Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli P Zero vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — Compared

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

Pilot Sport 5 is ahead, 82–64

Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Tire APirelli

P Zero

Summer

Tests 73 · 3 tests Owners 51 · 3,479 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (dry handling)

“So I had ditched the horrible pirelli pzero run flats a few months ago for my 335 and got non run flat michelin pilot sports 4s on my 19 in wheels though they were hard to source and loved them. Xmas day driving at 40mph hit a pothole and immediately the low tyre pressure warning came on and the pressure was .2 bar! The air pump and goo thing did nothing for me ie despite switching it on the tyre pressure would go up to 1.2 and as soon and would deflate within a minute when pump was stopped back to .2 bar. I had family over and absolutely needed the car which was stranded away from home so an emergency tyre firm came and installed a accelera phi R tyre(the opnly tyre they could source in all of the city) callout fee in total £200! Incidentally I notice no change in the cars charecteristics if anything the accelera phi R seems softer and quieter? Should I get another michelin PS4 now and ditch the new accelera? I'm also quietly wondering if I made an error by ditching run flats thought he ride and handling are so much better they wouldn't have left me stranded perhaps?”

Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 5

Summer

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

Best test result: #1 of 4 in Michelin CrossClimate 3 & 3 Sport vs Pilot Sport 5 vs Primacy 5 (overall ranking)

“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. 73

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 5 +15
    88
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)7991
    Reviews found online6484
    Dry Braking (% of best)97%98%
    Dry Handling (% of best)100%98%
  2. 71

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 5 +19
    90
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)8092
    Reviews found online5787
    Wet Braking (% of best)99%95%
    Wet Handling (% of best)99%98%
  3. 50

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroPilot Sport 5
    Reviews found online37–
  4. 62

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 5 +13
    75
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)7071
    Reviews found online5180
  5. 59

    Noise

    P Zero +14
    45
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)6130
    Reviews found online55–
  6. 53

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 5 +29
    82
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroPilot Sport 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)6587
    Reviews found online3475
  7. 58

    Handling

    Pilot Sport 5 +25
    83
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroPilot Sport 5
    Reviews found online5883
Scores at a glance
Pirelli P Zero vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryPirelli P ZeroMichelin Pilot Sport 5
Relative Score 64 82
Dry 73 88
Wet 71 90
Snow 50 –
Comfort 62 75
Noise 59 45
Treadwear 53 82
Handling 58 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.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

P Zero

Pilot Sport 5

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

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 ZeroPilot Sport 5ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 97% #5/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 98% #3/8 · 2024 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test −0.5 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 100% #1/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 98% #4/6 · 2024 TopTireReview Best UHP Tyres for Asia Test +1.9 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 73% #16/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 86% #4/10 · 2023 AZ UHP Summer Tyre Test −13.1 Different tests
Noise Other 97% #18/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 93% #10/10 · 2023 AZ UHP Summer Tyre Test +4.0 Different tests
Price Other 66% #18/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 56% #13/13 · 2023 AutoBild Sports Car Summer Tyre Test +9.9 Different tests
Value Other 53% #20/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 70% #10/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test −16.8 Different tests
Wear Other 66% #15/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 88% #2/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test −21.8 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 17% #6/11 · 2010 Auto Express Ultra High Performance Tyre Test 100% #1/4 · Michelin CrossClimate 3 & 3 Sport vs Pilot Sport 5 vs Primacy 5 −83.3 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 93% #14/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 100% #1/9 · 2025 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test −7.4 Different tests
Subj. Comfort Subj 67% #14/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 91% #14/20 · 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test −24.6 Different tests
Total Cost of Ownership Total 0% #17/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 0% #8/20 · 2025 Auto Bild Summer Performance Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 99% #3/45 · 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout 95% #7/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test +4.0 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 99% #3/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 98% #6/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test +1.2 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A P Zero

Pros

  • Outstanding dry grip and handling performance
  • Precise steering feedback and high-speed stability
  • Good wet-weather braking and cornering when warm

Cons

  • Rapid and uneven tread wear, often requiring replacement much sooner than expected
  • Poor grip and unpredictable traction in cold temperatures (below 7°C/45°F)
  • Prone to tramlining and tracking road imperfections
All owner themes in the P Zero 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

Mixed

Community sentiment toward the Pirelli P Zero lineup is mixed across both automotive and cycling applications. Users frequently praise the tires for responsive handling, dry grip, and the value of newer all-season variants like the AS Plus 3, but strongly criticize their rapid tread wear, mixed wet-weather performance, and occasional durability issues like sidewall bubbling. Cyclists similarly appreciate rolling speed and comfort while noting significant difficulties with mounting tubeless beads.

Top themes
#rapid tread wear#sharp steering response#wet weather traction#difficult tubeless mounting#sidewall bubble issues#all season performance

Based on 282 community posts

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 B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available19466
Rim diameters17″ – 24″16″ – 22″
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG220 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli P Zero

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 — better treadwear, handling and wet. Pick the Pirelli P Zero if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 82 vs 53 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 83 vs 58 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 90 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scores 88 vs 73 on dry.

Tire A · Pirelli P Zero
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 5

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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

Leads

Pilot Sport 5

Amazon