www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=257 TIRE TEST RESULTS Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4: Winter Preview Drive February 29, 2020 Vehicles Used 2020 BMW 430i Gran Coupe So often, when we think of Ultra High Performance All-Season tires, we tend to focus on the "Ultra High Performance" portion. We picture enthusiast drivers installing UHPAS tires on their vehicles to provide some modicum of cold weather or light snow capability so their sporty vehicles can be driven year-round. With this grand image in our minds, we can't help but dream of a UHPAS tire that pushes the envelope in dry and wet traction and handling, and we tend to overlook the "All-Season" half of the equation. In reality, most UHPAS tires are used for day-to-day driving, including in the depths of winter. They're equally likely to be installed on a mass-produced family sedan as they are a niche sports car. The typical consumer of a UHPAS tire is far more concerned with traction in inclement weather than in adding a few mph to their speed on the on ramp, and it shows in our Consumer Ratings. Products that score highly in light snow traction consistently rank near the top of the category. Knowing this, tire manufacturers have placed an emphasis on improving the all-season performance delivered by their latest UHPAS products. Michelin stepped up the light snow traction considerably when transitioning from the Pilot Sport A/S 3 to the Pilot Sport A/S 3+, so it would be understandable if the latest generation, the Pilot Sport All Season 4, made modest improvements over its predecessor. Yet Michelin wasn't willing to settle for "modest improvements," and our team noticed a very intriguing figure in the company's performance claims for their new product - 10% better light snow traction than the outgoing tire. In the world of tires, a 10% improvement is monumental, so performance like that could potentially disrupt the status quo and change expectations from the category for the better. To get an early impression of the light snow traction delivered by the Pilot Sport All Season 4, select members of the Tire Rack team went to Circuit Mecaglisse in Quebec, where we performed some controlled testing in snowy conditions. Testing Acceleration and Braking Tires Tested Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate Our first test involved instrumented acceleration and braking runs on a groomed flat of hard-packed snow with a small layer of medium-packed snow on top. Our driver accelerated from a standstill up to approximately 22mph and then quickly applied the brakes to use the vehicle's ABS to bring the car to a stop. To help eliminate variables introduced by the surface and the ABS, our reported figures are from 5-20mph for acceleration and 20-5mph for braking. Tire 5-20mph Acceleration (seconds) 20-5mph Braking (feet) Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 6.7 61.7 Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate 6.2 60.1 Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 5.3 50.2 Subjective Track Drive Knowing that straight-line acceleration and braking traction are only part of the equation, we also performed a subjective drive around a short, rally-style track. Here, the Michelin again impressed our drivers. When driving the car equipped with the Pilot Sport All Season 4, the vehicle responded to inputs more directly, with less delay or imprecision that often results from a snowy surface. The front end authority was matched by lateral grip, as well, allowing the vehicle to hold the chosen line more confidently and carry more speed through all sectors of the track than when driving the other tires. With our unmodified BMWs on a tight, snowy track, understeer is more of a concern than oversteer. The Michelin tire helped mitigate front-end push experienced around the turns, though it wasn't completely eliminated, especially where the snow was deeper and had been churned by previous laps. Has Michelin changed the landscape of light snow traction in the Ultra High Performance All-Season tire category? We can't yet say with absolute certainty, but this initial impression indicates the Pilot Sport All Season 4 could be a game-changer. It's important to note this was a preview drive only, and we will reserve final judgment until we have the opportunity to perform a full Tire Rack test. In the meantime, we can confidently say Michelin's new UHPAS tire is a strong performer in light snow.
@@sszhao11Seen that. Not the same at all as UHP summer and UHP All Season on same wheel size and drivetrain. They used to always add a "standard" tyre for comparison. Pity they didn't on this one
Yeah I would love to know how much slower/less reactive an AS4 is compared to the PS4S and what not. Could be a series for every brand lol Conti dws vs extreme contact
SNOW TEST HERE! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-25VEv0YexGk.html *DWS06 not DW06 as in some of the graphics. Plenty more US bias content will be coming in the future :) If you're a fellow tire geek, you can find me at instagram.com/jonathan__benson
superb testing, work and vdeo editing. I'm a bit confused by the fact that in most tests we don't see Run Flat tires ? I would never go back to a normal tyre even if much less comfortable.
