Now in its fifth generation and to be available worldwide from 1 March, Michelin launched the successor to the much-lauded Michelin Pilot Sport 4.

According to the French tyre manufacturer, the Pilot Sport 5 is, “intended for sports car and high-performance sedan enthusiasts.” Despite the high-performance-oriented positioning, the PS5 still manages to retain the durability of its predecessor, “designed to offer a unique combination of sporting performance and longevity.”

This is due to what Michelin calls “Dynamic Response technology” that utilizes a hybrid aramid and nylon ply to form a belt completely around the tyre, which then helps the Pilot Sport 5 to better hold its shape when loaded hard around corners, as well as to offer good feel to the performance-enthusiast driver.

Compared to the Pilot Sport 4, Michelin has also engineered better longevity in together with higher grip levels with the Pilot Sport 5 courtesy of “MaxTouch Construction,” thereby “evenly distributing forces of acceleration, braking and cornering for a longer tread life.”

The Pilot Sport 5 also sports a “Dual Sport Tread Design” that features “an internal side with large longitudinal grooves that flush the water away for enhanced wet road traction, and an external side with rigid blocks for better grip on dry roads.”

Living in Singapore, and further afield in Southeast Asia, we all know how the heavens can suddenly and frequently open up, and a tyre that also offers good wet weather performance is much appreciated.

As enthusiasts, we like our shiny cars to wear tyres that look dressed to the nines. Michelin knows this, and have incorporated a “Premium Touch Sidewall Design” into the Pilot Sport 5 which they say “creates a sleek, matte-black aesthetic with a velvet-like micro texture.”

For over half a decade now the Pilot Sport 4 range has been the go-to option whenever car enthusiasts think “performance tyre”, but it may be showing its age. In AUTA’s 2022 UHP Tyre Test, the Pilot Sport 4S was bested by newer rivals, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport and Pirelli P Zero (PZ4). Goodyear too, is waiting in the wings with its new Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5.

Sizes for the Pilot Sport 5 range from 205/45R17 to 275/40R20 and all the tyres are denoted “Y” meaning 300km/h maximum speed rating. No word yet on related variants, but a sportier Pilot Sport 5S is certain to follow along in due time, as well as possibly a SUV version.

All said, we at AUTA can’t wait for 1 March when Michelin’s Pilot Sport 5 lands on our shores and hopefully we will get a chance to review them. Watch this space…