Bridgestone Potenza Sport vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4S: From our previous dual involving the 2022 Tyre Reviews UHP test, we know without a doubt that Continental’s new ultra high performance tire line “Sport Contact 7” is a beast and clearly is the best UHP tire in the test The question we would like to ask in this article is who is the second best? For this topic, we have brought in our veteran Pilot Sport 4S and pair it against another strong contender Bridgestone’s Potenza Sport. Let’s see how well both of these tires do in a head to head battle.
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the 2022 Tyre Reviews UHP summer tire test. A total of 10 tires were tested on the Continental track in Germany. The graph below shows the comparison between Potenza Sport vs Pilot Sport 4S based on the relevant performance category. The Potenza Sport was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
Note that for subjective comfort evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if the tire A is graded 7 while tire B is graded 6, A is better than B by 5%. The natural scaling does not really make sense in evaluation whereby the max number is 5. The tire size of interest is a mixed fitment 255/35 R19 and 275/35 R19 rear tires which is a common tire size for high end sporty cars such as Audi A5 Sportback & Mercedes-Benz C 300. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information.
Dry
When you think a about a highly sporty tire, you will immediately picture a “racing car” driving at the limit on a race track. This has transcended into a strong requirement for dry performances which was the main theme for both tires. Pilot Sport 4S clearly out brake the Potenza Sport with a margin of 1.7m while in dry handling the Potenza Sport was the quicker just by a fraction of 0.13 seconds. The superior dry braking capabilities of Pilot Sport 4S did not transcended automatically to a better lap time as you would thought off.
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +5% in dry braking
- -0.3% in dry handling
Wet
The key theme when it comes to wet has also been about safety safety safety. Apart from having the longest braking distance conditions during wet, the possibility of loosing control due to aquaplaning phenomena is also a threat. Both tires were equally matched in wet braking whereby the Pilot Sport 4S stopped only earlier by 0.5m compared to the Potenza Sport.
While in wet handling, the Potenza Sport outdone the Pilot Sport 4S by 2.5 seconds. The Potenza Sport made the driver work hard but still provide sufficient grip to produce a stunning lap time. However the tables are turn when it came to aquaplaning as the Pilot Sport 4S gained an upper hand in both straight and curved aquaplaning.
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +0.9% in wet braking
- -2.8% in wet handling
- +1.4% in straight aquaplaning
- +3.2% in curved aquaplaning
Noise & Comfort
In the noise vibration & hardness criteria, Pilot Sport 4S takes the lead. The Pilot Sport 4S ws more comfortable with a subjective rating of 9.5/10. The Potenza Sport was the worse comfort raking tire in the test with a score of 8/10. While the Pilot Sport 4S is also better in exterior noise by being 1.4 dB quieter than Potenza Sport.
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +1.9% in exterior noise (-1.4 dB)
- +7.5% in comfort
Rolling Resistance
When it comes to extreme sporty tires, rolling resistance is definitely not something the user has in mind when purchasing the tire. However with the sustainability topic being more prevalent, it is good to know where they stand. With the biggest deficit in the test, the Pilot Sport 4S is tremendously better in terms of rolling resistance at 13.8% better compared to Potenza Sport.
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +13.8% in rolling resistance
Price
Being the undisputed technology leader, we would expect Michelin to command the highest priced tire in the market. This was reflected somehow as the Potenza Sport is 25% cheaper than the Pilot Sport 4S. I guess the price of the tire truly reflects the performance gap in this case.
Tire size: 255/35 R19
Pilot Sport 4S : €187
Potenza Sport: €139
Difference: +25% more expensive for Pilot Sport 4S.
Summary
Overall, the Pilot Sport 4S was clearly the best in all performance criteria apart from the wet & dry handling. Its biggest drawback comes in the form of price which could play a huge factor during your purchasing decision making. Overall from our point of view, the Pilot Sport 4S in this case is worth every penny. The clear winner is the Pilot Sport 4S !