Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 Review: The Ultimate Performance Tire for Enthusiasts

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When it comes to high-performance driving, few things matter more than the connection between your vehicle and the road. The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 stands as one of the most respected ultra-high performance tires on the market, offering driving enthusiasts the perfect blend of precision, grip, and confidence-inspiring handling.

Designed specifically for sports cars, muscle cars, and performance-oriented sedans, the Pilot Exalto PE2 represents Michelin’s commitment to delivering exceptional performance without sacrificing comfort or durability. Whether you’re carving through canyon roads, attacking a track day, or simply enjoying your daily commute, these tires are engineered to enhance every aspect of your driving experience.

In this comprehensive review, we’ll examine what makes the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 a standout choice in the competitive ultra-high performance tire segment. From its remarkable dry and wet traction capabilities to its surprising comfort and longevity, we’ll explore why this tire continues to be a favorite among discerning drivers who demand the very best from their vehicles.

What is the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2?

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is an all-season ultra-high performance tire designed for sports cars, muscle cars, and high-performance vehicles. This tire combines superior dry and wet road traction with responsive handling and a comfortable ride.

Engineered with an advanced silica-reinforced tread compound, the Pilot Exalto PE2 delivers exceptional grip and cornering stability in both dry and wet conditions. Its asymmetric tread pattern features wide circumferential grooves and lateral notches for efficient water evacuation, ensuring reliable wet traction and hydroplaning resistance.

While excelling in performance, the Pilot Exalto PE2 also provides a comfortable ride quality thanks to its optimized tread design and construction. Michelin’s proprietary computer-optimized component design helps minimize noise and vibration, resulting in a smooth and quiet driving experience.

Whether you’re tackling winding roads or cruising on the highway, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 delivers the perfect balance of grip, handling, and comfort for your high-performance vehicle. Its versatile all-season capabilities make it a great choice for drivers seeking year-round traction without compromising on performance.

Dry Road Performance

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 excels in dry road conditions, delivering exceptional grip and responsive handling that inspires confidence. Designed with Michelin’s advanced silica-enhanced tread compound, these tires bite into dry pavement, providing tenacious traction during acceleration, braking, and cornering maneuvers.

Independent tests have consistently ranked the Pilot Exalto PE2 among the top performers in its class for dry road grip. In comparison tests against leading competitors, the PE2 demonstrated shorter stopping distances and higher lateral grip limits, allowing drivers to push their vehicles harder without sacrificing control.

The asymmetric tread pattern, with its continuous center rib and stable outer shoulder blocks, contributes to the tire’s precise steering response and high-speed stability. Drivers will appreciate the direct, communicative feel and minimal understeer, even when pushing the limits on winding roads or during enthusiastic driving.

Whether navigating tight city streets or carving through twisty mountain passes, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 shines on dry tarmac. Its combination of dry grip, precise handling, and confidence-inspiring responsiveness make it a top choice for driving enthusiasts and those seeking a truly engaging driving experience.

Wet Road Performance

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 tires demonstrate impressive wet road performance, thanks to their advanced tread compound and design. Michelin’s proprietary silica-based tread rubber enhances grip on slick surfaces, providing exceptional wet traction.

During wet road tests, the Exalto PE2 exhibited impressive resistance to hydroplaning, a common concern when driving on flooded roads. The tires’ wide circumferential grooves and lateral notches effectively evacuate water from the contact patch, reducing the risk of losing control due to hydroplaning.

Independent testing organizations have consistently ranked the Exalto PE2 among the top performers in wet braking tests. The tires’ ability to shed water and maintain grip allows for shorter stopping distances, even on soaked pavement.

Real-world driving experiences corroborate the tires’ wet weather capabilities. Owners report a sense of confidence and control when navigating through heavy rain or standing water, with the tires maintaining a solid grip on the road surface.

Michelin’s attention to detail in the Exalto PE2’s tread design also contributes to its impressive wet road performance. The tread pattern features an intricate network of grooves and sipes that enhance water evacuation and grip, even as the tread wears down over time.

Overall, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 tires offer exceptional wet road performance, providing drivers with peace of mind and enhanced safety when faced with challenging weather conditions.

Snow and Ice Traction

While the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is an ultra-high performance all-season tire and not a dedicated winter tire, it still provides reasonably capable traction in light snow and on icy surfaces. The tire’s advanced silica-enhanced tread compound helps it remain pliable in cold temperatures, allowing the tread blocks to better conform to the road surface for improved grip.

However, the Exalto PE2’s performance has limits when it comes to deep snow or extreme ice. The directional tread pattern and relatively low tread depth mean it can struggle to evacuate slush and packed snow effectively. On glare ice, the summer-oriented tread compound will begin to stiffen and lose grip.

For driving in true winter conditions with heavy snow and ice, a dedicated winter tire is highly recommended. The Exalto PE2 is better suited for light wintry mix or the occasional frosting, where its dry and wet road performance takes precedence. Once snow accumulation exceeds a couple of inches or temperatures dip below freezing for extended periods, the limitations of an all-season tire like this become apparent.

Ride Comfort and Noise

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 delivers an impressive balance of ride comfort and low noise levels for an ultra-high performance summer tire. Despite its aggressive tread design and focus on maximum dry and wet grip, the tire manages to provide a relatively smooth and compliant ride quality.

On smooth highway surfaces, the Exalto PE2 exhibits excellent ride comfort characteristics. It absorbs minor road imperfections well, preventing harsh impacts from being transmitted into the cabin. The ride remains composed and controlled, without the jarring feel that some max performance tires can exhibit.

