Michelin Pilot Super Sport Review

Best performance tires

 Pros

• Direct, responsive handling
• Excellent wet and dry traction
• Very good durability
• Low noise

 Cons

• Ride is a little stiff

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Bottom line

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport lands at the top of two separate professional tire review sites in the performance tire category. With ultimate traction and lap times, the Pilot Super Sport outcompetes rivals in handling, comfort and wet-pavement performance. The Michelin even impresses race car driver Randy Pobst, who says it "really felt almost like a track tire."

Breaking it down

Performance

Track favorite. Car and Driver names the Michelin Pilot Super Sport the best maximum-performance tire in its review, saying it has "the best balance of wet and dry performance we've ever experienced in testing." On the track, pro driver Woody Rogers with Hot Rod magazine says the Michelin Pilot Super Sport is "awesome at the front turn-in and under straight-line braking and acceleration." Owners agree, giving it tap marks for cornering stability, dry traction and steering response.

Comfort

Comfortable for its class. According to TireRack.com, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport's ride is better than comparable tires from Bridgestone, Goodyear and Toyo, though the Michelin lets "through a little more edge to the sharper and larger impacts." The one feature the editors would change is a "small improvement in ride comfort." The Pilot Super Sport demonstrates "less finesse and feedback" than a similar tire from Continental, says Car and Driver. Editors at TireRack.com describe tread and road noise as moderate, but owner reviews at the same site say Michelin's ride comfort is the best in the maximum performance class.

Durability

Excellent life span and warranty. High-performance tires are constructed out of softer materials to maximize grip, though this also leads to shorter life spans. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport stands out as one of the longer-lasting performance tires, with many owners getting 30,000 miles or more on one set. Michelin covers the Pilot Super Sport with a six-year, 30,000-mile tread warranty. Reviewers disagree on how fuel efficient these tires are. Two separate reviews by TireRack.com say the rolling resistance on the Pilot Super Sport is the lowest to maximize fuel efficiency, but a test from a leading consumer organization says rolling resistance is only average.