@@2Drezik There's not a huge amount of people interested in runflats due to lower levels of comfort and usually decreased wet performance and mpg, but I do plan on testing runflats vs normal tyres soon!
Michelin blew this test out of the water, only the Goodyear could keep up all around. I think either of those two would be great on my car or any high performance sedan, so long as snow isn't part of your winter driving.
Really good test! It could be interesting to compare the best four tyres of the test with the same brand UHP summer tyres. To understand how much performances loss between the two choices.
couldnt be any closer to relevant for me. I live in Texas with an f32 xdrive, using square 255 conti-dws 06's and love them so much, love your content man!
I would love to see these tested in snow and a final rating with all the data including snow testing. I’d also REALLY love to see the DWS06 and PSAS4 against dedicated snow tires.
i like you added tyre weight in the "tyres in test" list. and in the result segment i like you give every tyre your opinion and all the info you gained. Even though im not interested in all seasons, i found it very entertaining.
Thank you for this great review. Exactly the category I need. I still use dedicated winter tires, but going with an all season gives me a little more tread life and allows me to ride closer to spring and fall knowing it won't all fall apart with a little frost or a skiff of snow.
Great test and good vibe across The Atlantic. This summer(east EU) I had tested some US bias Bridgestone allseason tires mounted on Cooper S and sensation was like the one discribe by you with Bridgestone in test, heavy tire, noisy and uncomfortable ones. After one month I replaced them with a set of new Goodyear f1 asymmetric 5 and the joyfull came to the little Mini.
Great video! Love your ability to effectively articulate the dynamics of each tyre on test beyond the on paper results. Looking to replace my Dunlop Signature HP (UHP all-seasons) on my Audi A4 Quattro and this video has helped me decide to take the plunge and try these new Michelin PS4 A/S! Subscribed!
Great video & good info here..... Always wondered about the minute differences between UHP All Seasons and "Standard" All Seasons or even in comparison to All Weather; which would be a great video unto itself....
I have 185 65 14 tyres on my car. I'm watching purely to support and because the content is damn good and well made. congrats on becoming a household name on youtube for car tyre content! Thumbs up.
good review. i’ve chosen the conti’s for two reasons. first, i live in oregon and our winters are cold and wet. second, and more importantly, my local tire shop mark up on the goodyear and michelin was obscene. the bonus being the conti is the lightest of the three. thanks for the work you do. happy new year!
I too live in Oregon. I had the Conti before and honestly a great tire. Unfortunately mines are worn to the Dry/Wet marker. I just got the Michelin AS4 so far they feel great but only time will tell.
Great video mate. I have the goodyear eagle exhilarate in 245/40/19 and couldnt be happier. Spot on review again! You help so many of us and we appreciate it.
This is very useful info, especially looking to try sport tires after having flogged mountain roads on all season Michelin premiers and defenders(not as good) without ever seeing heat fade in hot or cold conditions.
Just bought 4x of continentals dws 06 plus tire for my 15 cls 63s. These tires came out after this particular review. I had a great experience with the the previous gen continental dws06 on my 12 cls63, in the moderate ny weather that can be a lot to handle when driving.
Super excited for this test since we are in the market currently for a uhpas tire .. I do wish the bfgoodrich comp2 a s was in the mix as the compound was just updated this year and we are looking at the new bfg comp2 as tire, goodyear exhilarates, and the ps4 all season
I had the old Continental DWS and now the DWS 06, loved the old one, the new one feels softer... However, it's meant to be a winter AWD option and it performs quite well.
