2024 Tire Tests

• 2nd 2024 Sports Car Tire Test (295/30 R20)

2023 Tire Tests

• 3rd 2023 Sport Auto UHP Tire Test (225/40 R18)

2022 Tire Tests

• 2nd 2022 Tire Reviews UUHP Summer Tire Test (255/35 R19)

2021 Tire Tests

• 1st 2021 Tire Reviews UHP Summer Tire Test (225/40 R18)
• 1st Should You Fit OE Tires? Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs 4S * (BMW) (275/35 R19)
• 1st 2021 Sport Auto UHP Summer Tire Test (275/35 R19)
• 1st 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tire Test (235/35 R19)
• 3rd 2021 Auto Bild UUHP Summer Tire Test (265/35 R20)
• 3rd Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 vs Michelin X-Ice Snow (245/40 R18)
• 5th Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs Cup 2 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 vs 3R vs Toyo R888R (305/30 R19)

2020 Tire Tests

• 1st OE vs Aftermarket - Is the tire your vehicle came with always the best tire? (265/35 R19)
• 1st 2020 Auto Bild UHP 19 inch Tire Test (265/35 R19)
• 1st 2020 UHP, UUHP and Track Day Tire Test (245/35 R19)
• 1st 2020 EVO UHP Summer Tire Test (235/35 R19)

2019 Tire Tests

• 2nd 2019 Sport Auto 20 Inch UHP Tire Test (245/30 R20)
• 2nd 2019 Tire Reviews UHP Summer Tire Test (265/35 R19)

2018 Tire Tests

• 1st 2018 Auto Bild 20 inch UHP Tire Test (245/30 R20)
• 1st 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tire Test (265/35 R19)
• 1st 2018 EVO UUHP Tire Test (235/35 R19)
• 3rd 2018 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tire Test (265/35 R19)

2017 Tire Tests

• 1st 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tire Test (245/40 R18)

Reports

Questions and Answers for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

2016-10-06 - What sizes does it come in?

A full list of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S launch sizes can be found here.

2017-04-23 - Which are the differences between Michelin pilot sport 4 and Michelin pilot sport 4S?

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is the larger, more performance orientated version of the Pilot Sport.

2017-10-03 - ust wondering where the directional indicator is on these tires ? All I can really find is the word "outside" which seems to suggest the tires can be run on both Left and Right sides of the vehicle.. Is this correct ? I recently had 4 tires fitted and when I look at the tread pattern from the rear of the vehicle, the outer tread grooves slant up on one side, whilst on the other side they slant downwards.. Just checking to see if this model of Tire is actually Asymmetrical, and when looking at the tire pattern from the rear, they should flow in the same direction ? Overall - do Michelin make these tires in both Left and Right variations ? or only one variation ?

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is an asymmetric tire, and are mounted based on outside and inside. There are slight variations of tread directions when looking at left and right side tires mounted, but these have no affect on performance.

2018-02-22 - How have people found the 4 and 4S for driving from cold? I have used Asymmetrics 2s which will need replacing soon and would miss the fact that they seem to have the full complement of grip from the first turn of the wheel ,wet or dry. (Car is a B7 RS4).

The warm up of the 4S is incredibly impressive from cold on my M3. It's mentioned in the latest youtube video here

2018-04-23 - I have a 1-year old AMG C63 which will shortly need new tires all round. After research I would like to fit Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires all round but they don't come in a size for my rears. My fronts are 255/35 ZR19 and the rears are 285/30 ZR19. Do you think it would be okay to fit Pilot Sport 4S tires to the fronts and Pilot Super Sport to the rears? Neither tire comes in both the sizes I need. If it is not a good idea to fit these two types what would you recommend? My car currently has Continental ContiSport Contact 5P all round but these are wearing out so quickly. My annual mileage is about 6 - 7,000 miles of which a number are not done too gently. Thanks for your assistance.

I'd be more inclined to fit the PSS all round (you can get it in your front size) as I find a balanced car key to driving enjoyment. There's sadly no current plans for 285/30 R19 PS4S.

2018-07-22 - what would be the recommended camber angles for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires 235/45/17 for track day use on a rwd car? I know that exact number depends on car suspension etc, but can you please give me the reference point.

Camber angles are so vehicle and application dependant it's almost impossible to give an accurate starting point. As with any performance tire, using camber and pressures to ensure the tire is heated evenly is key. My starting point would likely be a little more negative camber than the OE settings and go from there.

