Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV

This review is intended to be a comparison of the same tire on different cars, having experienced a full set of PS4 SUV with my previous Q5 from start to end. In this case, I progressively installed a front pair (due to a front puncture of the OE tires), then a rear pair (due to wear of the OE tires) on my Q4 e-tron which I have had for about 2 years. So this is for anyone cross-referencing the same tire but who would like to find out the difference between a regular car and an EV.

Usually, SUVs come with regular tires, some sporty but most of them are SUV-fitted tires. My previous full set of PS4 SUV on the Q5 was preceded by the OE, then Latitude Sport. I found the improvement from one to the other very good, and never once was fuel consumption questioned because the figures were similar.

However, this time, I have progressively installed summer performance SUV tires on my EV over the original EV-specific tires (Turanza Eco). As Jon has highlighted before, the half-half setup of front performance and rear EV-specific tires gave rise to a fun (but technically less safe) oversteering car which did not impact the energy consumption too much. I was getting about 6.4km/kWh for the first 10000km with full EV tires, then about 5.9-6.1km/kWh for about 20000km on the mixed setup, which has gone down to 5.5-5.7km/kWh on the full PS4 SUV setup.

Apart from the figures, I feel that my Q4 e-tron is not rolling as efficiently as before as the tires just feel a bit heavier. I'm jabbing at the accelerator fractionally longer, and not getting the same about of regeneration. Numerically, going from 6.4 down to 5.7 is not a great deal (just 10%), it does bother me as a numbers person. Over time, my decision to prioritize a higher performing tire is going to cost me a bit more in the wallet. However, it also took a little bit of fun away from getting good consumption numbers to which I will have to get used to during the life of this tire, which I expect to last at least 35000km. So far the fronts have eked out 20000km and the tread is still looking good, while the new rears have done less than 1000km.

At the speeds I'm allowed to drive, which is less than 100km/h, with frequent tropical rain, I don't think that my car really needs the full PS4 performance, and I'm thinking of switching to the PS5 Energy when the time is up for this set. I mean, it still feels great on the road, the grip is fantastic, and the braking is really stable and straight, but I'm not sure they are a good match for an EV.

Overall, these are great tires. If consumption or rolling resistance is not your priority, they are still suitable for EVs. However, if you are an EV driver and want to save on costs and can give up a bit of grip for an EV-specific tire which will perform almost similarly, you will be rewarded with exactly that.

General Performance & Longevity
Mileage & Age: Purchased in September 2021, production date 0521. Currently at 95,000 km.
Driving Style: Mostly gentle driving, with occasional hard acceleration when necessary.
Dry/Wet: Surprisingly good grip in the rain; not prone to hydroplaning.
Comfort: Noise and comfort levels are acceptable/average.

️ Winter Performance (Latitude 40°N)
Conditions: Average winter temp of -7°C.
Traction: As expected for non-winter tires, they struggle significantly on snow ("sliding for sure").
Braking: Noticeable increase in braking distance in cold weather. I actually had a minor rear-end collision due to extended braking distance, costing me $50 in damages.

️ Durability & Weaknesses
Sidewall: The sidewalls are quite soft. This is the tire's biggest weakness.
Damage: I have scrapped 2 tires due to curb rash. One had exposed cords, and the other had a direct puncture in the sidewall.
Aging: The tread is now showing fine cracks (or weather cracks), likely accelerated by the freezing winter temperatures.

Verdict
After 5 years, they are definitely due for replacement. While the longevity is impressive, the soft sidewalls and lack of cold-weather braking safety are significant downsides.
Maybe I should repace a all season tire.

My Lexus RX 450H+ came with Dunlop SP Sport Max fitted from new and the fronts have lasted a little over 18,000 miles getting to the wear indicator, the rears having around 5mm tread left but one of the rears had a bubble on the inner sidewall hence, the decision to change all 4 with Michelin offering £100 cash back making them good value compared to Bridgestone and Dunlop. Not many other brands offering this Tire size from stock.

The Dunlop's never felt sure footed in the wet, they weren't bad but neither were they good however, in colder wet conditions the front would lose grip quite easily and living in the UK, these are very often the conditions we find ourselves in.

The Pilot Sport 4 SUV tires immediately sound a little quieter which is a nice surprise but the main advantage being the front end has more authority, turn in is a little sharper and there is a smidge better feel through the steering wheel.

Wet grip is vastly improved over the Dunlop's, accelerating from rest in damp conditions results in front end traction that the Dunlop couldn't handle unless being easier with throttle input.

In all, while I can't yet provide any feedback on longevity, I am much happier with the Michelin's.

Dry grip is quite good, and so is the wet grip - similar to the two Continental PremiumContact 7:s that I've had in the past (I wanted to try something new, and the PremiumContact 7 isn't available in the 235/50R20 size I needed).

They're objectively somewhat noisy (recorded 72 db at 125 km/h in a Lexus NX 450h+ at an o-k road surface - that's not good for such an insulated car), but the "subjective noise" is quite good (as in, they're not grating to listen to for hours). The tire sound has a high-but-not-that-high frequency (the continentals I'm used to have a bit more of a low-frequency "rumble" sound).

But they clearly got there by having a really soft sidewall (despite having the variant rated for the highest speeds). Turn-in is slow, and at the limit they feel extremely wobbly (even if they still manage to hold on well and lose grip somewhat progressively). In a panic scenario in the rain I could see someone overdriving the tires and then overreacting in the other direction and then crashing due to the late response and wobbly nature.

It's the quintessential Michelin tire - it grips well, doesn't sound too loud, is fairly progressive at the limit, so on paper it's all good, but... it feels really bad to drive on. I would pick Continentals every day of the week.