As others have said, a control UHP summer tire would have perfected this comparison. I'd really love to see the difference between the Michelin and Goodyear UHP summer and all-season tires. I'm curious to see how well the summer tires do in wet driving and comfort/noise levels vs. the UHP all-seasons, as well as how much dry performance you are giving up with a UHP all-season vs a summer tire.
^^ This is pretty well known. The summer UHP tire will always have the edge in warm dry surfaces while wet performance and road manners are very similar to the A/S UHP. Once temps drop below 40*F the summer tire grip fades quickly while the A/S UHP stays viable down and below 20*F. If you have 4 seasons that dip well below 40F in winter and want a good all around tire choose the A/S. If you live in SoCal, AZ, FL, with mild winters typically above freezing the summer UHP will serve you well.
TBH none of these tires are designed to handle any more than a light dusting of snow. You really want an all weather tire like the Michelin Cross Climate. That said, it would be interesting to see just how poorly they either did or didn't handle snow. Maybe there is a UHP AS that might not be the outstanding performer here that does just well enough in light snow to be worth going for? Could be interesting to see.
@@KinaestheticDmaw I ran the DWS 06 on my cars. Great tire in the snow but sloppy in the summer. I'm now worn out pilot sports A/S 3+ They were actually good in light snow, not as good as the DWS 06. I'm trying something new with the Goodyears.
Totally appreciate the test! This is precisely the segment I was interested in and needed. Need your input on using these on front drive cars. Would it change? Is there a difference? Can you do a test on front drive cars? Thanks again. Great show.
I know most people use UHP all season on sporty type cars but they work good on CUV/SUV type vehicles such as my Ford Flex. It came with the DWS06 tires and work great especially in snow. T Ford Flex forum that I am in love the Continentals on there Flexes.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can never talk too long about the nuances between tyres! Two aspects to think about: 1. The detailed descriptions on how different tyres feel in comparison is what sets you apart. Raw data from tyre tests can be had anywhere, e. g. from a number of car magazines, but the way you are able to convey exactly how various tyres feel through the steering wheel is what makes you unique. 2. I suppose, people who are into this subject enough to watch these videos (like myself) are more interested in the subjective characteristics of a tyre than in outright performance. People who don't feel any difference anyway will look at braking distances, tyre geeks will look at subjective handling. I'd love to see tyre tests, which are even more in depth and longer! Dare to be different! Maybe splitting up such a test in multiple videos would be a possibility, if you fear making these videos any longer? Just my two cents. Keep up the great work! Nr. 1 tyre information resource in the world!
Thanks! This was a very helpful video. I just had the Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate 245/45/18 installed on our Hyundai Kona Turbo (Ironman). What a difference compared to the stock Eagle Touring. At launch the Touring would easily spin until grip, then chirp at second gear. It was annoying having to feather all the time. Well, the Exhilarate just pulls at peddle to the metal, no spinning unless I launch and turn. The tire makes the car feel decisive, responsive, and secure. It feels sporty when you want, but not distracting when you don't want it. I didn't do a 60 - 0 stopping test. But dramatically slowing the car down at road speeds was really good. The difference between the Exhilarate and Touring is VERY much worth the upgrade. As for the rough road feel. The Touring didn't really hide the fact the road was crap. As for the Exhilarate, it seems any raised road bumps are shocking and attention getting (distracting). I avoid potholes (more fun now) but the smaller rough road holes don't feel as bad. So road dips feel better than bumps. I don't plan on finding the limit of these tires as the Kona is my wife's car. I don't need to find the limit to have fun going quick. It is reassuring that the tire will always grip my levels of push.
I got the Bridgestone over the Michelin because I got a $130 discount on a set of 4 and they are rated for another 5-10k miles which is important because I commute to work. With that being said, if there is no discount on the top 3 I would probably get the Goodyear because of comfort next time.
