Choose by your coldest month, not by grip. Buy the Pilot Sport 4S if your winter lows stay above about 45°F (7°C) or you keep a separate winter set. Buy the Pilot Sport All Season 4 if you run one set of tires all year and see light snow.
The 4S is the grippier tire in warm weather. The All Season 4 gives up some of that for cold and snow ability. It also carries a 45,000-mile warranty against 30,000, and costs less in every size we checked.
We may earn a commission from links here. It doesn't change what we recommend.
How they compare
Pilot Sport 4S | Pilot Sport All Season 4 | |
|---|---|---|
Tire Rack category | ||
Treadwear warranty | 6 years / 30,000 miles | 6 years / 45,000 miles |
UTQG | 300 AA A | 540 AA A |
Snow | Not for snow or ice | Light snow |
Severe snow rated (3PMSF) | No | No |
245/40ZR18 at Tire Rack |
Both are Y speed rated in the sizes we checked. Prices were checked on October 14, 2026. Michelin says the All Season 4 was the first all-season ultra high performance tire Chevrolet chose for the Corvette C8 (Michelin). If you're choosing between Michelin's summer tires instead, see our Pilot Sport 4S vs Pilot Sport 5 comparison.
The 7°C (45°F) rule
Below about 7°C, a summer tire loses some of its grip. That's 44.6°F, so call it 45°F. Michelin's UK advice says that "once the temperatures hit less than 7°C, your summer tyres will be less effective" (Michelin UK). Continental uses the same 7°C point for switching between summer and winter tires, and rounds it to 46°F (Continental UK).
The firmer limit is freezing. Tire Rack's page for the 4S says it isn't intended to be serviced, stored or driven in near- or below-freezing temperatures, or on snow or ice (Tire Rack).
The All Season 4 is built for that colder end. Tire Rack says its compound "helps the tread maintain its flexibility at lower temperatures" (Tire Rack).
So look at your winter, not your summer. If your overnight lows sit under 45°F for weeks, the 4S needs a second set of wheels and winter tires. Our piece on whether you can run winter tires year round covers the other half of that plan.
Snow: light snow only, and no 3PMSF
The All Season 4 handles light snow. It isn't rated for severe snow, so it doesn't carry the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol. Tire Rack lists it as "Severe Snow Service Rated: No" (Tire Rack).
Michelin agrees. It says the tire "performs well in light snow but is not designed for extreme winter conditions." For severe winter driving, it points you to a winter tire such as the X-Ice Snow+ (Michelin).
If you want the snowflake symbol on one set of tires, you need an all-weather tire instead. Our guide to all-season vs all-weather tires explains the difference.
What the tests show
No published test we could open gives measured numbers for both tires side by side. So here's the one head-to-head we found, which has no figures, and then each tire in its own category test.
Tyre Reviews: both tires together, no figures
Tyre Reviews' Jonathan Benson ran the two on a Tesla, alongside a Michelin CrossClimate and an X-Ice winter tire (Motor1). The 4S was best in the dry, but the all-season "actually beats the 4S in wet braking." In snow the 4S was the worst tire there. Motor1 gives no distances.
Tyre Reviews' own results page also lists a 2021 three-tire test of the 4S, the All Season 4 and an X-Ice Snow. The All Season 4 won it and "was leagues ahead of the summer tyre in the snow," but the page shows only percentage gaps (Tyre Reviews).
Pilot Sport 4S: Tire Rack summer test, 2025
Tire Rack tested 11 summer tires in 275/35R19 on a BMW M2 (Tire Rack). The 4S scored 7.39 out of 10 and placed 5th. Tire Rack's measured figures, as written up by Tyre Reviews, were 31.4 m in dry braking and 43.9 m in wet braking from 60 mph. Tire Rack called it "an aging category icon that faces strong competition." Our Pilot Sport 4S vs ExtremeContact Sport 02 comparison has the full set of numbers.
Pilot Sport All Season 4: Tire Rack all-season test, 2024
Tire Rack tested nine all-season tires on a 2024 BMW 330i xDrive (Tire Reviews). Tyre Reviews' results table puts the Michelin 4th, behind the Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 in 1st.
Measure | Pilot Sport All Season 4 | Rank of 9 | Best in test |
|---|---|---|---|
Dry braking | 34.44 m | 2nd | 34.14 m |
Wet braking | 39.62 m | 2nd | 39.32 m |
Snow braking | 25.24 m | 1st | 25.24 m |
Ice braking | 14.23 m | 7th | 13.17 m |
Dry handling lap | 30.26 s | 5th | 29.93 s |
Wet handling lap | 32.46 s | 5th | 31.69 s |
Snow handling lap | 55.25 s | 3rd | 54.18 s |
Figures from Tyre Reviews' charts of Tire Rack's data. Shorter distances and lower lap times are better. In snow, its write-up notes "a lack of lateral traction," which made for "slow and considered laps" (Tire Reviews).
