With exceptional dry grip even in freezing temperatures, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 handily outperforms traditional all-season tires and nearly matches the best summer tires while still offering decent traction in light snow. It’s the best choice for owners of sporty cars who don’t want to swap their tires or who want improved grip in dry conditions versus a winter performance tire.

Pros

• Better lateral grip than many summer tires and more predictable behavior in varying temperatures than winter tires
• Best compromise to run all year making seasonal tire swaps unnecessary
• 45,000-mile warranty

Cons

• Among the priciest all-season tires
• Cannot match the max performance of a summer or winter tire in those seasons
• Should not be driven in severe winter conditions like regular all-season tires

Performance drivers know the drill. At the first cold snap, they swap summer tires for winter or all-season tires and reverse swap when spring finally hits. That twice-annual practice for maximum traction comes with extra commitments—money and storage. A second set of alloy wheels, tires, and tire pressure sensors are easily $4,000. 

Add extra for labor at a tire shop, or add your own. You’ll need a heavy-duty jack, torque wrench and the physical strength to move upwards of 60 pounds per wheel. Plus, you’ll need room in a garage or another indoor space. 

I’m committed to, or perhaps obsessed with, all of the above. After Thanksgiving, I swap my Volvo S70 with a set of Michelin X-Ice Snow tires. But owning a high-performance sedan, SUV or car requires a rethink. If you don’t drive in a place with nasty winter storms, why bother with a winter tire? If you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars or just don’t have the space, why buy two sets of tires?

For my Jaguar F-Type, I run high-performance all-seasons—the new Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4—because they’re most aligned with my location and driving style. I wanted maximum flexibility in a performance tire—the safety to drive aggressively on clear, dry pavement during the freezing months and tenacious grip when it’s hot, without worrying about the ambient temperature. With this tire on a powerful rear-wheel drive car, a seasonal swap is unnecessary. 

Here’s proof: Michelin developed the Pilot Sport AS4 to pull 1.0 g of lateral grip on the C8 Corvette. That’s one whole g on all-season tires—an impossible feat for many summer tires a decade ago. Michelin launched it only for the Corvette in 2020 and opened up aftermarket sales in mid-2021. I’ve been running its predecessor, the Pilot Sport A/S 3+, for five years. 

While the F-Type can’t match the mid-engine Vette’s grip, I still wanted the magic from Michelin’s latest update. I mounted a staggered set (245/40ZR19 98Y and 275/35ZR19 100Y) last December. 

Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of miles on these tires. But I’ve put thousands on the Pilot Sport A/S 3+. That tire has significantly more grip in 60- and 70-degree dry weather than Jaguar’s stock Pirelli P Zero, which prefers temps of at least 80 degrees for its compound to get sticky. Versus the A/S 3+, the Pilot Sport AS4 has a claimed 4% increase in dry braking, a 5% increase in wet braking and 10% more traction in snow. 

Effectively, in my subjective testing, that makes it superior to my factory summer tires in nearly all conditions.

What is the Tread Pattern on the Michelin Pilot Sport 4?

The tread uses an asymmetric pattern that better resembles a conventional all-season tire compared to the racier design of the A/S 3+. Instead of the smooth tread surface that mirrors the pattern of the Pilot Sport 4S, the AS4 has a rougher surface with more sipes, V-shaped blocks in the inner section and deeper, harder-cut blocks in the center. That contributes to greater snow grip, while the shoulders have more rubber contacting the pavement for better dry grip. 

How is Winter Performance?

So long as you don’t drive in slush, ice, sleet or thick snow, the Pilot Sport AS4 can ace a winter. I live in Connecticut where winters are generally mild. If there’s a big storm, I take the Volvo. I’ve tested the AS4 in light snow where there was a thin layer of ice at the bottom. 

The tires allow the car to stop in a controlled manner and reasonable distance, but winter performance tires would perform much better. Consider the Pilot Sport AS4 as a crutch to get home during the first hour of snowfall. Anything beyond a couple inches and you’ll want to stay put.

Why Not Just Buy Dedicated Winter Performance Tires?

That depends on your driving style and location. During winter, I drive my Jaguar in dry conditions when the roads are absolutely clear. The transition from winter to spring produces a very gradual rise in temperature. Sometimes, I’ll drive during warm snaps of freakish 60-degree winter days. The Pilot Sport AS4 has consistent traction during these temperature changes. 

A winter performance tire loses grip exponentially as the temperature rises above 45 degrees to the point where they become greasy in the 50s and unsafe in the 60s. (I went off the road years ago in an Audi RS5 wearing performance winter tires on such a spring day—don’t do it.) 

They also, like all winter tires, have a much shorter tread life than all-season tires. For me, I prefer the convenience of running a performance all-season in three seasons with the option of using them in the summer if I don’t get around to swapping. That’s the best benefit: Year-round safety without worrying about the road temperature—and year-round fun.

How Is Summer Performance?

Honestly, when driving at three-quarters or below, these tires are nearly imperceptible in feel and grip to the Pilot Sport 4S, which I run in a wider, larger size. Their consistency is what’s so impressive. Of course, when you really want to take that onramp like a champ, a dedicated summer tire is always better. And if you’re going to the track, any all-season isn’t cutting it. 

How Much Do Michelin Pilot Sport 4s Cost?

Currently at Tire Rack with all available incentives, a set in my car’s 19-inch staggered size lists at $287 each for the front and $311 each for the rear. In any size or category, Michelin is usually among the most expensive tire brands. The company has made tires since the dawn of the horseless carriage in the 19th century. Its engineering and manufacturing prowess is world-class. 

This is money well-spent for your car that, presumably, you love to drive. Even so, performance all-season tires are a specialty product that sell in fewer numbers and sizes. Any brand that makes them—be it Bridgestone, Dunlop, Goodyear, you name it—will be pricey.

Methodology

We rate all-season tires on the following weighted metrics:

• Price (25%)
• Durability (25%)
• Traction (20%)
• Ride quality (15%)
• Value (10%)
• Manufacturer reputation (5%)