@tyrereviews, Love your channel, instantly subscribed. Interesting thought that I wanted to share with you. My extended family tends to go with Continental UHP AS tires and we're mostly spread out across the West Coast of the US. I mention that because it rains at random times, year-round in most parts of California and seemingly weekly in Washington state. Due to the lack of extreme winter, we've found that the Continental tires let us drive "swiftly" in all weather types without fear of hydroplaning, loss of control due to unexpected situations (other people texting and driving - or swerving into your lane, deer, bicycle, kids etc). Basically, we want to be able to DRIVE our cars, push them a little, stretch their legs on occasion but not discover that a great dry tire becomes unpredictable -in ANY way- when the roads get wet; let alone tries to kill somebody with unexpected braking or steering limitations. As you're probably guessing, Continentals usually meet our needs for HIGH performance All-Season tires, specifically. Anyway, my point is this, your accent definitely sounds British, and it's my understanding that you guys get MUCH more of the wet stuff than California. That being said, I noticed you personally tend to prefer a tire based PRIMARILY on dry performance, so long as the wet and snow aren't too bad... essentially, your highest requirement is driving feel and control in DRY weather. While I can sympathize and appreciatea car that has that feeling in the dry, I would have to also assume then that your target audience is more of the full-on performance enthusiast tire buyer, as opposed to (perhaps) bankers, grocery store employees, soccer moms and retirees, etc. So maybe what I'm wishing is, would you agree with this assessment of target audience? Aslo, If not, what are your feelings about tire selection for the wider range of buyers? Do you think that tire buyers should have a specific value system or hierarchical set of priorities in tire selection? These are clearly thoughts Id prefer to kick around in person, in fun conversation, but life is life sometimes so we have to share ideas remotely 🤷♂️ Anyway, thank you for the awesome videos, would love to hear your thoughts!
Imagine my surprise when you mentioned that the test took place in San Angelo. LOL. My kids live there! Great sleepy little city. Not much going on there other than the Goodyear proving grounds and the Air Force Base with no runway. LOL. It does gets pretty hot for sure. Another great review!
Dear Tyre Reviews, please do a bunch of reviews on Eco Tyres such as the Continental EcoContact 6, Bridgestone Ecopia, Dunlop Enasave, and some other similar grade tyres from other brands. Cheers!
I had the Eagle Exhilarate on my 2016 GTI, and they were a big step up from the Continental ControlContact Sport A/S tires that were on it before. I was genuinely impressed at how much grip they had in the corners, and they felt great, too. Not too noisy either, which is a plus. I would absolutely buy them again. And I might, because my new GLI has terrible Hankook Kinergy GT tires on it from factory.
Michelin pilot sport all season 4 are so good and I got them for a crazy good deal at Costco driving in the rain is like I’m not even in rain. And the grip is outstanding!
Nice review. This has helped me narrow down my research for my 2016 QX50 (245/45/R19). The only other tire I’m interested in besides the Michelin Pilot Sport is the Yokohama Advan Sport.
Awesome review! I've been using the Goodyear EXHILARATE and been thinking of trying out the Michelin pilot all season sports 4. I'm still on the fence since the Goodyear tires are a bit more affordable with not much of a compromise in performance.
Thought about Goodyear until I remembered how they treated conservatives. They went woke. They banned everyone from wearing a Trump or MAGA apparel at work, but allowed workers to wear BLM and LGBT and out of left wing propaganda messages on the walls. I will never support any company that does that, left or right. Michelin or Bridgestone for my next tire.
Still interested in a wear test with summer, all season and winter UHP tyres. Would have been interesting to see, how the rubber looked like after you drifted them around the dry handling corse there and how that effected performance.
