Michelin Pilot Sport - Tire Rack Test

Michelin’s latest Pilot Sport model debuts with improved snow traction

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (April 4, 2016) – When Michelin launched its improved ultra high performance all-season tires in March, the company made a lofty claim. According to the manufacturer, the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ would deliver better traction in snow than its predecessor without sacrificing its category-leading performance in dry and wet conditions. Tire Rack, America’s largest independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, put that promise to the test in the first-ever evaluation of the new Pilot Sport A/S 3+ on snow.

As an authority on tire performance and safety, Tire Rack has tested Michelin’s previous Pilot Sport models during its annual round-up of ultra high performance all-season tires. While the tests typically occur at Tire Rack’s test track facility in South Bend, Indiana, the team headed to Michelin’s proving grounds in wintry Colorado for this latest test, which took place even before the tires hit the market. As in Tire Rack’s other tests, the Michelin tires were compared with two other impressive models in the all-season category: the Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus and the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06.

“With the new Pilot Sport A/S 3+, Michelin promised to improve snow traction by as much as 28 percent,” said Woody Rogers, product information specialist for Tire Rack and leader of the company’s testing team. “In the first set of independent snow tests to be done on the tire, Tire Rack largely validated that claim.”

In the snow, Tire Rack evaluated the tires’ ability to accelerate, stop and turn. Data revealed that the Pilot Sport tires yielded the fastest acceleration time and the shortest stopping distance. Subjectively, though, the Continental tires gave Tire Rack’s drivers the most confidence when taking on turns and curves. There, the Michelin tires struggled to do two things at once, such as turn and brake.

In nearby Nevada, Tire Rack evaluated the tires on both wet and dry pavement. The Michelin tires came away the clear winner in each of these tests, delivering better traction and handling throughout the test course, which included several 90-degree turns, 180-degree turns and a slalom.

To be truly successful, all-season tires need to find the right balance between snow traction and handling capabilities in other conditions. A new tread compound seemed to give the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ that balance in initial tests performed by Tire Rack. Tire Rack will look to further evaluate the newest member of the all-season category in future tests at its headquarters in South Bend.

For complete results and video footage from this and other tire tests, visit www.TireRack.com, where you’ll find information on this evaluation, dozens of other comparisons, and thousands of relevant consumer surveys.

About Tire Rack

Tire Rack, family-owned and headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, is America’s largest independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, wheels and performance accessories. Their team of over 100 test drivers (their sales team) tests tires from every major tire manufacturer on the company’s state-of-the-art, 11.7-acre test facility. The findings are then posted on the company’s website, www.tirerack.com, where consumers can make an educated decision on a tire, wheel or performance accessory purchase.

Tire Rack has also collected results from nearly 150,000 consumer surveys representing over 2.4 billion miles of real-world tire data, the largest known cache of such information anywhere. Since 1979, Tire Rack has grown from a single-point retail store in Indianapolis to encompass over 2.2 million square feet of space in seven distribution centers across the country. A diverse and broad in-stock inventory from 20 major tire and 55 wheel brands can be delivered anywhere in the country, most in one business day. A national network of over 8,000 independent Recommended Installers is available to assist customers with installation of their purchases.