | 70 |
| Wet | 94 | 73 |
| Comfort | 78 | 70 |
| Noise | 47 | – |
| Treadwear | 86 | 72 |
| Handling (owners) | 89 | 69 |
| 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
90
/ 100
Pilot Sport 5
71
/ 100
Ultrac Cento
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.
| Discipline | Category | Pilot Sport 5 | Ultrac Cento | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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? | #27/49 2014 Auto Bild 50 Summer Tyre Shootout | – | 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
Tire B Ultrac Cento
Pros
- Exceptional tread life and wear resistance
- High level of comfort and low road noise
- Good value for money compared to premium competitors
Cons
- Lacks steering feedback and pure grip for sporty or track driving
- Average wet weather performance compared to dry
- Some users report a temporary or ongoing negative impact on fuel economy
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Positive
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
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/abarth
·3 upvotes ·2026-05-10
“Great tires, used to run the stock Pirellis but the ride comfort was atrocious and there was really no performance benefit so I switched them for some PS5.”
cliosport.net
·5 upvotes ·2024-02-07
“I’ve done 20k on a set of fronts that still have ~2-2.5mm left. They’re wearing very well IMO.”
r/CarTrackDays
·17 upvotes ·2025-05-25
“Michelin PS5 Delaminating Near new PS5, running a low speed track, and the fronts basically fell apart after 2 sessions. I know these aren't track-focussed tires, but is this really expected for them? Looks like the tires got too hot, but I'm just shocked how poorly they performed on a stock car (Golf R). Not sure if it's worth contacting Michelin over this or not. Read more”
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
Vredestein Ultrac Cento
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport 5 | B · Vredestein Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 66 | — |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 22″ | — |
| UTQG | 320 - 340 A - B A | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
90
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
71
/ 100
Vredestein Ultrac Cento
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better dry, wet and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 92 vs 70 on dry.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 94 vs 73 on wet.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 89 vs 69 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 86 vs 72 on treadwear.
Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Tire B · Vredestein Ultrac Cento
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Pilot Sport 5 or Ultrac Cento?
Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport 5 or Ultrac Cento?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 94 vs 73 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport 5 or Ultrac Cento?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 92 vs 70 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport 5 or Ultrac Cento?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 78 vs 70 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport 5 or Ultrac Cento?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 86 vs 72 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