Tests 86 · 23 tests Owners 87 · 6,538 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!”
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 — 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 6,538 + 42 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 86–63
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Tests 64 · 1 test Owners 55 · 42 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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92
Dry
Pilot Sport 5 +2666Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / 1 tests 93 63 Reviews found online 90 69 Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 98% 89% Dry Circle Speed (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 99% 98% Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 96% 79% Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.2 + 40% × 90.2 = 92
ADVAN Apex V601: 60% × 63.3 + 40% × 69.3 = 66
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94
Wet
Pilot Sport 5 +2866Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / 1 tests 94 68 Reviews found online 93 62 Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 88% Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 93.3 = 94
ADVAN Apex V601: 60% × 68.1 + 40% × 61.6 = 66
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–
Snow
No comparison42Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 55 (est.) Reviews found online – 23 ADVAN Apex V601: 60% × 55.5 (est.) + 40% × 23 = 42
No road tests of snow for ADVAN Apex V601. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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78
Comfort
Pilot Sport 5 +1563Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / 1 tests 71 67 Reviews found online 83 60 Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 99% 93% Pilot Sport 5: 40% × 70.9 + 60% × 83.4 = 78
ADVAN Apex V601: 40% × 66.6 + 60% × 59.8 = 63
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47
Noise
ADVAN Apex V601 +754Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / 1 tests 33 51 Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) 58 Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 97% 96% Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 33.3 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 47
ADVAN Apex V601: 60% × 51.3 + 40% × 57.6 = 54
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.
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86
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 5 +3155Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests 92 ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 78 48 Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 92 + 40% × 77.9 = 86
ADVAN Apex V601: 60% × 59.9 (est.) + 40% × 47.9 = 55
No road tests of treadwear for ADVAN Apex V601. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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89
Handling (owners)
Pilot Sport 5 +2168Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Reviews found online 89 68 -
63
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Pilot Sport 5 ADVAN Apex V601 Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests 63 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport 5 | Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 86 | 63 |
| Dry | 92 | 66 |
| Wet | 94 | 66 |
| Snow | – | 42 |
| Comfort | 78 | 63 |
| Noise | 47 | 54 |
| Treadwear | 86 | 55 |
| Handling (owners) | 89 | 68 |
| 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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
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
86
/ 100
Pilot Sport 5
63
/ 100
ADVAN Apex V601
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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Michelin Pilot Sport 5 finished ahead 1 times and Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Pilot Sport 5 | ADVAN Apex V601 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% | 89% | +8.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 AutoView Sport Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Dry Circle Speed | Dry | 99% | 98% | +0.9 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 AutoView Sport Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 96% | 79% | +17.3 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 AutoView Sport Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 100% | 88% | +12.2 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 AutoView Sport Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 99% | 93% | +5.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 AutoView Sport Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Noise | Noise | 97% | 96% | +0.9 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 AutoView Sport Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #2/7 | #7/7 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 AutoView Sport Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
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 ADVAN Apex V601
Pros
- Excellent dry weather traction and cornering stability
- High value-to-performance ratio compared to premium competitors
- Surprisingly low road noise and high comfort for a UHP tire
Cons
- Inconsistent wet weather performance with reports of hydroplaning
- Rapid tread wear reported by spirited drivers
- Lack of cold weather traction
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/TyreReviews
·31 upvotes ·2026-04-26
“My 8-month experience with Michelin Pilot Sport 5 – honest thoughts after highway + city use Switched to Michelin Pilot Sport 5s about 8 months ago on my Hyundai Creta]and figured I'd share a proper update since I couldn't find many India-based long-term reviews when I was researching. Background: I drive a mix of Delhi–Gurugram highway stretches and stop-go city traffic. Previous tyres were Ceat tyres. Wet grip: This is where they genuinely shine. Monsoon season in NCR was the real test — braking distances felt noticeably shorter than my previous set, and I never had that nervous moment on waterlogged roads near Dhaula Kuan. Dry handling: Confident and predictable. Not much to complain about here. Cornering feel is crisp, especially at highway speeds. Ride comfort: Slightly firmer than my old tyres, which I expected given the performance focus. Not harsh — just different. Long highway runs are still comfortable. Noise: Quieter than I expected for a performance tyre. Road noise on concrete sections of NH-48 is very manageable. Fuel efficiency: Marginal difference — maybe 0.3–0.5 kmpl lower, hard to say definitively. Wear so far: Looking good at 8 months / ~7,000 km. No uneven wear patterns. Would I buy again? Probably yes, especially if wet weather safety matters to you. Price premium over budget options is real, but the wet grip gives peace of mind. Happy to answer any questions. Anyone else running Michelins in Indian conditions? Read more”
r/tires
·8 upvotes ·2026-03-21
“Should I worry about this? Michelin pilot sport 5, 23k km (14.3k miles) doesn't seem to be that deep, not sure how it happened, looks like I hit a curb.”
bobistheoilguy.com
·2026-03-08
“The Tire Rack no longer has the selection with the major name brands it once did. I can order the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 in 225/45R18 from Costco but the Tire Rack doesn't offer it in that size. I can order the Continental Sport Contact 7 at Discount Tire in 225/45R18 but not at the Tire Rack. When my wife and I had a Corolla Hybrid, it took a 195/65R15. Michelin quit offering the CC2 in that size so the next best all-weather tire at the time that fit was the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 750. The Tire Rack never offered that tire but Discount Tire had it in stock locally. None of the tires I mentioned are exclusive tires for certain retailers. I enjoy the Tire Rack website and the testing they do, but they are no longer the go to merchant when buying tires like they once was.”
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
Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport 5 | B · Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 66 | 52 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 22″ | 17″ – 21″ |
| Tread depth | — | 9/32″ |
| UTQG | 320 - 340 A - B A | 280 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 25,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 32 | 32 |
Which one should you actually buy?
86
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
63
/ 100
Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better treadwear, wet and dry. Pick the Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 if noise matters most to you.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 86 vs 55 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 94 vs 66 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 92 vs 66 on dry.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 89 vs 68 on handling.
Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Tire B · Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601
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Pilot Sport 5 or ADVAN Apex V601?
Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport 5 or ADVAN Apex V601?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 94 vs 66 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport 5 or ADVAN Apex V601?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 92 vs 66 on our dry score.
Which is quieter, Pilot Sport 5 or ADVAN Apex V601?
Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601, 54 vs 47 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport 5 or ADVAN Apex V601?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 78 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport 5 or ADVAN Apex V601?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 86 vs 55 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