Overall Rating
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 Tire
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tire provides a reliable grip in a variety of seasons. This helps to minimize the stress of switching to winter tires when seasons change. I consider this an extraordinary advantage for its users.
Typically, ultra-high performance (UHP) tires are extraordinary in the automotive industry. The Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tire manifests this capacity and even much more. I can boldly say that this performance tire delivers in all ramifications. Its dry and wet traction are nothing short of excellence.
No matter your all-season needs, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 got you covered. Did I forget to remind you that switching to winter tires won’t be necessary with this tire? Oh yes! For mild winter conditions, these tires are more than enough for your needs. However, you may need dedicated winter tires for moderate to extreme cold.
Besides its eco-friendliness, its flexibility remains during winter temperatures. Thanks to its Helio Technology, which utilizes advanced biodegradable materials for enhanced grip in cold temperatures.
Nevertheless, this tire appears to be relatively pricey. Its tread life is not the best in its category. But here’s my candid opinion: If you desire an overall satisfactory experience for your sports vehicle, consider the Michelin Pilot Sport AS 4 tire.
Suitable for
Not Suitable for
What Do Customers Say About Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 Tires?
Overall, many customers seem to be satisfied with the Pilot Sport All Season 4’s top-notch performance. They continuously sing its praises for the excellent performance in light snow and heavy rain.
However, others have reported a slight decline in fuel economy. Still, some consumers think the previous model, AS3+, possessed more “on rails” feel than the AS4.
Lastly, another category of users reported accelerated wear. However, they seem to be happy with the sporty performance.
Most users don’t mind buying the new Michelin Pilot Sport tire again irrespective of its high price. The premium performance that it delivers outshines its drawbacks. This is also proved by its high sales volume.
Pricing and Availability
The Pilot Sport All Season 4 costs between $182 and $550. Some users describe this price range as expensive. However, I think the price is commensurate with all the superior performance features the tire offers. Personally, I’ll choose this tire over and over again if I own a sports sedan or SUV.
Specifications of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 Tire
- Category: Ultra-High Performance All-Season
- UTQG: 540AAA
- Maximum Speed: 186 MPH
- Treadwear Warranty: 6 Years / 45,000 Miles
- Workmanship & Materials Warranty: 6 Years / Free replacement first year, 2/32″ or 25% of wear, then prorated until 2/32″ remaining depth.
- Manufacturer’s Road Hazard Warranty: No
- Maximum Inflation Pressure: 50 psi (51 Psi for a few tire sizes)
- Tread depth: 10/32″
- Rim Width Range: The Rim width ranges from a minimum of 5.5 inches to a maximum of 12.5 inches based on different tire sizes
- Load Range: XL (Only two tire sizes 256/40R21 and 295/35R21 have SL while HL275/35R22 have a load range of HL)
- Tire sizes: 135 tire sizes are available from 16 to 22-inch rim diameter
- Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) Rating: No
- Mud + Snow (M+S) Rating: Yes
Key Features of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4
- The tread asymmetric pattern helps to evenly distribute heat and traction for an extended tread life. It also ensures increased lateral grip on the tire’s outer shoulder​.
- Extreme Silica+ Tread Compound is a unique race-inspired compound. It has high silica levels for enhanced grip on slick road surfaces, especially​​ at high speeds.
- 360-degree Variable Sipe Technology offers full depth and interlocking sipes to deliver improved traction in wet and snowy weather conditions​​.
- Helio+ Technology utilizes advanced biodegradable materials for enhanced grip even in extremely cold temperatures​.
- Biting edges are built into the tread circumferential grooves to aid snow traction, enhancing acceleration and braking in winter​​.
- Features large reinforced outboard shoulder blocks to deliver lateral grip​.
- The Dynamic Response Technology balances forces across the contact patch of the tire. This helps to deliver improved handling and even tread wear.
- Wide circumferential channels synergize with large rain grooves to evacuate water effectively. This helps to increase hydroplaning resistance​.
Detailed Performance Evaluation of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4
Treadwear and Tread Life
The Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 is engineered with an asymmetric tread pattern. This means one side differs from the other. The tire features an inside and outside design with a more fancy inside. This orchestration is unusual; hence, auto technicians must be very careful when mounting the tires in place.
The Pilot Sport All Season 4 features an advanced silica-infused compound, which is usually found in track tires. It offers superior pavement adhesion, as well as an obvious stickiness to the touch, depicting strong on-road adhesion.
The incorporation of biodegradable compounds sourced from sunflower oil is a unique feature of this all-season tire. Besides being eco-friendly, it also enhances flexibility and grip during freezing winter temperatures.
This tire’s tread wear is rated at 540. This signifies its ability to attain up to the 45,000-mile tread life warranty on some applications.
