Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 33 road tests and 1,506 + 2,625 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Super Sport is ahead, 78–70
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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.”
Tests 68 · 33 tests Owners 62 · 2,625 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test (wet handling)
“Pirelli P Zero Tyres But if a rant. Brought my i4 edrive 40 about 14 months ago from a main dealer here in the UK. The front tyres (Hankook) had decent tread, obviously the rears did not, so the dealer swapped them for brand new Pirelli PZero (PZ4) tyres at the rear. Honest to god I have never driven tyres so dam trash in my life. Anything other than a perfect warm dry day, there is little to no grip and car struggles to put its power down. I assume the Zero in P Zero refers to the grip levels. Just wondered if anyone else had any experience with Pirelli’s? Read more”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 30 tests | 77 | 89 |
| Reviews found online | 90 | 73 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 99% | 94% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 100% | 99% |
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 77.5 + 40% × 89.7 = 82
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 89.3 + 40% × 73 = 83
| Source | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 31 tests | 73 | 87 |
| Reviews found online | 84 | 70 |
| Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 95% | 95% |
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 73 + 40% × 83.7 = 77
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 86.7 + 40% × 69.6 = 80
| Source | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests | ≈ 70 (est.) | 68 |
| Reviews found online | 76 | 60 |
Pilot Super Sport: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 76.2 = 74
P Zero (PZ4): 40% × 68.5 + 60% × 59.5 = 63
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).
| Source | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 19 tests | – | 72 |
| Reviews found online | – | ≈ 66 (est.) |
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 71.6 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 70
No owner ratings of noise for P Zero (PZ4). 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.
| Source | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests | ≈ 69 (est.) | 28 |
| Reviews found online | 73 | 42 |
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 70
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 27.7 + 40% × 41.7 = 33
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).
| Source | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 83 | 70 |
| Source | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 21 tests | – | 28 |
| Category | Michelin Pilot Super Sport | Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 78 | 70 |
| Dry | 82 | 83 |
| Wet | 77 | 80 |
| Comfort | 74 | 63 |
| Noise | – | 70 |
| Treadwear | 70 | 33 |
| Handling (owners) | 83 | 70 |
| Efficiency | – | 28 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
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 Super Sport
P Zero (PZ4)
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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Michelin Pilot Super Sport finished ahead 1 times and Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Pilot Super Sport | P Zero (PZ4) | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 99% | 94% | +4.2 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 100% | 99% | +0.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 95% | 95% | −0.2 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #2/9 | #3/9 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“Our 2017 Z51 has about 18k miles on the AS3+ ZP, and 10k miles on the factory PSS ZP, we switch out every Fall/Spring with a second set of wheels/sensors. I've done hours of really hard driving on back roads in Texas and New Mexico with the AS3+, if you need the little extra grip of the PSS on public roads, you're driving like an idiot. I only keep the PSS because I do some autocrossing each summer and small increases in grip can be the difference between good times and mediocre times. Also, the PSS will stand up to the heat of competition driving better, but that shouldn't be an issue on the street. The PSS cost about 10% less and last about 50% longer, so your tire-cost-per-mile gets cut in half. Below about 50'-60', the AS3+ grip as well or better. I just tested them in 3 1/2" of snow on my driveway, worked pretty well. The AS3+ should be the standard factory tire, with the PSS only as an option.”
“I use mine all year round, and it's only in snow that they come unstuck - although I've never actually been driving in enough snow to need to break out my sno-socks. I've done wet 'Ring laps on mine, below zero Welsh hoons etc. They take about 10 miles to warm up enough to push on, but you probably shouldn't be pushing on in the first 10 minutes of a sub-zero day anyway!”
“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”
Based on 364 community posts
Community sentiment regarding the Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) is largely critical, with users reporting extremely rapid tread wear and severe grip issues outside of warm, dry conditions. While some drivers consider them for OEM run-flat availability, multiple posts highlight concerns over poor longevity and lackluster wet and cold weather performance compared to competitors like Michelin.
Based on 7 community posts
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Super Sport | B · Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 50 | 193 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 23″ | 17″ – 24″ |
| UTQG | 300 AA A | — |
| Sizes in common | 43 | 43 |
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Pirelli P Zero (PZ4)
Winner: Michelin Pilot Super Sport — better treadwear, handling and comfort. Pick the Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) if wet matters most to you.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 70 vs 33 on treadwear.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 83 vs 70 on handling.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 74 vs 63 on comfort.
Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) scores 80 vs 77 on wet.
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Pirelli P Zero (PZ4), 80 vs 77 on our wet score.
Neither, by our numbers: 82 vs 83 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 74 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 70 vs 33 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
