Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S vs Pilot Sport 5

Michelin has paved the way for tyre innovation since the brand was founded back in 1889.

This is showcased through their Pilot Sport tyre series, a popular range of summer tyres produced by Michelin since 2001.

Two recent Pilot Sport models that has seen various degrees of success for the French tyre brand is the Pilot Sport 4 S and the Pilot Sport 5.

These two premium summer tyres are two of the most sought after tyre models on the market due to the performance capabilities of both the Pilot Sport tyres.

This article will outline each tyre’s main components, comparing each model to see how the stack up against each other.

Pilot Sport 4 S Overview

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is a popular summer tyre manufactured by Michelin since 2017.

It has acted as a high performance version of the Pilot Sport 4 since its release, being designed to optimise more spirited road driving performance.

Michelin’s Dynamic Response Technology is developed through the Pilot Sport 4 S, enhancing the tyre’s longevity and handling responsiveness.

It’s not just the Dynamic Response Technology that improves the performance of this tyre – Michelin’s Bi-Compound Technology heightens performance throughout both wet and dry weather conditions. The Michelin technology also enhances on-track performance.

Car models like the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz A-Class have chosen the Pilot Sport 4 S as an Original Equipment (OE) tyre, further emphasising how revered the tyre is.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S replaced the Michelin Pilot Super Sport upon the tyre’s release.

Pilot Sport 5 Overview

The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is also a summer tyre produced by Michelin since its release in 2022.

Acting as a replacement for the Pilot Sport 4, the Pilot Sport 5 is also developed with Michelin’s Dynamic Response Technology, giving the tyre greater levels of steering responsiveness and driving performance.

The tyre’s tread features Michelin’s Dual Sport Tread Design, making the tyre have an inner tread that has large longitudinal grooves. Braking is enhanced through the PS5’s tread design, optimising both wet and dry braking performance.

The tyre model’s sidewall is designed with a Premium Velvet Touch Sidewall design, giving the Pilot Sport 5 enhanced dry braking performance.

The Michelin tyre model has been chosen as an OE tyre for many popular cars, such as the Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Golf.

Tyre Label Ratings

Tyre label ratings are an EU regulated ranking system that is put in place to outline the performance capabilities of a tyre model. Ratings may vary between different tyre sizes.

The 3 performance categories that are rated are as follows:

Fuel Efficiency – Ranked A to G

Wet Grip – Ranked A to G

Tyre Noise – Ranked with numbers and A to C/Decibels (dB)

Pilot Sport 4 S Label Ratings

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S has fuel efficiency ratings ranging between B and D, with C being the most common rating.

Wet grip ratings for the Michelin tyre is mostly A or B.

Tyre noise levels of the Pilot Sport 4 S are anything between 71B and 74B.

Pilot Sport 5 Label Ratings

The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 has a consistent rating of C across all tyre sizes for fuel efficiency apart from 275/45 R20 tyres.

Wet grip ratings for the PS5 is A across all tyre sizes.

Tyre noise levels are mostly 72B across all tyre sizes, with 285/40 R19 tyres having a noise level of 75B.

Pilot Sport 4 S Awards

Michelin has accumulated many awards, recognitions, and tyre tests wins over the years, with the Pilot Sport 4 S being at the forefront of the tyre brand’s success.

A recent success of Michelin’s high-performance tyre is their back-to-back wins at the 2022 and 2023 DriverReviews annual customer choice awards. At both the 2022 and 2023 awards, the PS4 S was named ‘Best Tyres for High Performance Cars’.

Along with the high-performance category, the Michelin tyre model has also seen success in the overall tyre category. This is shown through their ‘Overall Tyre’ award the Pilot Sport 4 S won in 2020 at EVO’s annual tyre test awards.

All in all, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S has been highly praised by industry experts since its release, with their awards and tyre test wins emphasising the fact of it being a great performing tyre.

Pilot Sport 5 Awards

Much like the Pilot Sport 4 S, the Pilot Sport 5 has spearheaded Michelin scooping awards and positive tyre test results in recent times.

Speaking of the DriverReviews annual customer choice awards, the Pilot Sport 5 was named as “Highly Recommended” in the ‘Best Tyres for Hot Hatches’ category. In that same customer choice awards, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was tagged as “Commended” for ‘Best Tyres for Large Family Cars’.

Upon its release in 2021, the Pilot Sport 5 was awarded with the prestigious ‘Contemporary Good Design’ award from the Red Dot Awards. A big factor in this award was the PS5’s deep black velvet appearance on the tyre’s sidewall.

With the tyre model being at still quite a young age, the Pilot Sport 5 has helped Michelin establish themselves as a top summer tyre manufacturer.

Customer Reviews

Powered by DriverReviews, our customers are given the chance to review their previously purchased tyre model.

The categories in which our customers review their latest tyre are:

• Overall
• Would the customer buy the tyres again
• Does the car feel better to drive
• Were the tyres value for money

Pilot Sport 4 S Customer Reviews

To the date of writing, over 4500 Blackcircles.com customers has provided Pilot Sport 4 S reviews:

• Overall rating of my tyres – 4.8/5
• I would buy the same tyres again – 4.8/5
• The car feels better to drive – 4.6/5
• The tyres were value for money – 4.2/5

Pilot Sport 5 Customer Reviews

Over 2000 of our customers have reviewed the Michelin Pilot Sport 5:

• Overall rating of my tyres – 4.7/5
• I would buy the same tyres again – 4.7/5
• The car feels better to drive – 4.4/5
• The tyres were value for money – 4.2/5

Pilot Sport 4 S Common Tyre Sizes

• 235/35 R19
• 255/35 R19
• 285/30 R20

Pilot Sport 5 Common Tyre Sizes

• 225/40 R18
• 245/35 R18
• 205/40 R17

Pilot Sport 4 S Common Car Models

• Volkswagen Golf
• Volkswagen Golf GTI
• Audi S3

Pilot Sport 5 Common Car Models

• BMW 1 Series
• Ford Fiesta ST
• BMW 3 Series

Price Ranges

Prices for tyre models will typically vary between different tyre sizes.

Fully fitted prices for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S range from £178.98 to £487.26.*

Fully fitted prices for the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 range from £119.37 to £293.11.*

*Please note that prices stated are as of today’s date and may fluctuate in time (29/04/24).