Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 review
The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) is widely regarded as a high-performance summer tire that excels in wet-weather confidence and ride comfort. While many users praise its ability to transform vehicle handling and provide a quiet, stable driving experience, a significant portion of the user base reports concerns regarding rapid tread wear and soft sidewalls that may feel less precise during aggressive cornering.
Owners rate it 19 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
Two scoring systems, side by side
Owner scores come from reviews on retailer and review sites; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.
By owner reviews
92.4%By road tests
73.4%What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 2,239 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) is widely regarded as a high-performance summer tire that excels in wet-weather confidence and ride comfort. While many users praise its ability to transform vehicle handling and provide a quiet, stable driving experience, a significant portion of the user base reports concerns regarding rapid tread wear and soft sidewalls that may feel less precise during aggressive cornering.
Pros
- Exceptional wet-weather grip and hydroplaning resistance
- High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
- Predictable and progressive handling characteristics
- Strong dry-weather traction for daily spirited driving
Cons
- Rapid tread wear, particularly on high-torque or front-wheel-drive vehicles
- Soft sidewalls can lead to a 'squishy' or vague feel during extreme cornering
- High price point relative to longevity
- Performance degradation as the tire reaches the end of its tread life
Worth knowing
- Users with hot hatches and performance-oriented FWD vehicles frequently report faster-than-expected front tire wear.
- Drivers transitioning from run-flat tires to the PS3 consistently note a dramatic improvement in ride quality and noise reduction.
- Some owners of heavier, high-torque vehicles noted that the soft sidewalls can feel less stable under heavy load compared to dedicated track-focused tires.
1 published test appearance
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
Michelin Pilot Sport VS EV Specific Performance tires · 245/45 R19
3rd of 3
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 3rd of 3 | |
| Wet Handling | 3rd of 3 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 3 | |
| Dry Handling | 3rd of 3 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd of 3 | |
| Straight Aqua | 1st of 3 | |
| Price | 3rd of 3 |
What owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of the scores above.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) is largely viewed as an older generation tire, often overshadowed by its successor, the PS4. While some users consider buying discounted warehouse stock for daily driving or note limited size availability, others strongly advise against choosing the PS3 when newer iterations are available. (Note: Several posts in the discussion confuse the tire with the PlayStation 3 gaming console.)
From 10 threads and comments.