2018-08-27 - Will the PS4S be available in 18" in the near future? I'd like to substitute the Potenza S001 on my 147 GTA by the PS4S but they aren't available and I don't want to spend the money in some PSS and that in a few months the release them. Thank you very much

There's no official date for 17 or 18 inch versions of the PS4S in Europe, but there are rumours it is coming! I wouldn't rely on seeing it before 2019.

2018-08-31 - I am driving a 2018 Mercedes E63s sedan. It came with Pirelli P zero tires. Even in comfort mode the car is extremely harsh for ride quality. I am looking to replace them with a set of tires that would give me the best ride quality over everything else. Is there a better soft riding tire for this car than the Michelin pilot sport 4s. Thank you.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 is regarding as a very comfortable tire in certain sizes so worth checking out, but the 4S is the best all round tire available at the moment.

2019-05-06 - Will these PS4s be good for BMW 530d GT F07 for daily use, highway, city traffic? (20" size)

The PS4S is a great option for daily use.

2019-07-02 - Any news on if and when the PS4S will be available in 17" or 18"?

There's rumours a few 18" sizes will be available at some point in the future, but don't expect a lot of key sizes as they have in America. Michelin are happy with the PS4 covering this size range.

2019-08-16 - Hello, I have a Mercedes C63 with the 19” wheels, currently on MPSS which are fabulous although could be a little better for traction in the cold and wet. I don’t track the car just want solid road driving and enhanced wet weather grip. Would you recommend MPS4s or the new GoodYear supersports? Loved your recent film which leads me to believe the Goodyear are even better in the wet?

According to our test, the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport should offer a little more wet traction than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. More tests will hopefully confirm this next year!

2019-09-27 - Hi Jonathan, first of all thanks for the excellent tire review videos and this great website! First question: how big is the difference between getting a Michelin Pilot Sport 4S with the BMW star indicator in comparison to a Michelin Pilot Sport 4S without any indicator or even a wrong indicator like MO for a BMW? Would be great to see a video on this with a BMW M2!!! Second question: how do you exactly measure stopping distance? When for example in the video it gives the average stopping distance for 100-0kph at which speed did you hit the brakes? At +6kph? And why don’t you measure 100-5kph as the german stopping distance DIN recommends? And how many brakes do you do to get an average? And do you just read the braking distance from the race logic instrumentation or do you use a different calculation like the MFDD (mean fully developed deceleration) to determine stopping distance? And which Instrumentation with how much Hz do you use? Thanks a lot in advance and keep up the fantastic reviews!

That's a lot of questions, so I'll summarise. Email in if you'd like more details.
1) Sometime very little differences between * and AO etc marked tires, sometimes a lot. You'd have to test on a case by case basis. 2) We always start braking at a higher speed, usually +5-8, and usually measure down to ~5kph due to ABS systems effecting the last few km/h. Sometimes we calculate down to zero, sometimes we just show the 100-5 distances. 3) We usually do 5-7 good braking runs to average per set. 4) Instrument depends on test location. Usually it's racelogic.

2019-12-05 - Hi I'm looking to buy Michelin ps4s for my TTRS but I've noticed the EU rating of C and E does this make a big difference to the performance of the tire.

The difference between a C and E grade in wet braking can be very small in the real world (grade D isn't used), but where possible always buy the newest version of the tire.

2021-07-04 - Recently replaced the pretty worn and aging Pilot Sport PS2 N2’s on my Porsche 997 Carrera S with PS4S. Sizes are 235/35/19 and 305/30/19. For whatever reason, the fronts were only available in a ‘DT1’ version. I was hesitant but went ahead with them. Having driven 200 km on them, so far I absolutely hate them. Turn in is so vague and indirect, simply changing lanes in the dry at normal speeds almost felt scary. I can’t find any good info on that DT1 version. These are my first 4S tires. Will things improve with mileage, different pressures, is it the DT1 (only front, rear is non-DT1) or is it just I made a mistake and should get PS2’s again? Thanks for any advice!

This is a common complaint about the PS4S. I'd suggest upping the pressures slightly on the front to try and compensate. The tires will bed in more, however it's unlikely they'll feel like the N specific PS2 sadly.

2021-07-26 - Where can I find the spec when it comes to the Run Flat characteristics of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S?

