Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ Tire Review [2023 Updated]

Q: Are Michelin Pilot Sport tires good?

In our opinion, yes, they’re quality tires . With ultra-high performance speed ratings and all-season traction, Pilot Sports are suitable for all types of sports cars and performance sedans. If you want to test out a set of Michelin Pilot Sports, we recommend asking your local Chevrolet dealership to take a quick spin in one of their Corvette’s stocked OEM with Pilot Sports.

By Tire Expert, Ryan Nichols

Are you looking for an in-depth review on Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires? Great, you’re in for a treat because I love ultra-high-performance all-season tires like the Pilot Sport A/S.

I have years of experience with this this tire and tires like it so if you’re trying to buy new all-season performance tires for your Corvette, Audi, Subaru, or other fast sedans, I got you covered.

Now, there are plenty of different Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tire reviews floating around, and I’ve read most them. Now they’re not bad, but they’re usually written by non-tire experts (you can tell) or just leave our critical points.

Below is a widget that will help you skip to the section of the article you’re most interested in for my review of the Pilot Sport!

Jump To Section

Pros

Cons

Ratings

4.5

Wet Traction:

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Dry Traction:

★★★★★ 5/5

Snow Traction:

★★★★★ 4/5

Ride Comfort:

★★★★★ 4/5

Ride Handling:

★★★★★ 5/5

Ride Noise:

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Hydroplaning:

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Tread Life:

★★★★★ 4/5

Value For $$$:

★★★★★ 4/5

Traction - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Excellent traction is where the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ stands out from the crowd. Hands down, you won’t find much better than Pilot Sport tires when operating in dry road conditions.

Michelin’s MaxTouch Construction™ enables even traction on every part of the tire tread which also helps for impressive dry braking ability.

Michelin all-seasons are also some of the best tires for driving in wet conditions. Their Intellisipe technology and deep circumferential grooves allow for quick water evacuation.

Michelin’s Helio compound drops the operating temperature of the tire giving it reasonable traction in light snow, however, you’re going to want a dedicated winter tire model like X-Ice, Pilot, or Latitude from Michelin if you live in steep and icy weather conditions—or in other words, don’t go ripping up the canyon in a snowstorm with these tires.

Traction Rating: 4.5/5

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Ride Comfort - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Because they are sportier tires, the Pilot Sports will be a little rougher over the potholes when compared to higher-profile all-season tires like Michelin Defenders. On the other hand, your high-speed comfort will drastically increase on the highway with this particular set.

It’s important to remember that tires are an important part of a vehicle’s suspension system. Sportier tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport are typically lower profile with a smaller aspect ratio (the middle tire size number is typically lower). In other words, sports tires put your car slightly lower to the road making it slightly less comfortable but allowing for more control around turns.

This is the perfect tire for powerful brands like BMW because their sportiness provides a sort of comfortable control for the driver. On the objective side, if you want a quality tire that gives you a bit more padding over bumps, then you might try Michelin Defenders. Just take into account that all-weather tires like the Michelin Defenders might be more comfortable, but they aren’t rated for ultra-high speeds like these Pilot Sports.

Ride Comfort Rating: 4/5

★★★★★ 4/5

Ride Handling - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Tight cornering and sophisticated maneuvering are one of the main reasons why you might buy a performance all-season tire like Michelin Pilot Sport. Michelin’s Variable contact patch technology helps evenly distribute the heat allowing the tires to connect more consistently than other brands when making sharp turns.

The biting edges on Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires provide for responsive steering. The aggressive asymmetrical tread pattern on these particular tires creates precise control all the way through the apex of the turn—make sure to double-check your tire installation to make sure the technicians faced the ‘outside’ labels visibly on the sidewall.

One thing to keep an eye on when buying tires for your sports car is ride fitment—some cars have staggered tires, meaning there are different tire sizes for the front and rear of the car (thinner tires in the front, and wider tires in the rear). Michelin does provide Pilot Sports in staggered tire sizes.

Ride Handling Rating: 5/5

★★★★★ 5/5

Ride Noise - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

You’ll notice on the Tire Rack’s Youtube review of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ that they notice excess noise coming from the tires while driving compared to other tires made by Michelin. We personally don’t think they’re any different from other sports tires, but you may need to try them out yourself to form your own opinion.

Let’s quickly break down the tread design of the Pilot Sport A/S 3:

Again, if you look closely at the treads of the Pilot Sports, you’ll notice that the treads are slightly asymmetric in shape, meaning these tires have an ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ printed on each sidewall. According to other sources like Goodyear, the purpose behind asymmetrical tires is to reduce ride noise and also increase handling and traction.

Sure, these lower-profile tires might be a bit noisier and bumpier on poorly maintained roads, but once you get them up to speed on a smooth highway they’re ultra-quiet.

Ride Noise Rating: 4.5/5

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Hydroplaning - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

It’s essential to have fresh treads to avoid hydroplaning on wet roads, and we think you’ll be pleasantly satisfied with the way Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ handles when driving through the water.

We’ve found that every documented test of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires boasts their great hydroplaning traction.

