Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Pilot Sport 5 leads, 82–81 Narrow edge

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Tire APirelli

P Zero (PZ5)

Summer

Tests 80 · 4 tests Owners 85 · 53 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 3 in Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test (curved aquaplaning)

Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 5

Summer

Tests 84 · 23 tests Owners 82 · 6,414 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 7 in 2026 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test (subj. dry handling)

“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.”

Category by category

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

  1. 87

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 5 +1
    88
    Why this score
    SourceP Zero (PZ5)Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)8591
    Reviews found online9084
    Dry Braking (% of best)97%97%
    Dry Handling (% of best)100%100%
  2. 86

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 5 +4
    90
    Why this score
    SourceP Zero (PZ5)Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)8592
    Reviews found online8887
    Wet Braking (% of best)91%100%
    Wet Circle (% of best)99%97%
    Wet Handling (% of best)96%99%
  3. 66

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 5 +9
    75
    Why this score
    SourceP Zero (PZ5)Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)5671
    Reviews found online8180
  4. 69

    Noise

    P Zero (PZ5) +24
    45
    Why this score
    SourceP Zero (PZ5)Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)7030
  5. 72

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 5 +10
    82
    Why this score
    SourceP Zero (PZ5)Pilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)–87
    Reviews found online7775
  6. 88

    Handling

    P Zero (PZ5) +5
    83
    Why this score
    SourceP Zero (PZ5)Pilot Sport 5
    Reviews found online8883
Scores at a glance
Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryPirelli P Zero (PZ5)Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Relative Score 81 82
Dry 87 88
Wet 86 90
Comfort 66 75
Noise 69 45
Treadwear 72 82
Handling 88 83

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

P Zero (PZ5)

Pilot Sport 5

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryP Zero (PZ5)Pilot Sport 5ΔBoth?
Curved Aquaplaning Curved 100% #1/3 · Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test 87% #6/7 · 2026 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test +13.0 Different tests
Dry Braking Dry 97% #4/9 · 2025 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test 97% #9/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test −0.8 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 100% #1/3 · Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test 100% #2/7 · Top Tire Review 2026 UHP Tyre Test: Big Brands vs Challengers 0.0 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 87% #5/9 · 2025 EVO Summer Tyre Test 84% #9/20 · 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test +3.1 Different tests
Noise Other 98% #5/8 · 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test 97% #18/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test +0.2 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 33% #3/3 · Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test 33% #3/20 · 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 99% #2/8 · 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test 97% #7/7 · 2026 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test +1.6 Different tests
Subj. Comfort Subj 92% #3/3 · Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test 91% #14/20 · 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test +1.1 Different tests
Subj. Dry Handling Subj 95% #2/3 · Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test 100% #1/7 · 2026 Sport Auto Summer Tyre Test −5.3 Different tests
Subj. Noise Subj 93% #3/9 · 2025 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test 80% #5/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test +13.0 Different tests
Subj. Wet Handling Subj 92% #5/9 · 2025 EVO Summer Tyre Test 100% #1/2 · Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Energy vs Pilot Sport 5: How Much Do You Really Give Up? −7.9 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 91% #5/8 · 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tyre Test 100% #1/4 · Michelin CrossClimate 3 & 3 Sport vs Pilot Sport 5 vs Primacy 5 −9.2 Different tests
Wet Circle Wet 99% #2/3 · Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test 97% #4/6 · 2024 TopTireReview Best UHP Tyres for Asia Test +2.1 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 96% #3/3 · Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tyre Test 99% #3/20 · 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test −3.0 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A P Zero (PZ5)

Pros

  • Endless dry grip and high-speed stability
  • Superior ride comfort and compliance over small bumps compared to typical UHP tires
  • Exceptional wet weather performance and driver confidence

Cons

  • A slight 'howling' noise reported by some users around 80-90 km/h
  • Some drivers note a slightly more touring-oriented feel rather than an aggressive, go-kart-like sharpness
  • Isolated user reports of lower wet confidence compared specifically to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
All owner themes in the P Zero (PZ5) review

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
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 5 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Pirelli P Zero (PZ5)

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Positive

Community opinion on the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is overwhelmingly positive for daily street driving, praising its exceptional wet grip, tread longevity, and quiet comfort compared to run-flats and older performance tires. However, several enthusiasts note downsides for aggressive or track use, specifically citing softer sidewalls, muted steering feedback, and poor heat resistance leading to delamination under track conditions. Most drivers consider it an outstanding premium all-rounder for sporty street cars rather than a dedicated track or extreme-performance tire.

r/kereta ·9 upvotes ·2025-12-15

“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”

r/CarTrackDays ·17 upvotes ·2025-05-25

“Michelin PS5 Delaminating Near new PS5, running a low speed track, and the fronts basically fell apart after 2 sessions. I know these aren't track-focussed tires, but is this really expected for them? Looks like the tires got too hot, but I'm just shocked how poorly they performed on a stock car (Golf R). Not sure if it's worth contacting Michelin over this or not. Read more”

r/saab ·90 upvotes ·2026-03-28

“Put some 235/45 R17 ps5’s on my 9-5 They fill up the arches quite nice!”

Top themes
#wet grip performance#tread wear longevity#daily driving comfort#track heat delamination#soft sidewall steering feedback#road noise levels#comparison with ps4s

Based on 174 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available19366
Rim diameters17″ – 24″16″ – 22″
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG300 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli P Zero (PZ5)

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Too close to call: Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) and Michelin Pilot Sport 5 are within 2 points overall. Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) is stronger on noise and handling. Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is stronger on treadwear, comfort and wet.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) scores 69 vs 45 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 82 vs 72 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 75 vs 66 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) scores 88 vs 83 on handling.

Tire A · Pirelli P Zero (PZ5)
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

82

Narrow edge

Pilot Sport 5

Amazon