Bridgestone Turanza T005 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5: We saw previously how well the latest Michelin Pilot Sport 5 performed against Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 in our previous head to head coverage. This time around we would like to pair Pilot Sport 5 with an old guard in the form of Bridgestone’s Turanza T005.Pilot Sport 5 which was launched this year in 2022 has been well received in press tests by winning 1 out of 1 tests it has competed in European soil. Turanza T005 on the other hand was launched in 2018 and has also achieved success in the press test circuit over the years. Without further ado, let’s put them head to head and see who comes out on top !
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the 2022 Tyre Reviews 17 Inch Summer Tyre Test. A total of 9 tires were tested on the Goodyear’s track in France. The graph below shows the comparison between Bridgestone Turanza T005 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5 based on the relevant performance category. The Turanza T005 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 tire A is graded 7 while tire B is graded 6, A is better than B by 5%. The tire size of interest is 225/45 R17 which is a common tire size for Audi A3 and Hyundai Elantra. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle of choice is the highly sporty Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Dry
One of the most important performances when it comes to the ultra ultra high performance segment is to have a very strong dry showing. In dry braking, Pilot Sport 5 managed to out brake Turanza T005 by 0.9m. Pilot Sport 5 finished 3rd in the leaderboard ranking for the dry braking category. Things went in the same direction when it came to dry handling criteria as Pilot Sport 5 was quicker by 1.1 seconds compared to Turanza T005. From a subjective point of view, Pilot Sport 5 was rated +1.3 points better than Turanza T005.
Pilot Sport 5:
Pilot sport 5 was easy to drive, safe understeer balance, GREAT levels of grip… but just not that sporty
Test driver feedback on Pilot Sport 5
Turanza T005:
Had high levels of understeer, once they were sliding they took a long time to recover, and it gave up all their grip on the first lap then started getting too hot and lost about a second a lap.
Test driver feedback on Turanza T005
Overall from the results, it is clear that Pilot Sport 5 dominated the dry category !
Pilot Sport 5:
- +2.7% in dry braking
- +1.2% in dry handling (lap time)
- +6.5% in subj dry handling
Wet
Safety has always been the main theme when it comes to the need for wet performances. In objective wet braking, the Pilot Sport 5 once again took the initiative by out braking Turanza T005 by 2.5m. Similar trend followed in aquaplaning as Pilot Sport 5 had a better slipping speed of 87.4 km/h against Turanza T005’s 83.67km/h. Michelin once again showed they are top of the class when it comes to aquaplaning by finishing on top of everyone else in the test.
Pilot Sport 5 continued its strong dominance in wet by beating Turanza T005 in wet handling performances. Pilot Sport 5 was 0.45 seconds faster in terms of lap time while having a higher subjective wet handling rating of +1 point compared to Turanza T005. Pilot Sport 5 tops the charts when it comes to subjective wet handling performances leaving everyone behind. Overall, Pilot Sport 5 showed clear advantage in all wet categories by out-pacing Turanza T005 in all of them.
Pilot Sport 5:
- +8% in wet braking
- +0.7% in wet handling (lap time)
- +5% in subj wet handling
- +4.5% in straight aquaplaning
Noise & Comfort
In the noise vibration & hardness criteria, Turanza T005 was the best comfort tire with a maximum subjective rating of 10/10 while Pilot Sport 5 only managed a 9.8/10 score. In exterior noise, we saw a big deficit as Pilot Sport 5 was 1.8 dB quieter than Turanza T005. This is definitely something that you can not ignore and have to be considered if noise is one of your main requirements.
Pilot Sport 5:
- -1% in comfort
- +2.5% in exterior noise (+1.8 dB)
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. This is where we witness the biggest percentage margin as Turanza T005 was way better with a rolling resistance coefficient of 7.01 N/kN against 8.84 N/kN of Pilot Sport 5. As pointed out in the test notes, Turanza T005 is a touring segment tire which understandably has a higher requirements in rolling resistance than a ultra high performance tire.
Pilot Sport 5:
- -20.7% in rolling resistance
Price
Tire price for both tires are as below:
Tire size: 225/45 R17
Pilot Sport 5: €100
Turanza T005: €91
Difference: +9% more expensive for Pilot Sport 5.
Summary
Overall, Pilot Sport 5 showed great strengths in wet, dry & noise. However Turanza T005 was not far behind with better comfort & rolling resistance. As mentioned earlier, as we are comparing 2 different segments it is hard to determine a winner. If wet & dry performances are your top priority, Pilot Sport 5 would be perfect. However if rolling resistance and comfort is required, Turanza T005 would be recommended.