Tests 67 · 1 test Owners 79 · 24 reviews
Michelin Road 5 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 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 1 + 23 road tests and 24 + 6,449 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 90–75
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Tests 86 · 23 tests Owners 88 · 6,449 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!”
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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72
Dry
Pilot Sport 5 +2092Why this score
Source Road 5 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 23 tests 67 93 Reviews found online 79 91 Road 5: 60% × 67.4 + 40% × 78.7 = 72
Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 92.9 + 40% × 90.8 = 92
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80
Wet
Pilot Sport 5 +1494Why this score
Source Road 5 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests ≈ 78 (est.) 94 Reviews found online 83 94 Road 5: 60% × 77.6 (est.) + 40% × 83.1 = 80
Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 94.1 + 40% × 93.6 = 94
No road tests of wet for Road 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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76
Comfort
Pilot Sport 5 +379Why this score
Source Road 5 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests ≈ 71 (est.) 71 Reviews found online 80 85 Road 5: 40% × 71.1 (est.) + 60% × 79.8 = 76
Pilot Sport 5: 40% × 71 + 60% × 84.8 = 79
No road tests of comfort for Road 5. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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–
Noise
No comparison47Why this score
Source Road 5 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 15 tests – 33 Reviews found online – ≈ 67 (est.) Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 33.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 47
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 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.
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72
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 5 +1587Why this score
Source Road 5 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests ≈ 69 (est.) 92 Reviews found online 75 79 Road 5: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 75.2 = 72
Pilot Sport 5: 60% × 91.9 + 40% × 78.9 = 87
No road tests of treadwear for Road 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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77
Handling (owners)
Pilot Sport 5 +1289Why this score
Source Road 5 Pilot Sport 5 Reviews found online 77 89 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison64Why this score
Source Road 5 Pilot Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 17 tests – 64
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Road 5 | Michelin Pilot Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 75 | 90 |
| Dry | 72 | 92 |
| Wet | 80 | 94 |
| Comfort | 76 | 79 |
| Noise | – | 47 |
| Treadwear | 72 | 87 |
| Handling (owners) | 77 | 89 |
| Efficiency | – | 64 |
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.
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.
Road 5
Pilot Sport 5
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 | Road 5 | Pilot Sport 5 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 97% #4/6 · 2020 Motorcycle Sports Touring Tyre Test | 95% #10/50 · 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #5/6 2020 Motorcycle Sports Touring Tyre Test | #9/50 2026 Summer Braking Super Tyre Test - How do 52 Tyres Perform in Wet and Dry Braking? | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Road 5
Pros
- Class-leading wet weather grip and rider confidence
- Excellent tread life and durability for touring applications
- Dual-compound construction provides a balance of stability and cornering grip
Cons
- High susceptibility to punctures from road debris
- Soft carcass construction can be prone to structural damage from impacts
- Some users report a lack of feedback compared to dedicated sport tires
Tire B 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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Michelin Road 5
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
The community generally views the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 as an exceptional daily-driving tire that bridges the gap between high performance and everyday comfort. Users frequently praise its outstanding wet grip, low road noise, and impressive tread life compared to more track-focused alternatives like the PS4S. However, some enthusiast drivers feel the sidewalls and feedback can feel a bit numb or soft for aggressive track use, noting it is built more for sporty road use than dedicated circuit driving.
“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.”
“look at camskill,always the cheapest,ive just gotten the michelin ps5 for my M4 ,not fitted yet as my conti sport 7 still have life,only bought last month as there was a cashback offer from michelin at camskill,i got £80 so got 2 x 275-35-19 and x2 255-35-19 for £617 delivered,”
“Have to replace my tyres soon, MC7 or PS5? Hi guys, I need to replace the tyres on my civic soon and I’m stuck between the MC7 and the PS5. I not a guy who will driving 180km/h in raining day so i think both performance is good enough for me. I did some research, it seems like MC7 have better performance overall. Also found that MC7 is cheaper than PS5 in my country (around RM600-700 cheaper for 4 tyres). I prefer tread life > noise/ comfort > performance (rarely drive over 120). Any feedback on the 2 brands would be super helpful. Thanks! === UPDATED === Thank you all for suggestions and opinions. So at the end i pick the MC7. Reasons: It’s possibly quieter compared to the PS5 The price is cheaper and come with 1 year premium (or what name i forgot) warranty There’s a Continental authorized dealer near my place I’ve never tried Continental before, so I decided to give it a try At the moment, the driving experience is a bit quieter than the previous PS4 (which is expected since it’s a new tire). As for performance, I haven’t really pushed it to the limit, but it’s more than sufficient for me, didn’t experience any wheel spin or loss of traction so far. One thing I do notice is that I can constantly hear small stones sticking to the tire and hitting the wheel arch which is very annoying. Also, on a personal note, I still prefer the sidewall shape of the PS5, so it took me some time to get used to the rounded sidewall of the MC7 Read more”
Based on 177 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Road 5 | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Motorcycle | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 66 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 22″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
Michelin Road 5
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better dry, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 92 vs 72 on dry.
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 87 vs 72 on treadwear.
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 94 vs 80 on wet.
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 89 vs 77 on handling.
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Road 5 or Pilot Sport 5?
Which is better in the wet, Road 5 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 94 vs 80 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Road 5 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 92 vs 72 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Road 5 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 79 vs 76 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Road 5 or Pilot Sport 5?
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, 87 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