Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Review — The ACE 2026 Test Winner

Overall Rating: 9.7 / 10

Category: Ultra High Performance (UHP) Summer — Flagship

Price in NZ: From $524 per tyre

Best for: Supercars, GT cars, track-capable road cars, the most demanding performance applications

Available sizes: 17″ – 23″ rims

Quick Verdict

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is the benchmark by which all other UHP tyres are measured — and it has earned that status through independent test performance that is unmatched. In the 2026 ACE Summer Tyre Test, it won overall with 141 out of 170 points — the most rigorous multi-discipline independent tyre test in Europe. It is the OEM tyre for the Ferrari 488/Roma/SF90, Porsche 911 GT3/GT3 RS, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, Lamborghini Huracan Performante, McLaren 720S, and BMW M3/M4 Competition. No other tyre in this guide carries comparable OEM credentials across supercar manufacturers simultaneously. For NZ drivers who demand the absolute best — and have the vehicle and budget to justify it — the Pilot Sport 4S remains the definitive choice.

Key Specifications

Performance Test Data — Why It Remains the Benchmark

2026 ACE Summer Tyre Test — Overall Winner

141 out of 170 points — the most decisive and credible result in any NZ-accessible tyre test:

• Tests conducted independently across dry braking, wet braking, dry handling, wet handling, aquaplaning, noise, rolling resistance, and tread wear
• All 170 points distributed by independent testers with no manufacturer involvement
• Margin of victory: 1 point ahead of the Continental SportContact 7 (140 points) — demonstrating the extremely competitive nature of the top-tier UHP market

Wet Performance

• Wet braking: Among the shortest in class — the 2CT+ bi-compound dedicates the inner tread zone specifically to wet conditions
• Wet handling: Best-in-class wet handling balance — the 4S’s tread pattern architecture manages water evacuation under lateral loading
• Aquaplaning: Top-rated across straight-line and curved aquaplaning in ACE test
• EU Label A wet grip: Maximum possible rating

Dry Performance

• Dry braking: Best or joint-best in class across multiple test programmes
• Dry handling: Exceptional — the 2CT+ outer compound uses a harder, grippier formulation for lateral load during dry cornering
• Track capability: The 4S is one of the few road tyres that meaningfully improves lap times on circuit — confirmed by independent track testing

The 2CT+ Bi-Compound Technology — The Core Innovation

The Pilot Sport 4S uses different rubber compounds in different tread zones — not uniformly across the tyre:

• Inner tread zone (under braking load): Softer, silica-rich compound — maximises wet braking contact and grip
• Outer tread zone (under cornering lateral load): Harder compound — maximises dry cornering grip and resists overheating under track conditions
• Result: The tyre simultaneously achieves world-class wet braking AND world-class dry cornering — traditionally a mutually exclusive combination

This is why the 4S is OEM on everything from daily sports cars to pure track cars. No other compound architecture achieves this range of performance simultaneously.

NZ Road Conditions Assessment

Auckland and North Island — Verdict: Outstanding

The 2CT+ bi-compound’s inner zone wet braking superiority is directly relevant to Auckland’s constant rain. The Pilot Sport 4S stops as short in the wet as any tyre in the world — a meaningful safety margin on Auckland’s dense, high-speed motorways. For NZ’s growing population of Porsche 718/911, Ferrari, BMW M, and high-spec German performance car owners, the 4S is the tyrethe car was engineered around — delivering the performance the manufacturer intended.

Wellington — Verdict: Outstanding

Wellington’s motorway speeds and persistent rain exploit both dimensions of the 2CT+ compound. Wet braking on SH1 and the Hutt Valley expressway, combined with dry cornering precision on Wellington’s winding urban roads — the 4S handles both with class-leading capability.

South Island — Verdict: Excellent (coastal/warm)

As with all summer UHP tyres — optimal above 7°C. In Nelson, Marlborough, and coastal Canterbury: excellent year-round. For South Island alpine owners of high-performance vehicles: the CrossClimate 2 as a winter set, with Pilot Sport 4S for summer months, is the gold standard two-tyre strategy.

Pilot Sport 4S vs Pilot Sport 5 — Which Should You Choose?

This is the most common question for Michelin buyers in NZ:

Bottom line:

• If your car has OEM Pilot Sport 4S fitment (Ferrari, Porsche GT3, Lamborghini) — replace with 4S
• If your car has 4S fitment on a BMW M or Porsche 718 — either 4S or PS5 works; PS5 saves $100 per tyre
• If you track your car regularly — 4S
• If you daily drive a hot hatch or sports sedan and never track — PS5 is the better value

Pros and Cons

Pros

• 2026 ACE Summer Tyre Test winner — 141/170 points, most credible comprehensive test
• Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche GT3, McLaren OEM — the ultimate performance engineering endorsement
• 2CT+ bi-compound: world-class wet braking AND dry cornering simultaneously
• Consistent across ALL test disciplines — no weak dimension
• Widest size range of any UHP tyre: 17″–23″ covers every performance car sold in NZ
• Genuine track capability — not just a road tyre with a track-sounding name

Cons

• Most expensive UHP tyre in this guide at $524+ — and up to $1,100+ for supercar sizes
• The Pilot Sport 5 delivers 90% of the performance at ~80% of the price for everyday road use
• Summer only — South Island alpine drivers need a winter set strategy
• EU Label B fuel efficiency — the bi-compound generates slightly higher rolling resistance than single-compound touring tyres

Available Sizes in NZ (Common)

Where to Buy in NZ

• Tyroola NZ — tyroola.co.nz — From $524 ea, nationwide fitting
• Hyper Drive — hyperdrive.co.nz — 250+ locations
• Tyrepower NZ — tyrepower.co.nz — 100+ locations
• Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini NZ dealers — for OEM-matched replacement

Sources

1. ACE Summer Tyre Test 2026 — Michelin Pilot Sport 4S winner 141/170 — tyrepress.com
2. Michelin — Pilot Sport 4S product data and 2CT+ technology — michelin.com
3. tyrereviews.com — Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ratings — accessed 2026-05-31
4. Tyroola NZ pricing — tyroola.co.nz — accessed 2026-05-31
5. OEM fitment data — Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, McLaren press materials

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