Across driver feedback, the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) is widely seen as a strong ultra-high-performance all-rounder with standout wet grip, confident braking, and very good hydroplaning resistance, often making cars feel more stable and secure. Dry grip and handling are generally praised too, with many noting a comfortable, relatively quiet ride for the category. The most consistent downside is rapid treadwear for the price-especially on powerful or hard-driven FWD/AWD cars-along with frequent comments about soft sidewalls that can make steering feel a bit numb or delayed at the limit.
What owners mention most counted across 248 reviews
These were fitted after BR Turanza ER30. Bought for 75€ / tyre in 2014.
Grip on the dry surface was perfect and handling/feedback awesome. I made with this set even 60.000km in 5 Seasons. Ok, the residual tread has finished on markers. However, wear is upon driving style dependent. They are noisy almost same as ER30.
Now I bought Dunlop Sport Maxx RT because successor PS 4 is from my point of view expensive and PS3 was no more available. The first impression comparing with PS3:
- they are not noisy such as PS3, noise reduction is noticable.
- side walls are softer and this have impact on handling (subjective: rear side of car have tensions to swimming if you change direction suddenly. ) Dispite to this feeling, they keep you on track.
Had new Continentals AO before I went for The Pilot Sport 3 but they only lasted about 15,000 miles on the front on my Audi A6 and about 28,000 on the rear. Can confirm that the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 have lasted 25,000 miles on the front and an incredible 47,000 miles on the the rear and still have 1mm left on the rear before I go illegal. Maybe I could of swopped the front for the rear at about 20,000 but didn't. That said I am going onto the Pilot sport 4 and hoping for more longevity as my past experience with Michelin is all about Longevity. Forget all that wet and dry braking stuff, no average driving can fully be accurate on this subjectivity. But hard facts on millage...now thats something we can all accurately report on. I know they could make a tyre that could last for 100,000 miles but where would the profit be in that? Proving Michelin use a compound better and longer lasting than any other.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
Tyres came with Honda Civic 2010 1.8 petrol. 225/40/R18 XL Y. I was completely amazed at how tactile these tyres were. They communicated everything that was happening, the steering felt precise and direct. While traveling on motorways the car felt very stable and secure. I couldn't believe how good the tyres were.
Dry grip was brilliant as was handling, grip in wet also very good although being older and wiser I never tried to imitate Ayrton Senna! But equally in the wet the car never slid unless I purposely pushed it and then the tyres let you know in good time when they were starting to lose grip.
However, 8th Gen Civic's do have firm suspension, the one big negative of the tyres was the harsh ride. The tyres would crash loudly over poor road surfaces and didn't cushion the ride at all. Brilliant on good, flat roads, poor on imperfect road surfaces. I had the fronts replaced by Potenzas S001, the ride is still quite harsh, but not quite so severe, maybe 30% improvement, grip levels similar but only half the tactile feedback now.
One caveat to remember is the Civic's ride is known to be firm and rims are size 18 and both tyres reinforced. I would definitely buy Michelin again, and would get the latest PS4, but not while I have the Civic. I plan to replace all tyres with either Continental Premium Contact 6 or Goodyear Asymmetric 3s in the near future. I suspect PS4s probably have good comfort as well as their other test winning attributes, however the main focus on my next purchase will be ride comfort as the roads where I live are pretty poor.
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I'm a Malaysian driver driven on PS 3 for quite awhile. I'm somewhat disappointed on the PS3. It is not made for rough roads especially in the place i live in finding a perfect stretch of road is just though luck. In about a year I've blown 2 sets of tires simply due to potholes and its been costing me a lot of money. On rough unpaved roads the tires get chipped out like crazy due to soft tire compound or sth. In conclusion, PS3 is an amazing tire for speeding on highways but if you live in a place where road quality is just horrible or on unpaved roads just stay away from these tyres.
Outstanding performance with awesome road grip both in dry and wet conditions. Sharp cornering while max stabilization at high speed, thanks to the stronger side wall. Comfertable with low noise level. Nice fuel economy. Would definitely recommend for an excellent driving experience.
Mercedes 2009 Model SLK 350, Rear 245/40/17 Front 225/45/17.
Previous tires, Continental Sport 3 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2.
