Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S vs Pirelli P Zero PZ4
The P Zero PZ4's story is more nuanced: in several group tests it can look genuinely competitive (particularly in wet handling feel and agility), and it often brings a quieter, cheaper ownership proposition. But results also show bigger swings depending on spec/production (including OE-marked variants), with at least one modern test calling out a meaningful grip deficit versus today's front-runners-an important consideration if you're buying for outright performance rather than refinement or price.
Test Results
Independent comparison tire tests are the best source of data to get tire information from, and the good news is there have been nine tests which compare both tires directly!
| Tire | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S | eight | |
| Pirelli P Zero PZ4 | one |
While it might look like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is better than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.
Key Strengths
- Consistently stronger braking performance, especially wet (wins 7/9 wet-braking results; e.g., 30.7 m vs 37.0 m in Sport Auto 2025)
- Top-tier dry performance and repeatability (wins 7/9 dry handling; praised for steering linearity and consistent lap times in AutoView 2025)
- Well-rounded road manners for the category (comfort wins in reported tests; strong subjective dry scores such as 15 vs 9.6 in AutoView 2025)
- Generally better efficiency/rolling resistance in these datasets (wins 5/6 rolling-resistance comparisons, including a large margin in Sports Cars 2025: 7.8 vs 10.6)
- Often stronger wet handling metrics and subjective wet agility (wins 6 wet-handling comparisons; e.g., higher wet handling speeds in Sports Cars 2025: 82.7 vs 79.7)
- Quieter on average in objective noise readings (wins 5 noise comparisons; e.g., 61.8 vs 62.7 dB in AutoView 2025)
- Typically better value on price where listed (wins 4/4 price comparisons, sometimes by a wide margin, e.g., 111 vs 181 in Sport Auto 2023 dataset)
- Strong aquaplaning resistance in some fitments/tests (notably Sport Auto 2025: better straight and curved aquaplaning than Michelin)
Dry Braking
Looking at data from nine tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during eight dry braking tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S stopped the vehicle in 1.64% less distance than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Dry Braking: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [s]
Looking at data from five tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during four dry handling [s] tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was 1.24% faster around a lap than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Dry Handling [s]: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during three dry handling [km/h] tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was 0.07% faster around a lap than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Dry Handling [Km/H]: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from three tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during three subj. dry handling tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scored 10.18% more points than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from nine tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during seven wet braking tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S stopped the vehicle in 5.9% less distance than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Wet Braking: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during three wet handling [s] tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was 0.47% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during three wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was 1.89% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best In Wet Handling [Km/H]: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Wet Handling
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during two subj. wet handling tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 scored 6.67% more points than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
See how the Subj. Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Circle
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 had 1.28% higher lateral wet grip than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best In Wet Circle: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
See how the Wet Circle winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from seven tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during four straight aqua tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S floated at a 1.23% higher speed than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Straight Aqua: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Curved Aquaplaning
Looking at data from six tire tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during three curved aquaplaning tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 slipped out at a 2.67% higher speed than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best In Curved Aquaplaning: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
See how the Curved Aquaplaning winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from three tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during two subj. comfort tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scored 7.48% more points than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Subj. Noise
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during one subj. noise tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scored 2.08% more points than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Subj. Noise: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Subj. Noise winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from seven tire tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during five noise tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 measured 0.99% quieter than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best In Noise: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Price
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 was better during four price tests. On average the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 cost 20.85% less than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Best In Price: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
See how the Price winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from seven tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S was better during five rolling resistance tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S had a 8.16% lower rolling resistance than the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S Driver Reviews
Across 139 reviews, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is most often described as a top-tier max-performance summer tire with outstanding dry grip, class-leading wet traction/braking, and high-speed confidence. Many drivers also report surprisingly good ride comfort (especially vs runflats) and strong tread life for the category. The most repeated drawbacks are high purchase price and a softer, sometimes vague turn-in/steering feel, with some also noting higher noise on coarse surfaces and that it is unsuitable for snow/ice.
Based on 158 reviews with an average rating of 85%
Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Driver Reviews
Drivers generally describe the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 as a strong ultra-high-performance summer tire with excellent dry grip, sharp steering response, and confident braking, with many also praising its stability and refined noise/comfort when new. Wet grip is often reported as good in mild conditions, but a sizeable minority say confidence drops on cold, damp UK-style roads and especially as tread wears down. The most consistent complaint is fast tread wear/short life, and many also call out weak aquaplaning resistance in standing water.
Based on 89 reviews with an average rating of 74%
Replace very very good Yokohama V105 one year old.
To try them out.
First-class comfort (top) + rolling silence
A little above the Yoko on the dry,
In the rain, they are incredible ! Well above all that I have tried :
Dunlop RT, PS3, Yoko V105, Hankook V12 K110.
No idea about wear again ... The +:
- Braking (this is a big highlight)
- Motricity
- Handling
They are equipped with protections of the rims although the option is not specified (in France).
The sides are stiffer than the PS3 for... Continue reading this review using the link below
Conclusion
The Pirelli P Zero PZ4 makes its best case if you value a more “wet-agile” feel and day-to-day refinement, and if price matters. It wins wet handling more often (6/8 recorded wet-handling comparisons) and is frequently quieter (5/7 noise wins), and it's commonly cheaper in the tests that report price. However, its braking performance-especially in the wet-can be a deal-breaker depending on version and batch, and several reports mention weaker feedback or indirect steering versus the leaders. Practical takeaway: choose the Pilot Sport 4 S if you want the most dependable high-grip, high-confidence performance envelope; consider the PZ4 mainly when you're optimizing for cost/refinement and you're confident you're buying a strong, current-spec fitment (and you don't need the very shortest wet stops).
Key Differences
- Overall consistency and test outcomes heavily favor Michelin (8 overall wins vs 1 for Pirelli across shared tests), suggesting a broader, more dependable performance envelope for the PS4S
- Braking is the clearest separator: Michelin wins dry braking 8/9 and wet braking 7/9; in the worst-case shared example, PZ4 wet braking is ~6.3 m longer (37.0 m vs 30.7 m, Sport Auto 2025)
- Pirelli more frequently leads in wet handling feel/speed (6 wins), while Michelin more often leads in dry handling (7 wins) and tends to feel more linear/communicative at the limit per multiple write-ups
- Noise/refinement tends to favor Pirelli (5 noise wins), while comfort scoring where reported tilts to Michelin (notably in AutoView 2025)
- Efficiency varies by test and spec: Michelin usually has lower rolling resistance (wins 5 comparisons), but AutoView 2025 highlighted Pirelli as exceptionally efficient-indicating version-dependent outcomes
- Spec/fitment sensitivity appears higher for PZ4 (OE-marked/harder-compound examples show major wet-braking deficits and more understeer/indirect steering), whereas PS4S results are more consistently near the top
Overall Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:
Footnote
This page has been developed using tire industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tires in the same test.
Why is this important? Tire testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tire Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.
Discussion
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