W-rated tires come with a 45,000-mile treadwear warranty. Meanwhile, Y-rated tires feature a 30,000-mile treadwear warranty. However, I guarantee that you can get an average of 30,000 –35,000 miles on these tires based on users’ feedback.
Dry Grip and Traction
The Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 is built to deliver excellent dry handling and grip. In addition, there was no exhibition of slip even when the tire was floored in cold conditions.
Furthermore, the tire offers excellent longitudinal and lateral grip. This is a result of its reinforced shoulder blocks, advanced tread compound, and innovative asymmetric tread pattern.
Also, the tire’s longitudinal traction is extremely close to its summer counterpart – the Pilot Sport 4/4S. This ensures reduced wheel slip. Here’s another exceptional thing I noted about this tire; it has the ability to withstand full throttle in both first and second gear without losing its grip.
Cornering, Handling, and Steering Response
The Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4’s responsiveness operates synonymously with its summer models. The tire offers a sharp steering response, which makes the car feel sporty and dynamic. Unlike other all-season tires, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 doesn’t exhibit any delay.
What more? The continuous rib offers excellent stability, especially during turns. Due to its responsiveness, a driver may have to make some little corrections in alignment. The AS4s operate more directly when steering, and the limits are usually higher.
The tire often communicates most of the road imperfections and areas having a lot of potholes. It also showcases high lateral grip, especially in comparison with its closest competitors. This makes the tire agile and steady for hard cornering.
Furthermore, the tire offers excellent responsive handling. This ensures a light steering feel and fantastic straight-line tracking. Also, the tire offers the same dry and wet performance at temperatures below 40oF.
Wet Grip and Hydroplaning Resistance
The inner half of the Pilot Sport All Season 4’s tread design is orchestrated for wet weather performance. It also helps in evacuating water effectively, signifying an excellent resistance to hydroplaning.
The tire’s wet behavior is very commendable, with reduced hydroplaning under normal driving conditions. I describe this tire’s performance in wet conditions with just one word – EXCELLENT.
If you’re looking for a quality and reliable sports car tire, the AS4 is a perfect one you can trust. Its excellent wet handling and grip are a guarantee that you don’t have any fear in a big storm.
Braking and Stopping Distance
The Pilot Sport All Season 4 tire delivers reliable braking with peace of mind on dry ground. The traction control operation kicks in less as a result of enhanced grip, especially in dry conditions.
The absence of wheel slip, as well as the fantastic braking performance, depicts reliable stopping in wet/dry conditions.
Talking about its predecessor, did you know that the AS4 outshines the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season A/S 3+? In fact, an independent test revealed that the AS4 has a 4% improvement in dry braking. It also showed a 3% boost in wet braking and 10% extra snow traction than the A/S 3+.
Fuel Efficiency
Some users have reported a small loss of fuel economy. This happened when they decided to switch their dedicated all-season tires to Pilot Sport All Season 4. This is not unusual. High-performance tires usually have less fuel efficiency than standard all-season tires.
Noise and Comfort
Despite its sophistication, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 still has some minimal road noise. This is because of its superior performance. However, the noise level doesn’t distract the driver while on the road.
Due to the noise from traffic, you may not hear any sound from the tire while on main roads. However, on highways, you may feel some noise that is not too distracting.
Winter Performance
When it comes to winter, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 tire outperforms the best summer tires in fresh snow.
However, the tire’s grip is not so good on compacted snow and ice. In other words, the AS4’s snow performance cannot be compared to dedicated winter tires or all-weather tires.
Conversely, the tire’s traction in snow (specifically light snow) is commendable with short stopping distances. It also offers better wet and dry performance during winter than most. This is due to the incorporation of biodegradable compounds which keep the tire pliant in low temperatures.
Comparison with Competitor Tires
First and foremost, I need you to understand this simple fact. The Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 is a master in the UHP all-season tire category.
Overall, this tire offers superior performance in all ramifications compared to the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus. In the same vein, it outperforms the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ tire. However, in terms of tread life and pricing, the Potenza RE9890AS+ beats the Pilot Sport All Season 4.
Generally, Michelin possesses a slight advantage in overall performance. However, Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season is better in terms of quiet and comfortable rides.
Some Notable Alternatives
1st Alternative
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06+
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus is the closest rival to Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 in features and performance. A highly popular UHP tire among drivers.
2nd Alternative
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ offers good snow traction along with hydroplaning resistance.
Read our full Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ Review
3rd Alternative
Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season
Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season offers good noise reduction and comfort along with strong dry traction.
How We Review the Tires?
There is a lot of work behind our detailed tire reviews. We adopt a multi-dimensional approach rather than just a ‘single person experience’. Our reviews are a collective wisdom of many users rather than a single user.
Before reviewing, we undertake extensive market research, meticulously examine the specifications of each tire, and carry out a very thorough analysis of user reviews from top retailers. Finally, our keen tire experts apply their experience and expertise and provide a well-rounded assessment of tires. Read our detailed review process.