Hey John, I only just now see that this video exists! for the first time! :D Awesome! I grab myself a Swiss non-alcoholic Appenzell beer and go check out the video. Winter greetings from Switzerland Maurice
Many thx ... super useful as finally, finally, finally my engine-swap car project is nearing the end & I'm thinking about tires. I live in Winnipeg in Canada & our 'summers' are 4 months long ... before & after that temperatures dip into the 'danger' range for pure-Summer UHP tires. The problem isn't only the hardening of the rubber: a number of years ago I splurged on a set of Summer Potenza Pole Positions in the late summer, & drove them into Oct/Nov (before the snow came, tho) ... there were any number of sphincter-tightening moments before they warmed up, but even worse the rubber itself started to de-laminate from the cold, which was an expensive lesson in tire construction to learn ... I've since found that most tire makers advise you not even to STORE your summer tires at below-zero temperatures. I assumed I would be buying Michelins, but I've been hearing good things about the Gdyear Exhilarates as being very well-rounded (as opposed, I guess, to square tires) ... probably the most fun set of tires I ever had was a set of Nexen (a budget Korean brand) UHP Summer tires I put on an RX-7 20 years ago or something: they'd probably come last in any of the categories you tested in, but all the categories were in the same ballpark, if that makes sense, and it made it easy (& fun) to drive at the limit. Cheers.
I'm so glad I found a test with the new PSAS4. I've been leaning toward these as my next set, with the Goodyear's being in second. I would like to have seen the PZero AS+ considered as well, but I think 7 tires is plenty for 1 video lol Also from my own research, the 4's have made a significant improvement over the PSAS3+ with regard to snow performance, which were already a class leader in that regard if I remember correctly. Anyway, the PSAS4's are about 10% improved in snow performance, which is a monumental step to take for a single generation of tire. And where I live I can get the PSAS4's for $161/tire in the proper size. Although, after doing a little more research, apparently users are reporting significant drops in MPG's with the PSAS4's. Just something to think about.
I have the Bridgestones and I have about 1/3 of the tread left after 35,000 miles. I still like them and they still perform well. When I bought them, the Michelin was unavailable in the size I need. Now they are available. Debating between the Michelin and another set of bridgestones before the winter season starts. The Pirelli Pzero’s would be another I’d consider but I can’t find them discounted as much since Costco (I buy on Black Friday) sells only the Bridgestone and Michelin’s.
I agree with you on the Contenintals. I just got some which are the new plus models and it's the same. The jello effect is annoying. You basically can only go about 80mph, anything beyond and you're in that jello effect feel again. I went 100mph for what maybe 4sec. They are good wet tires.
A good showing for the Goodyear Eagle 🦅 Exhilarate😎...... we just put a set of these on our Tesla Model 3 Performance for year-round use in Denver and so far they've been excellent tires for the price and definitely cheaper than the Michelin👍
Glad you like them! if you get the time please leave a review at www.tyrereviews.co.uk/submit.htm?match=Goodyear-Eagle-Exhilarate as we don't have any yet!
Great content and information. Just subscribed. Which all season tire would be best for my 07 Lincoln MKZ (225/50R17) for traction, ride/comfort/quiet, the Continental Extreme or the Michelin Defender?
I just bought the PA51 a week ago. Well partly because it was on sale... Well I bought the RE980 for another car a free months back, while it was on sale as well ...
Snowwwww haha nice video man, I actually fit the continental dws06 to my m4 as a winter tire. Not for real snow use, just in case I get caught I can make it home, also it is far superior in the wet and cold, to be far that’s compared to a cup2 so yeah not a lot of competition there
Really great review. Regarding noise, it could be less subjective by using your phone and an App to measure the sound levels, maybe if the sound was measured from the same spot, or hung near the driver's head. You've already gone through all the hoops to record all the other data that recording sound decibels from the same phone/mic would be a really good comparison between tires and very informative. I'm also really impressed that you stayed as unbiased as possible, with Goodyear lending you their facilities, but they didn't even get the top spot. Can't wait for the winter snow performance. Out of curiosity, would you be able to measure the tire wear and gas mileage after these aggressive tests? For comparison purposes only.
@@vollcare4076 Agree - I got them in 245/40/19 after they ranked #1 here on Tyre Reviews and I love them 11/1 - 4/1 year 2 now 6,500 miles on them still like brand new...