The Extreme Silica Tread Compound technology developed by Michelin helps reduce rolling resistance and increase durability. Typically, tires with more silicon content have better grip in wet conditions. Not only does the silica in these tires help improve traction, but it also means that these Michelin tires are more recyclable through vulcanization.

Hydroplaning Rating: 4.5/5

★★★★★ 4.5/5

Tread Life - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Tread life with ultra-high-performance tires depends on which car you put them on. Not only that, but it also depends on how the driver accelerates, corners, and brakes.

Imagine how hot the tires get when they go burning down the road mounted onto Chevy Corvette wheels. High-performance vehicles are the reason why high-performance tires may not last as long, and it’s definitely the reason why the warranty mileage is much lower than when purchasing all-season tires.

Remember, the tread life that you get out of your tires also greatly depends on how often you maintain your tires. We do recommend filling your Michelin Pilot Sports up with nitrogen instead of regular air to maximize tire life. Nitrogen helps eliminate flat spots when the car is parked for too long, and it also maintains air pressure longer than regular air.

It’s always a good idea to stop every couple of hours to let the tires cool down on long road trips to preserve maximum tire life, especially in hotter conditions.

Tread Life Rating: 4/5

★★★★★ 4/5

Value For Money - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Michelin Pilot Sport tires are worth it if you urge for high performance and realize that the lower profile tire treads simply just don’t last as long as all-season tires like the Michelin Defenders. Besides, if you’re in the market for higher-end tires like these, then you’re driving a high-performance car—you should be able to afford a new set of tires every now and then.

That being said, if you’re on more of a budget but you still want quality, we highly recommend opting for the Michelin Defender T+H because they reduce ride noise and boast an 80,000-mile warranty by the manufacturer (Michelin Pilot Sport are only guaranteed for 45,000 miles).

Keep in mind—these are UHP (ultra-high performance) tires available in Y, V, and W tire ratings that are capable of reaching speeds between 149 mph (V rating) and 186 mph (Y rating). That’s right the Y-rated A/S 3+ will reliably take you up to 300 kilometers per hour velocity.Trying to make a decision? Compare Michelin Pilot Sport with models like Goodyear Eagle, Yokohama ADVAN, Continental ExtremeContact, Bridgestone Potenza, Continental DWS06, and Pirelli PZero. You might also want to check out Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (search Pilot Super Sport) if you’re looking for a great summer tire.

Value For Money Rating: 4/5

★★★★★ 4/5

Final Verdict - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Trying to make a decision? Compare Michelin Pilot Sport with models like Goodyear Eagle, Yokohama ADVAN, Continental ExtremeContact, Bridgestone Potenza, Continental DWS06, and Pirelli PZero. You might also want to check out Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (search Pilot Super Sport) if you’re looking for a great summer tire.

Michelin guarantees these tires for 45,000 miles treadwear limited warranty—that’s pretty impressive for a tire with such a high-speed rating. Just for reference, Pirelli offers about the same warranty of 50,000 miles for their PZero tires.

You can also opt for a shorter 30,000-mile warranty or a standard limited warranty your personal preference, so don’t forget to read each warranty carefully to understand how to get the most out of your tires if/when something goes wrong.

If you want to get the most out of your warranty you need to properly maintain your tires. Have them inspected for treadwear and reinflated to spec during every oil change, rotate them every 5k miles, etc., to avoid a voided warranty by the manufacturer.

Meet Your Tire Expert

Ryan Nichols

Trained by Mercedes-Benz in Long Beach, California and worked as a technician in a Mercedes-Benz AMG shop. Ryan has years of experience in the shop to help you with your automotive needs!

Tire Recall Information

Warranty & Tire Sizes

Warranty Details

Tire Sizes

Warranty Details

Tire Sizes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Michelin Pilot sport as 3 and as 3 +?

TIs Michelin Pilot Sport AS 3+ a run-flat tire?he Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires are an all-season tire, and Pilot Sport 3 tires are more of a performance summer tire.

Both the Pilot Sport 3 and Pilot Sport 3+ have ultra-high performance speed ratings, although the Pilot Sport 3+ has a longer warranty offer of 45 thousand miles while the Pilot Sport 3 model is only guaranteed for up to 20 thousand miles of operation.

Is Michelin Pilot Sport AS 3+ a run-flat tire?

This specific Michelin tire is not a run-flat, but you can find a Michelin Pilot Sport ZP (zero pressure).

Are run-flat tires necessary? We recommend run-flats for any driver who doesn’t feel comfortable changing out the spare tire on their own because it’s much easier for some to limp back to the tire shop at lower speeds rather than pull the wheel off.

Are Michelin Pilot Sport tires good?

In our opinion, yes, they’re quality tires. With ultra-high performance speed ratings and all-season traction, Pilot Sports are suitable for all types of sports cars and performance sedans.

If you want to test out a set of Michelin Pilot Sports, we recommend asking your local Chevrolet dealership to take a quick spin in one of their Corvette’s stocked OEM with Pilot Sports.