Aaron Brzozowski 
The Michelin Pilot Sport tire range is one of the most celebrated and revered performance summer tires on the market. In fact, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S became Ford’s tire of choice for the Performance Pack-equipped Mustang GT in 2018, and it’s the stock rubber on plenty of other high-performance modern machines, as well. Now, it’s time to extend a warm welcome to the Pilot Sport 4’s successor: the Michelin Pilot Sport 5. Or what’s sure to become known as the PS5 for short.
Aimed at “sports car and high-performance sedan enthusiasts,” the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 builds on a proven, winning formula. Michelin says it delivers the best longevity of any of its competitors in the sports performance summer tire category – something borne out by 11,568 kilometers of testing by the DEKRA Test Center using a VW Golf 8.
But don’t take that to mean that Michelin has made any unseemly compromises with regard to the tread compound; the PS5 is still a beast on the twisties. Motorsport-proven Dynamic Response technology, with a hybrid Aramid and Nylon ply belt around the entire structure of the tire, helps keep the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 exceptionally reactive. Meanwhile, a Dual Sport Tread Design offers outstanding dry performance using the outer tread blocks, and excellent traction in the wet with the inner tread.
And not that anyone should ever choose a tire for the looks alone, but the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 happens to be a real looker, with similar laser-engraved black velvet sidewall designs to its predecessor. That little touch has been such a hit that the tire actually won a “Contemporary Good Design Award” at the international Red Dot Award competition.
Back in 2015, Michelin and Ford inked a deal that would see the former become the primary tire supplier for non-truck Ford Performance vehicles. That partnership led to Michelin tires being fitted to everything from the Ford GT supercar to the Shelby GT350 Mustang, down to the Focus RS hot hatch. Given that, chances are we won’t have to wait very long before we see the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 fitted to a new hot Ford Performance vehicle.
