Continental Sport Contact 7 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4S: From our previous announcement of Continental’s new ultra high performance tire line “Sport Contact 7“, we have been waiting excitedly to know how well this tire performs compare to the rest of the pack. The wait is finally over, tyrereviews.com has published the first official results of Sport Contact 7 !
We will match the Sport Contact 7 with one of the best well known tire of this segment with Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4S. This tire has been around since 2017 and it is relatively “old” compared to the new Sport Contact 7. We know comparing against the predecessor, Sport Contact 7 had made major improvements in both dry and wet categories. Let’s see how well this hold up in the press test.
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 Sport Contact 7 vs Pilot Sport 4S based on the relevant performance category. The Pilot Sport 4S 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 especially dry braking and dry handling which was incorporated in both our 2 tires. Sport Contact 7 edges the Pilot Sport 4S in both dry categories. In dry braking, Sport Contact 7 managed to brake 0.56m earlier than the Pilot Sport 4S which could potentially provide huge savings in terms of lap time. While in dry handling, there were only separated by 0.34 seconds in lap times.
Sport Contact 7:
- +1.7% in dry braking
- +0.7% in dry handling
Wet
When it comes to wet, the key theme 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. True to its promise of increase wet capability, Sport Contact 7 managed to dominate Pilot Sport 4S in both wet braking and wet handling.
The highest deficit recorded in the test comes in the form of wet handling. As unbelievably as it sounds, Sport Contact 7 managed a lap time quicker than Pilot Sport 4S around 8 seconds ! This is one of the largest deficit seen for the front runners. 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.
Sport Contact 7:
- +5.5% in wet braking
- +9.5% in wet handling
- -1.7% in straight aquaplaning
- -6.2% 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 Sport Contact 7 was -0.5 points down at a rating of 9/10. While the Pilot Sport 4S is also better in exterior noise by being 0.5 dB quieter than Sport Contact 7.
Sport Contact 7:
- –0.7% in exterior noise (+0.5 dB)
- -2.5% 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. The Pilot Sport 4S is clearly better in terms of rolling resistance at about 5.5% better compared to Sport Contact 7.
Sport Contact 7:
- -5.5% 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 Sport Contact 7 is 23% cheaper than the Pilot Sport 4S.
Tire size: 255/35 R19
Pilot Sport 4S : €187
Sport Contact 7: €152
Difference: -23% more cheaper for Sport Contact 7.
Summary
With the latest updated technology, Sport Contact 7 truly reveals its strong performance in both wet and dry criteria. Being a relatively old tire, Pilot Sport 4S managed to hold its ground in terms of aquaplaning , noise/comfort & rolling resistance. Overall from our point of view the clear winner is the Sport Contact 7 with its strong wet braking performance!