Hankook Ventus R-S4 vs Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240): We have covered the semi-slick track day tires segment quite a bit with the introduction of Bridgestone Potenza Race & also the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS. We made a comparison between the newly launched Potenza RE-71RS and its predecessor to show the improvement gains of the new product. Now we would like to pair another premium competitor, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) against one of its segment rivals, Hankook Ventus R-S4. We will go through both wet & dry surfaces with various objective & subjective tests and also a comfort test.
Hankook Ventus R-S4 was launched in 2018 and it is a dedicated North America product. In the meantime Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) was launched in 2020 with the main focus on track day performances. Without further ado, let’s put these 2 tires head to head and find out who comes out on top !
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the tire rack’s “Testing More Extreme Performance Summer Tires 2020” test. A total of 4 tires were tested this time around in Tire Rack’s own proving ground. The graph below shows the comparison between Hankook Ventus R-S4 vs Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) based on the relevant performance category. The Ventus R-S4 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 a 245/40R18 which is a common tire size for Audi A4 & Mercedes-Benz C 200 Amg Line. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle for this tire test is a 2020 BMW F36 430i Gran Coupe.
Dry
When it comes down to track day performance tires, you immediately connect to a picture of a “racing car” driving at the limit on a race track. This is exactly what these tires are all about, they are trying to optimize their dry track performances while balancing the wet legal trade off. Ventus R-S4 has a slight advantage in dry baking as it managed to out brake Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) by 0.9 feet (0.27m). This distance cumulative over time is big as every braking point in the lap accumulates over a race not to mention it will also enable better overtaking opportunities.
While in the dry handling area, both tires were equally matched as Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) only slightly edged Ventus R-S4 by 0.02 seconds. Both tires scored almost the same in subjective terms with a rating 8.44/10 for Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) and 8.38/10 for Ventus R-S4 but the devil is in the details. Below is some of the feedback from the test driver.
Ventus R-S4:
Thanks to its consistency from lap to lap, the Hankook’s average lap time was just a breath behind the Michelin. The steering wasn’t quite as satisfying as the other tires in the test, as it is slightly non-linear in both feel and delivered response. Additionally, the Hankook feels like it wants to rotate more than the competition. It’s not twitchy, so it is easily corrected or incorporated into the driver’s strategy, but it regularly wants to provide some slow, gradual oversteer.
Test driver feedback on Ventus R-S4
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240):
What we found was a tire that seemed very well suited to driving on track, but likely not a top competitor at the highest level of autocross use. Very strong front end authority also favored smaller, less abrupt inputs. This discipline was rewarded with balanced and neutral handling through turns of all types and quick reflexes through the slalom. Driving with big inputs and too much enthusiasm, however, often resulted in understeer. When driven as the tire demanded, the result was satisfying response from the front end and excellent balance mid-corner with just the right amount of on-throttle rotation. Additionally, the braking traction and modulation were nearly as good as any tire in the test, and the Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) confidently put the power down on corner exit
Test driver feedback on Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240)
Overall both tires were very competitive in dry and there is not much in between them with Ventus R-S4 being only slightly better in dry braking compared to Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240).
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) :
- -1.2% in dry braking
- +0.3% in dry handling (subj)
- +0.1% in dry handling (lap time)
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. With regards to our comparison, Ventus R-S4 had the lead in wet braking by stopping 2.7 feet (0.82m) earlier than Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240).
While in wet handling, Ventus R-S4 maintained its advantage by being 0.42 second faster compared to Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240). However, for the subjective rating, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) was rated slightly higher with 6.88/10 points compared to a lower 6.69/10 of Ventus R-S4. Overall in the wet category, Ventus R-S4 has an advantage in wet braking while both tires were really close in wet handling.
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) :
- -2.1% in wet braking
- +1% in wet handling (subj)
- -1.2% in wet handling (lap time)
Noise/Comfort/Ride Quality
Ride comfort, noise & comfort was tested and Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) showed clear advantage over Ventus R-S4. Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) scored a 7.2110 rating compared to the 6.25/10 rating of Ventus R-S4 with the biggest difference coming in the noise category with a 1.75 points deficit.
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) :
- +4.8% in average of Noise, Comfort & Ride Quality.
UTQG rating
We have previously shown that UTQG tread wear rating can be a good indication of your expected mileage. Below are the UTQG values of both of the tirelines.
| Brand | Tireline | Size | Tread Wear | Traction | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hankook | Ventus R-S4 | All | 200 | AA | A |
| Michelin | Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) | All | 240 | AA | A |
With the (240) sign on display in Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) name, Michelin signifies its commitment in semi slick track day wear by having a 240 UTQG tread wear rating value compared to the standard 200 that most Ventus R-S4 & other competitors have. As the tires are used for people who frequently visit the track, it makes absolute sense to not provide any mileage warranty. With a higher UTQG tread wear rating & indirect marketing, we expect Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) to have a higher expected mileage compared to Ventus R-S4.
For more in depth information about UTQG, please check out this article here. We even have a free download on the latest UTQG values from the leading tire manufacturers.
Price
Being the undisputed technology leader, we would expect Michelin to command the highest priced tire in the market. This was in alignment as Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) was found to be 68 dollars more than Ventus R-S4.
Tire size: 235/40R18
Ventus R-S4: $248
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240): $316
Difference: +22% more expensive for Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240).
Summary
Overall both tires performed quite close with not much in between them. Ventus R-S4 was stronger in wet & dry braking while Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) was good in nice. Taking into consideration the max performance segment and also pricing, in our opinion Ventus R-S4 is the winner in this duel as it slightly edges Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect (240) in wet & dry braking.