Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs 4S – Wet Weather
In the battle of Pilot Sport 5 vs 4S tyres the Pilot Sport 4S tyres have the edge in the dry. But how do they compare in wet weather? Is the Pilot Sport 5 a better tyre for wet countries?
To find out I’m looking at the Tyre Reviews website to see how each of the Pilot Sport tyres compare to the Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres.
The data sources I am using is as follows.
Potenza Sport vs Pilot Sport 4S
Potenza Sport VS Pilot Sport 4 S – Tyre Reviews and Tests
2023 AZ UHP Summer Tyre Test – Tyre Reviews and Tests
2023 AutoBild Sports Car Summer Tyre Test – Tyre Reviews and Tests
Here is a summary of the results.
| Pilot Sport 4S | Pilot Sport 5 | Potenza Sport | 4S vs PS5 | |
| Wet Braking Meters | 39.3 | 39.6 | ||
| Wet Braking Meters | 39.9 | 38.1 | ||
| Wet Braking Meters | 39.1 | 41.2 | Draw | |
| Wet Corner Speed | 76.98 | 80.03 | ||
| Wet Corner Speed | 84.8 | 86.9 | PS5 | |
| Wet Lap | 78.17 | 76.55 | ||
| Wet Lap | 67.8 | 66.5 | PS5 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 80.45 | 79.38 | ||
| Straight Aquaplaning | 77.9 | 77.8 | ||
| Straight Aquaplaning | 77.1 | 80.3 | 4S | |
| Curved Aqua mtrs/s2 | 2.69 | 2.64 | ||
| Curved Aqua mtrs/s2 | 2.96 | 2.72 | PS5 |
Results – Pilot Sport 5 vs 4S
Wet Braking
When using the Potenza Sport as a benchmark for wet braking the 4S and PS5 look about equal. But it should be noted that in one test the PS5 is better than the Potenza Sport, and in another test the Potenza Sport is better than the PS5. Some inconsistency here.
DRAW
Wet Corner Speed
The Potenza Sport beats the PS5 and S4s. But it beats the PS5s by less.
PS5: 1 – 4S: 0
Wet Lap
The Potenza Sport beat the PS5 and 4S. But it beats the PS5s by less.
PS5: 2 – 4S: 0
Straight Aqua
In one test the PS5 beats the Potenzas, in another test the Potenzas beat the PS5s. Some inconsistency here. But the 4S beats the Potenza by a greater margin than the PS5s.
PS5: 2 – 4S: 1
Curved Aqua
PS5 beat the Potenza Sport by a bigger margin than the 4S. The PS5 also won the test for this category
PS5: 3 – 4S: 1
Conclusion – Pilot Sport 5 vs 4S
The two tyres are very closely matched but the PS5s just edges the PS4S. In wet conditions.
If you are looking for a year-round tyre and you don’t go on track, I think the Pilot Sport 5 are the tyres to go for.
If you are looking for ultimate dry weather grip at the expense of performance in the wet, the Pilot Sport 4S is probably the tyre to go for out of the two.
But having said that, the Potenza Sport may be better than both the Michelin tyres.