Don't line these numbers up against the 4S figures. The cars, sizes and test days are all different. What the tests do show is each tire's place: the 4S mid-pack among summer tires, the All Season 4 near the top for dry, wet and snow braking among all-seasons, but 7th on ice.
Tread life and cost per mile
The All Season 4 should last longer. Its treadwear warranty is 45,000 miles against 30,000 in every size we checked, and its UTQG treadwear grade is 540 against 300 (Tire Rack). On a staggered car, the rear warranty is halved for both.
Divide the set price by the warranty miles and the gap is clear. In 245/40ZR18, a set of 4S tires is $1,015.96, or $33.87 per 1,000 warranted miles. A set of All Season 4 tires is $915.96, or $20.35 per 1,000 miles. Both had an $80 Michelin card on a set of four in that size, which makes it $31.20 against $18.58. That's warranty maths, not a wear test.
If you drive on track, neither is the right tool. Our guide to 200-treadwear tires covers the grippier option.
Price in four common sizes
The All Season 4 costs $10 to $78 less per tire in the sizes we checked.
Size | Pilot Sport 4S | Pilot Sport All Season 4 | Set of 4 difference |
|---|---|---|---|
225/45ZR18 | $176 | ||
245/40ZR18 | $100 | ||
235/35ZR19 | $40 | ||
255/40ZR19 | $312 |
Tire Rack prices per tire, October 2026, before fitting. All are XL load and Y speed rated.
Both tires had a Michelin rebate on a set of four at Tire Rack. It was $80 or $100 depending on the size page, and the $80 offer ran to November 30, 2026. The 235/35ZR19 4S also comes as a Mercedes MO1 version at $334.99.
If you choose the 4S and live where it freezes, budget for the winter set too. That changes the sums far more than the per-tire gap. Our guides to how to read a tire size and where to buy tires help with the order.
UK readers
The Pilot Sport All Season 4 is sold in the UK, but in few sizes and at a high price. National listed nine sizes at £380.99 to £734.99 in October 2026. The Tyre Reviews size table lists only 20- and 21-inch sizes. An answer on that page from December 2021 said it was "not available in the UK or most of the EU," so check your size before you plan around it.
For most UK drivers the real choice is a Pilot Sport 4S plus a winter set, or an all-weather tire on one set. Michelin UK's 7°C advice applies either way.
How to check this on your own car
The site hasn't tested these tires. Here's what to check before you buy:
- Photograph the sidewall of each current tire. Note the size, load index, speed rating and whether it has the mountain-and-snowflake symbol.
- Look up your local winter lows. Count how many weeks the overnight low sits under 45°F.
- Measure tread depth with a gauge and write it down with the mileage. That's your baseline for the new set.
- Read the DOT date code. Our guide to DOT date codes shows where to find it.
Which one for your car
Choose the Pilot Sport 4S if | Choose the Pilot Sport All Season 4 if |
|---|---|
Winter lows stay above about 45°F | You run one set all year |
You keep a separate winter set | You see light snow a few times a winter |
You want the most dry grip | You want the longer 45,000-mile warranty |
You do the odd autocross | You want the lower cost per mile |
Neither is right if you see heavy snow and want one set. Look at an all-weather tire with the 3PMSF symbol, or a proper winter set.
What to do today
- Find your coldest month's average low and compare it with 45°F (7°C).
- Read your exact size, load index and speed rating off the door label.
- Price both in that size, and add the cost of a winter set if you'd pick the 4S.
- If you need the 3PMSF symbol, rule out both and shortlist an all-weather tire.
- Check the DOT date code when the tires arrive.
Common questions
Can I drive a Pilot Sport 4S in winter?
Not in freezing weather. Tire Rack says the 4S isn't meant to be driven, stored or serviced near or below freezing, or on snow or ice. Michelin UK says summer tires are less effective below 7°C, which is about 45°F. Continental UK uses the same 7°C point and calls it 46°F.
Is the Pilot Sport All Season 4 good in snow?
In light snow, yes. It had the shortest snow braking of nine tires in Tire Rack's 2024 test. Michelin says it isn't designed for extreme winter conditions.
Does the Pilot Sport All Season 4 have the 3PMSF symbol?
No. Tire Rack lists it as not severe-snow service rated, and Michelin's own page makes no 3PMSF claim.
Sources are linked in the text. Main references: Tire Rack Pilot Sport All Season 4, Michelin, Tyre Reviews 2024 test charts and Tire Rack 2025 test.
Featured image: Michelin tire by whity, CC BY 2.0. Source
No comments yet