Sadly I've never seen any runflat tires tested.

2021-11-13 - I’d appreciate some tire advice please. Wanting to change my F82 M4 competition tires from PSS to PS4S, as I have these on my Cayman and they are excellent. Weirdly though, I can only find the 285 30 20 rears in BMW homologation, not the fronts 265 30 20. I’m persuaded by your videos that OEM is better due to the R&D, but combining OEM with non-OEM on a different axle probably defeats the point. Is it better to just put the generic PS4S on both axles or generic front and BMW rear? Thoughts appreciated, thanks.

I'm not sure the F82 ever got the 4S officially, you're finding the rear of the G82. As you've seen in the video, they're quite different tires so I would probably choose to match all four tires with non-oe. Or fit a set of G82 wheels and use the 19" front :)

2022-01-30 - Last week I was pricing out a set of Pilot Sport 4S for my Cayman only to learn that Michelin have just announced the Pilot Sport 5. I can hold off for a month or two and was hoping the team at tire-reviews.com could comment on the new tire. Are you likely to get your hands on the Pilot Sport 5 anytime soon?

The Pilot Sport 5 directly replaces the Pilot Sport 4, not the 4S which is a even-more performance orientated tire. I will hopefully get on the PS5 in March, but I expect for a Cayman the PS4S or one of the direct rivals such as the Sport Contact 7 will be the better option.

2022-08-01 - Is the PS4S in 295/30-18 an N-rated tire?

If there is an N rated version in 295/30R18 the retailer should display that marking.

2023-07-04 - Dear Jonathan! What would you choose for a heavy RWD sporty grancoupe as a rear tire for long, spirited road travels: -roads are horrible (holes everywhere) -Want to avoid wobbly-sponge rear when cornering PS4 or PS4S? I cannot decide. Noise is the same, and S is much better, but not quite sure if PS4 less rigid sidewall makes it too wobble, and unconfident when cornering hard , or it is manageable, and the win in comfort is big. Or the other way around... So how do they behave? PS4 is just a bit more comfy, and still solid, confident, or the PS4S is not much less comfy, but has a rock solid rear feeling. I would want both... but i have to choose. :D

Personally I would have the PS4S. It's less wobbly than the PS4 but still more comfortable than some of its peers.

2023-07-21 - I have a 2020 BMW 3 series 320d Msport Touring (G21). I currently have 19" run flat tires and looking to replace them with non run flat tires. I am looking into purchasing the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 or 4s. However wanted to ask whether the star (*) rating would bare any significant difference as its not a M Performance car and whether to consider the Michelin Pilot Sport 5? Most of my driving is commuting to and from work on the motorway and inner city driving. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

The non-M versions of the tires are certainly not as tuned as the M versions, however they are still tuned. That said, if you spend a lot of your time commuting you might appreciate the extra comfort, tread life and wet grip of the aftermarket PS5 when compared to the OE fitments.

2023-11-01 - I drive a 2023 BMW 128ti fitted with Bridgestone Potenza S 235/35x19. Car has done 5k miles. I find these tires unbearably noisy with a harsh ride. I’m looking at replacing with either Michelin PS4 (£184) and Continental Sport 7 (£158). Prices from black circles. According to your tests the Continental is the better tire but says the Michelin is quiet. Although the results are very close I can’t see anything which says how quiet the Continental is. Comfort and refinement is a priority but there is also some difference in cost which I am willing to pay if you feel there is a marked difference between the 2 tires. Your comments would be appreciated.

You are asking the question on the Pilot Sport 4 S page but you say PS4, which is the Pilot Sport 4. This will be the most comfortable of the three. Of the PS4S and SC7 it will be very close with the edge probably in favour of the Michelin. If noise and comfort is a priority fitting a touring bias tire like the Primacy 4 will yield better results.

2024-02-06 - My Michelin PS 5 front tires only protrude 4 mm outside the alloy rim. Will a PS 4 give me more rubber to protect the rear rims from gentle kerbing? I appreciate nothing will protect the rims from a serious kerbing.

Kerb protection can actually vary based on the pattern AND tire size (and even OE marking) so while some PS4S tires might have good rim protection, some might have none. The Bridgestone Potenza Sport seems to nearly always have good rim protection.

Ask a question

We will never publish or share your email address

To verify you're human please type the word you see above in the box below.

Ask a question >>