Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs 4s: If you are a fan of max performance tires, you will definitely heard about the Michelin Pilot Sport 4. It was launch in 2015 and has won countless of press test every since. However in 2017, Michelin came out with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S which is aim to replace its pilot super sport series. However as both of them claimed that they are ” number one in dry lap time, dry braking, wet lap time & wet braking” you might be confused who is actually the real number 1? Let’s find out by doing a head to head battle of Pilot Sport 4 vs 4s
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Pilot Sport 4 vs 4s
Results below were taken from Tyre Reviews “2021 Tyre Reviews UHP Summer Tyre Test! A total of 3 tires were tested on Michelin’s track in South of France. The graph below shows the comparison between Michelin Pilot Sport 4 vs 4s based on the relevant performance category. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
The tire size of interest is 225/40R18 which is a common tire size for Audi A3 & Mercedes-Benz A 200. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle of choice is the highly sporty Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Wet
Ah wet surfaces …. This is the part where tires truly shines as every millimeter of braking distance is a potential accident avoided. From the test results, Pilot Sport 4 has a 1.2% advantage when it comes to wet braking in comparison with Pilot Sport 4S. While in wet handling a similar margin was also observed. However when it comes to aquaplaning, the tables have turned as Pilot Sport 4S is 2.3% better than Pilot Sport 4.
Pilot sport 4S:
- – 1.2% in wet braking
- – 1.2% in wet handling
- + 2.3% in aquaplaning
Dry
When it comes to dry performances, Pilot sport 4S has a slight advantage over Pilot Sport 4 with a 2.3% dry braking edge. While the dry handling was extremly close with Pilot Sport 4S being only 0.5% faster in the lap times.
Pilot sport 4S:
- +2.3% in dry braking
- -0.5% in dry handling
Rolling Resistance
For a maximum performance tire, you would expect rolling resistance to be a low priority for both the tires. However the Pilot Sport 4 could still muster a strong performance with a 12.5% better rolling resistance compared to Pilot Sport 4S.
Pilot sport 4S:
- -12.5% in rolling resistance
Noise
Exterior noise performances for both tires were also close with Pilot sport 4S 1.9% worse than Pilot sport 4. Noise is usually not the main concern for high performance tires as they are already at a very quiet level with a very low void in their pattern.
Pilot sport 4S
- -1.9% in exterior noise
Price
Due to its product positioning of Pilot sport 4S, it is priced at a much higher premium compare to Pilot sport 4 . From our data base, it ranges from 27%-50% depending on the tire size. With a close to 50% increase in cost for Pilot Sport 4S, consumers definitely have to think about the cost benefit ratio they are looking for.
Tire size: 245/40 R18
Pilot Sport 4 : $262
Pilot Sport 4S: $248
Difference: -5.6% more cheaper for Pilot Sport 4S.
Summary
Pilot sport 4 is clearly the best wet performance tire. However the Pilot sport 4S has a slight advantage in dry through its dry braking performance. As the Pilot sport 4S cost around 27%-50% more, in my humble opinion the price tag does not fit the extra performance given by Pilot sport 4S. The clear winner is Pilot sport 4 !