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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 vs Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — 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 0 + 21 road tests and 7 + 32 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Alpin 5 is ahead, 88–76

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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Alpin 5

Winter

± 4

Tests 91 · 21 tests Owners 84 · 32 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 31 in 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 77

    Dry

    Pilot Alpin 5 +11
    88
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 16 tests≈ 74 (est.)91
    Reviews found online8284

    Pilot Sport A/S 3: 60% × 73.7 (est.) + 40% × 81.8 = 77

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 91.1 + 40% × 84.3 = 88

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Sport A/S 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 80

    Wet

    Pilot Alpin 5 +12
    92
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 21 tests≈ 78 (est.)95
    Reviews found online8488

    Pilot Sport A/S 3: 60% × 77.9 (est.) + 40% × 83.9 = 80

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 94.8 + 40% × 87.8 = 92

    No road tests of wet for Pilot Sport A/S 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 71

    Snow

    Pilot Alpin 5 +16
    87
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests≈ 71 (est.)93
    Reviews found online7179

    Pilot Sport A/S 3: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 71.3 = 71

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.4 + 40% × 78.6 = 87

    No road tests of snow for Pilot Sport A/S 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 70

    Comfort

    Pilot Alpin 5 +13
    83
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 69 (est.)90
    Reviews found online7178

    Pilot Sport A/S 3: 40% × 69.4 (est.) + 60% × 70.9 = 70

    Pilot Alpin 5: 40% × 90.2 + 60% × 78.2 = 83

    No road tests of comfort for Pilot Sport A/S 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    84
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 16 tests–95
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 95.3 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 84

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Alpin 5. 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.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Pilot Alpin 5 +14
    84
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 68 (est.)85
    Reviews found online7284

    Pilot Sport A/S 3: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 70

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 84.6 + 40% × 84.2 = 84

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport A/S 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Alpin 5 +5
    86
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Reviews found online8186
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 16 tests–73
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport A/S 3Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Relative Score 76 88
Dry 77 88
Wet 80 92
Snow 71 87
Comfort 70 83
Noise – 84
Treadwear 70 84
Handling (owners) 81 86
Efficiency – 73

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
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
± 8

Pilot Sport A/S 3

± 4

Pilot Alpin 5

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

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Pilot Sport A/S 3

Pros

  • Exceptional grip in both wet and dry weather conditions
  • Outstanding cornering stability and steering responsiveness
  • Stiff sidewalls providing superior handling compared to competitors

Cons

  • Noticeable and bothersome road noise
  • Heavy tire construction
  • Shorter than expected tread life for certain drivers on abrasive surfaces
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport A/S 3 review

Tire B Pilot Alpin 5

Pros

  • Outstanding dry and wet grip and handling, feeling similar to a UHP summer tire
  • Great snow traction and stability for mountain driving and aggressive winter cornering
  • Excellent steering response and high feedback compared to traditional winter tires

Cons

  • Subpar performance and braking on pure ice or severe slush
  • Stiffer sidewalls can lead to a firmer, sometimes bumpy ride quality and transfer road imperfections
  • Fuel economy can be negatively impacted
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin 5 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
CategoryAll SeasonWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available681
Rim diameters19″ – 20″16″ – 23″
Sizes in common11

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Winner: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — better snow, treadwear and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 7 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 87 vs 71 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 84 vs 70 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 83 vs 70 on comfort.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 92 vs 80 on wet.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
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Pilot Sport A/S 3 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport A/S 3 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 92 vs 80 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport A/S 3 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 88 vs 77 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Pilot Sport A/S 3 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 87 vs 71 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport A/S 3 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 83 vs 70 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport A/S 3 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 84 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