Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs Pilot Sport 5

Michelin have been a leading tyre manufacturer for a number of years now, paving the way for tyre technology and innovation.

The French tyre brand has various recognisable tyre models, with their Pilot Sport series being at the forefront of their successes in recent times.

For Pilot Sport tyres, the Pilot Sport 4 and Pilot Sport 5 have boosted the tyre series’ reputation for being one of the most efficient and popular summer tyres today.

But how does the predecessor compare to its successor? That’s what we’ll find out today when comparing both the Pilot Sport models.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Overview

The Pilot Sport 4 is a summer tyre produced by Michelin that was launched in 2016.

The summer tyre has been a very valuable tyre model in Michelin’s model line-up, having specialty features to tackle both dry and wet conditions.

Michelin developed the Pilot Sport 4 with Dynamic Response Technology, giving the car more responsive and precise steering.

Longevity of the tyre is also a strength for the model, as the hybrid aramid and nylon belt enhances the tread pattern. This gives the tyre improved longevity, offering more mileage for the model.

The Pilot Sport 4 has been chosen as an OE tyre for many car models over the years, such as the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Tesla Model 3. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 replaced the Pilot Sport 3.

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Overview

The Pilot Sport 5 is a premium tyre model released globally in 2022 that acted as a direct replacement for the Pilot Sport 4.

Michelin’s flagship summer tyre model is also equipped with Dynamic Response Technology for maximum levels of steering reactivity and driving precision.

The summer tyre features Dual Sport Tread Design with an inner tread that contains large longitudinal grooves. This gives the tyre enhanced levels of performance in both wet and dry braking.

Along with the tread design, Michelin has equipped the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 with their Premium Velvet Touch Sidewall design, giving the tyre model a sleek tyre sidewall design.

The Pilot Sport model has been chosen as an OE tyre for various car models, including the Volkswagen Polo.

Tyre Label Ratings

Tyre label ratings are the EU regulated ranking of tyre performance based on three main categories. Label ratings may vary between tyre sizes for every tyre model.

The three main categories for performance are:

Fuel Efficiency – Ranked A to G

Wet Grip – Ranked A to G

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

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Label Ratings

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 has fuel efficiency label ratings range from A to D, averaging a C rating across all sizes.

The wet grip ratings are mostly A, with some sizes having a rating of B.

Tyre noise ratings vary between the sizes, with the lowest being 70B and the highest being 73B.

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Label Ratings

Michelin Pilot Sport 5’s fuel efficiency ratings are C across all tyre sizes apart from 275/45 R20 tyres that have a fuel efficiency rating of B.

Wet grip ratings for the Pilot Sport 5 is A across all tyre sizes.

The tyre noise rating for the model is 72B across all tyre sizes, apart from 285/40 R19 sized tyres that have a noise rating of 75B.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Awards

The Pilot Sport 4 has been critically acclaimed by many, naturally leading to various awards and tyre test wins.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 claimed the best in ‘Overall Performance’ from ADAC’s comparative test in 2020, still years after the products first release in 2016.

Along with the Pilot Sport 4S (the sport version of the Pilot Sport 4), the Pilot Sport 4 was awarded with ‘Best Tyres for Hot Hatches’ at the 2022 DriverReviews Awards.

In 2022, the Pilot Sport 4 finished 1^st out of 11 tyres in the AutoBild Sports Cars UHP Summer Tyre Test, showing how well equipped the Michelin model is on high-performance vehicles.

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Awards

The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 also has many awards and tyre test wins since its release in 2022.

At the 2023 DriverReviews Customer Choice Awards, the Pilot Sport 5 were “Highly Recommended” in the ‘Best Tyres for Hot Hatches’ category, as well as “Commended” in the ‘Best Tyres for Large Family Cars’ category.

The Michelin model also won the ‘Contemporary Good Design Award’ from the Red Dot Awards in 2021 ahead of its global launch.

As the Pilot Sport 5 is a relatively new tyre model, there is still a lot of time for the tyre to gain many more awards in the coming years.

Customer Reviews

Powered by DriverReviews, our customer review process for our customers is broken down into the following categories:

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

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Customer Reviews

• Overall rating of my tyres – 4.7/5
• I would buy the same tyres again – 4.7/5
• The car feels better to drive – 4.5/5
• The tyres were value for money – 4.3/5

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Customer Reviews

• 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

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Common Tyre Sizes

• 225/40 R18
• 225/45 R17
• 235/40 R18

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Common Tyre Sizes

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

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Common Car Models

• Volkswagen Golf
• Volkswagen Golf GTI
• Audi S3

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Common Car Models

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

Price Ranges

Prices for both these Pilot Sport models will vary between tyre sizes.

Fully fitted prices for the Pilot Sport 4 ranges from £105.79 to £329.11.

Fully fitted prices for the Pilot Sport 5 ranges from £114.83 to £305.82.

*Prices for tyre models may fluctuate, with prices stated being from today’s date (10/01/2024).