@@vollcare4076 2019 Infiniti Q50S Red Sport AWD. I hated the Dunlop Runflats and took them off after month 1.. Went with Continental Extreme Contact Summer tires 4/2 - 10/31 and Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 for winter 11/1 - 4/1 now in my 2nd winter. I live in Virginia, USA with all 4 seasons.
Great review! My last set were the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 (36,000 mi) and my current set is the Kumho Ecsta PA-51. The Cooper's were extremely well-balanced but ran out of tread fast! I drive a 2012 Camry so I'm not racing on backstreets. It's wet grip was surprisingly high. The winter was a let-down. It handles snow fine bit no match for ice. That said, if they weren't so expensive now, I would have bought another set. I really, really like these tires. Just had the Kumhos for about 150 miles. Feels agile and grip seems strong while dry. Wet driving during recent drizzle is confidence-inspiring. I will update during these Oklahoma winters that feature much more ice than snow.
Be careful. I'm in Dallas so I have the same obnoxious weather and cold morning commutes. If possible I would just avoid going out in the ice. It seems only winter tires do much of anything and our weather swings far too much to invest in a set of winter tires unless we have a lift and are prepared to do many swaps through our bipolar "fall" and "spring" seasons. How are the PA-51s treating you?
Great test mate, thanks for great content. I need some help about decision for "winter" tyres for my BMW G20 330d 2020 rear wheel drive powertrain. Here in Croatia we have maybe 10 days with snow and temperature is about -3°C to 18° but most of the time is about 3°C - 8°C. Can you suggest what tyres you will recommend for dimension 255/40/R18 at Rear and 225/45/R18 at Front?
Love getting to see an option for high performance and all season. Currently running Michelin PS4S tires and looking for something I can drive in cold temps and possibly get more than 15k miles on a set. Love everything else about them though on my 5.0 GT/CS.
No this sounds good... living in Southern Spain and driving a Range Rover, I want a summer tyre that can handle a little bit of winter rain down to about 1 degrees C in the mountains, while coping with 40 degrees through the summer and giving a sport performance 👍
Excellent review. Those vans high tops even better. Just bought the Goodyear Eagle exhilarate for my 2014 cadillac ats performance 3.6 with only 27000 miles on her. Replace the original Michelin run flats. Just hated those tires. Looks like I made the right decision. Running fronts at 37 lbs , rears at 40. Just driving home from the dealer, I noticed how quiet they were. I might buy the Goodyear F1 for just summer driving, those look sexy.
Some snow testing would be interesting too. Its an all season over all and most of my friends fron the US do not even know winter tires, even the ones that live in a part of the US where they even have snow in the winter. Nice test like always! Very professional.
For now I'd stick to using my bridgestone blizzak in winter and Michelin pilot in summer, but all season tyres have gone a long way, hopefully in future the difference will be not enough to justify two sets of wheels
Same here: NOKIAN STUDDED HAKI, AN good ( GOODYEAR AND NOKIAN, SUMMER tires... )....here in HELENA Valley MT...though I have not digested all high PERFORMANce tires informations
Really enjoyed this. On a different topic have tyres changed enough in 15-20 years to divert from manufacturers pressure recommendations on older cars? Are these still good guidelines?
As usual,great job. Just a suggestion.an aspect not evaluated (challenging I recon, difficult and time demanding) is the wear. But what about showing the tires before and after the tests? It may give at least a qualitative idea of how they perform,where wear concentrate (a separate wet/snow handling test with a worn tire will also be interesting..asking too much lol)
I've thought about showing tyres after testing, but given we push them so hard, it's not really a fair display of how they'll be in the real world, as some tyres which will be great on the road, really don't take track punishment well
@@tyrereviews Well, yes. Surely these tyres will hardly see the track, but still UHP. Overheating may be an issue for a 4 season one during hot summers, at least in south Europe. Even if all completely destroyed, still indication that none shall be considered for a sporty-summer use.