Positive sides for the Michelin are slightly better comfort and slightly lower noise level compared to previous tire brands.
For everyday normal driving I appreciate the slightly improved comfort, it is noticeable better.
Very little experience in the wet, they do seem to be acceptable but not more than that, the Michelin's do loose grip fast and early in wet corners/turns and I am not convinced in heavy rain, these Michelin's have a somewhat strange and unsafe feeling.
Dry grip is not what I expected, slightly less stable at high speeds, a "heavy" and "clumsy" steering feel and in general these Michelin tires makes my MB feel more like a truck than a sports-car.
The other tire brands, especially the Continentals, had a "light" and "agile" feeling, it is a huge disappointment to push these Michelin tires in any way.
In corners and in sharp turns these Michelin tires are "weird", they loose grip early and it is a slightly shaky/wobbly/tottering feeling at the limits, these Michelin tires do not feel safe at limits.
With the Continentals I felt 100% safe at Maximum speed, 250 km/h, I tried once with the Michelin's and I will never do that again, the Michelin's are a little bit "weird" and don't inspire me to push them.
To rule out any technical problem with the car my garage generously let me try some Continental Sport 5 and it was a rather huge difference, with the Continentals 5 it was 100% stable at high speeds, very grippy in corners/sharp turns, not a sign of wobbling or shaking.
The wear is about the same as the other brands, not very good but acceptable for this type of car.
I used to be a Michelin fan however these tires are a disappointment and I will not buy again, strangely I feel the same with other cars I recently have driven with new Michelin tires, it seems that nowadays other brands are noticeable/significantly better in almost every way, maybe with exception of comfort.
I drove 35000 miles with 225/45 R17 PS3 on an Audi A3 1.6 TDI 90HP. Switched back to front every 9000 miles ca. They still have 3-4 mm of tread but became noisy - especially one of them. My drive style is average. I felt safe with this tyres in any condition except on wet roads where I had to pay a bit more attention when cornering. I would buy them again if available but I think they became obsolete as model. A very good tyre indeed for my experience, lasted in performance more than tyre shops promised - about 20000 miles.
Very good all rounder high performance tire, excellent in the wet with great aquaplaning resistance and pretty good in the dry too. Even though it's already an aging model, it's still one of the better tires to date, better than many if not most of other newer tires especially from low end models/brands. The only minor downside is it has a bit more chipping if driven hard.
Just change from Toyo NE03 to PS3. Its a nice upgrade. Immediate feel on comfort, and tyre noise level is good. I did not feel anything when run over water splash on the road.
BMW 330d. I'm using the tyres since 2015 (late spring til late autum, than I change to winter tyres). The tyres are verry good, the road feel is great, the comfort is great and the grip is great. The rubber hardens when it start getting cold, arround 7-8 on celsius. I think they will be good for one more summer. So the usage will be about 4 years and about 25000-30000 km.
This tyre lasted me 4 years with 70,000km on the clock. It would last me another 10,000km if it wasn't for a misaligned toe/camber on one of my front tyre which as a result made the outer wall worned out to it's minimum legal thickness. The other 3 tyres are fine and still have about 1.5-2mm above the tyre tread indicator. I drive conservatively and on occasions spirited when driving through the mountains. Compared to my OEM Michelin MXV8 in torrential rain, the PS3 cuts through water like a hot knife through butter. The level of grip is outstanding and the car felt secured and planted. In the dry, grip is good too as you would expect. Being this model is end of life now, i still highly recommend them if you can get it. But if you can't, there's always the PS4 which i have just replaced on all 4 corners.
These tyres replaced Toyo NanoEnergy 3s which I ran for about 30,000km. They were replaced not due to wear, but because the wet grip reduced dramatically and tyre noise and impact harshness increased.
PS3s were the best performance tyres available in this size, so I bought a set!
Ride comfort over sharp imperfections in the road (such as reflectors) has improved markedly, and surprisingly road noise seems lower (even though the Toyos had a 69dB rating, where the Michelins are 70 or 71dB).
Steering feel and immediacy has taken a dramatic leap forward with these tyres. Steering feel on initial turn-in is light but quick, and weight builds progressively as steering angle is increased. Now the Bilstein B12 kit fitted to my car really shines! My up! is now an overgrown go-kart.
