Michelin Pilot Sport 5 review
The Michelin is a smooth, rewarding tyre to drive, even if the lap times don’t reflect this. Not the most refined but among the most economical.
The new Pilot Sport 5 came fourth in last year’s test and manages the same again here with a similar set of strengths, headed up by a clean sweep of the aquaplaning tests. It adds third place in wet cornering and the same in the key straight-line wet braking test, getting within a metre of the top tyre, yet it managed only equal fifth on the wet handling circuit. This was curious because it seemed to do everything right; it felt strong on the brakes, hooked up early to power out of the corners and was reassuringly stable through the fast sweeps, yet the lap time didn’t fully reflect this.
Its dry braking performance was fair, some 2.6m off the best, placing it seventh, and its lap time on the dry handling circuit netted it the same result but, again, it felt better than that. It lapped the track with an appealing, smooth, high-quality feel, and although it lacked the ultimate grip and traction of the very best, it was neat and effective.
It was rather noisy, though, as measured by the in-cabin meter and judged subjectively. Excellent economy completed a performance that was more impressive from behind the wheel than the measured results suggest.
Blackcircles.com says…
“Rated 4.7/5 from nearly 3,600 reviews. Noted for brilliant handling in all weathers, with good grip in wet and dry conditions.”
Results
| Michelin Pilot Sport 5 | ||
| Overall | 99.1% | |
| Price | £119.99 | |
| Wet braking | 95.0 | 3rd |
| Wet handling | 98.9 | =5th |
| Wet cornering | 99.4 | 3rd |
| Straight aquaplaning | 100 | 1st |
| Curved aquaplaning | 100 | 1st |
| Dry braking | 92.5 | 7th |
| Dry handling | 98.7 | =7th |
| Noise and refinement | 87.0 | =7th |
| Rolling resistance | 94.0 | 3rd |
