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Head-to-head Updated

Nitto NT05R vs Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 — 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 + 6 road tests and 19 + 25 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport Cup 2 is ahead, 66–45

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Nitto NT05R
Tire ANitto

NT05R

Trackday and Competition Summer tire

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 29 · 19 reviews

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport Cup 2

Summer

± 6

Tests 66 · 6 tests Owners 66 · 25 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2020 UHP, UUHP and Track Day 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. 57

    Dry

    Pilot Sport Cup 2 +26
    83
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 61 (est.)84
    Reviews found online5182

    NT05R: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.5 = 57

    Pilot Sport Cup 2: 60% × 84.3 + 40% × 82.3 = 83

    No road tests of dry for NT05R. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 27

    Wet

    Pilot Sport Cup 2 +28
    55
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 38 (est.)52
    Reviews found online1060

    NT05R: 60% × 37.6 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 27

    Pilot Sport Cup 2: 60% × 52.2 + 40% × 59.9 = 55

    No road tests of wet for NT05R. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 35

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 51 (est.)–
    Reviews found online10–

    NT05R: 60% × 51.3 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 35

    No road tests of snow for NT05R. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 47

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport Cup 2 +12
    59
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 62 (est.)48
    Reviews found online3766

    NT05R: 40% × 62.2 (est.) + 60% × 36.5 = 47

    Pilot Sport Cup 2: 40% × 47.7 + 60% × 65.7 = 59

    No road tests of comfort for NT05R. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 61

    Noise

    Pilot Sport Cup 2 +8
    69
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 66 (est.)71
    Reviews found online53≈ 66 (est.)

    NT05R: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 52.6 = 61

    Pilot Sport Cup 2: 60% × 70.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 69

    No road tests of noise for NT05R. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport Cup 2. 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.

  6. 44

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport Cup 2 +13
    57
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 53 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online2951

    NT05R: 60% × 53.1 (est.) + 40% × 29.3 = 44

    Pilot Sport Cup 2: 60% × 61 (est.) + 40% × 51.2 = 57

    No road tests of treadwear for NT05R. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport Cup 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    81
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Reviews found online–81
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    58
    Why this score
    SourceNT05RPilot Sport Cup 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests–58
Scores at a glance
CategoryNitto NT05RMichelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
Relative Score 45 66
Dry 57 83
Wet 27 55
Snow 35 –
Comfort 47 59
Noise 61 69
Treadwear 44 57
Handling (owners) – 81
Efficiency – 58

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

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

NT05R

± 6

Pilot Sport Cup 2

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 NT05R

Pros

  • Exceptional dry traction and straight-line grip for high-horsepower vehicles
  • Surprisingly smooth and quiet ride quality on the highway
  • Better daily-driveability and longevity compared to some competing drag tires

Cons

  • Extremely poor wet traction and hazardous hydroplaning behavior in heavy rain
  • Requires heat (often via a burnout) before achieving optimal grip
  • Short tread life due to the very soft rubber compound
All owner themes in the NT05R review

Tire B Pilot Sport Cup 2

Pros

  • Phenomenal and reliable dry grip, especially when heated
  • Exceptional steering response, precision, and road feedback
  • Strong track-day performance with durable, stiff sidewalls

Cons

  • Fast tread wear resulting in short lifespan
  • Poor performance and low grip when cold, making them less ideal for purely street-driven cars
  • High purchase price and negative impact on fuel consumption
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport Cup 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Nitto NT05R B · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
CategoryTrackday and Competition Summer tireSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—18
Rim diameters—18″ – 21″
Tread depth6.3/32″—
UTQGB B180 - 240 AA A
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Nitto NT05R

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 — better wet, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Nitto NT05R rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 19 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 scores 55 vs 27 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 scores 83 vs 57 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 scores 57 vs 44 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 scores 59 vs 47 on comfort.

Tire A · Nitto NT05R
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
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NT05R or Pilot Sport Cup 2?

Which is better in the wet, NT05R or Pilot Sport Cup 2?

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, 55 vs 27 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, NT05R or Pilot Sport Cup 2?

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, 83 vs 57 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, NT05R or Pilot Sport Cup 2?

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, 69 vs 61 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, NT05R or Pilot Sport Cup 2?

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, 59 vs 47 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, NT05R or Pilot Sport Cup 2?

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, 57 vs 44 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