Even on rougher city streets with cracks and potholes, the Exalto PE2 maintains a reasonable level of compliance. While you’ll feel more road imperfections compared to a luxury touring tire, the impacts are well-damped and never become unbearably harsh or uncomfortable.

In terms of noise levels, the Exalto PE2 is impressively quiet for a summer ultra-high performance tire. At highway speeds, there is only a moderate amount of tire roar that enters the cabin. The noise levels are well-controlled and never become intrusive or fatiguing, even on longer drives.

Overall, Michelin has engineered the Exalto PE2 to provide an optimal blend of precise handling and grip with surprising ride comfort and low noise levels. While it can’t match the plush ride of a grand touring tire, it delivers excellent refinement for its performance category.

Treadwear and Durability

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is designed to provide excellent treadwear and durability for a high-performance summer tire. Michelin utilizes advanced tread compound technologies and tread design to enhance the tire’s longevity without sacrificing grip and handling capabilities.

Michelin rates the Pilot Exalto PE2 with a UTQG treadwear rating of 300, which is considered excellent for a max-performance summer tire. This rating suggests that the tire should provide around 30,000 to 40,000 miles of tread life under normal driving conditions, depending on factors such as driving habits, vehicle weight, and proper maintenance.

Additionally, Michelin backs the Pilot Exalto PE2 with a 30,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is impressive for a tire in this category. This warranty provides coverage for the first 2/32nds of tread depth, ensuring that you get the most out of your investment.

The tire’s tread compound is formulated with high-silica content, which enhances tread life while maintaining excellent grip on dry and wet surfaces. Furthermore, the asymmetric tread pattern with variable-thickness sipes and grooves helps to evenly distribute wear across the tread surface, promoting even wear and extending the tire’s usable life.

While the Pilot Exalto PE2 is not designed for extreme conditions like winter driving, its durable construction and reinforced internal structure ensure that it can withstand the rigors of spirited driving and high-speed cornering without compromising its structural integrity or performance capabilities over time.

Sizing Options and Fitments

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is available in a wide range of sizes to fit most passenger cars, crossovers, and performance vehicles. Michelin offers this tire in diameters from 16 inches all the way up to 22 inches, with varying section widths and aspect ratios to accommodate different wheel and vehicle specifications.

One advantage of the Exalto PE2 is its availability in plus sizing options. Plus sizing refers to fitting a tire with a shorter sidewall and wider tread area than the original equipment size. This can provide improved steering response, cornering grip, and overall handling performance. However, it’s important to note that plus sizing may affect ride quality, speedometer accuracy, and vehicle clearances, so proper research and professional guidance is recommended.

For many sports cars, sedans, and coupes, Michelin offers staggered fitments with wider rear tires to maximize traction and performance. Staggered setups are common on performance vehicles to account for the different loads and grip requirements between the front and rear axles.

When selecting the appropriate size, it’s crucial to consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual or a professional tire installer to ensure compatibility and proper fit. Factors like load ratings, speed ratings, and any specific manufacturer recommendations should be considered. Michelin’s online tire selector tool can also assist in identifying the correct size for your specific make and model.

Warranty Information

Michelin backs the Pilot Exalto PE2 with a strong warranty package that provides peace of mind for buyers. The tire comes with a 6-year/30,000-mile tread life warranty from the date of purchase. This warranty covers any premature wear down to the tire’s treadwear indicators.

Additionally, Michelin includes road hazard protection that covers any damage from punctures, cuts, bruises, or impact breaks during the first year of ownership or the first 2/32nds of tread depth. This can save you from having to purchase a new tire if it gets damaged from road debris or potholes.

The warranty is also transferable to a second owner if you decide to sell your vehicle while there is still tread life remaining on the tires. Overall, Michelin’s warranty demonstrates their confidence in the Pilot Exalto PE2’s treadlife and durability.

Pricing and Value

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is positioned as a premium ultra-high performance summer tire, and its pricing reflects this positioning. Expect to pay $150-$300 or more per tire, depending on the size and vendor. While this makes the Exalto PE2 one of the more expensive summer tire options on the market, many driving enthusiasts feel the performance justifies the higher price point.

Compared to its key competitors like the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position, Continental ExtremeContact Sport, and Pirelli P Zero, the Exalto PE2 lands roughly in the middle of the pack in terms of pricing. Its performance capabilities put it near the top of the ultra-high performance summer category, making it a solid value for those who prioritize maximum dry and wet grip over treadwear longevity.

Michelin backs the Exalto PE2 with a 30,000 mile treadwear warranty, which is fairly standard for an ultra-high performance summer tire that delivers incredible grip at the expense of shorter tread life. With proper maintenance and rotation, most drivers can expect 20,000-30,000 miles of usable tread life in real-world conditions.

Overall, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 provides excellent bang for your buck in the ultra-high performance summer tire segment. While pricey upfront, its tenacious grip, responsive handling, and confident braking in dry and wet conditions make it one of the top performance values if you prioritize summer traction above all else.

FAQs

Summary and Recommendations

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is a premium ultra-high performance summer tire designed for sports cars, muscle cars, and high-end sedans. It delivers exceptional dry grip and precise handling, making it an excellent choice for enthusiastic drivers who value dynamic performance on dry roads. While it performs well in wet conditions, it lacks the dedicated tread design and compound for maximum hydroplaning resistance.

This tire is an ideal fit for drivers of powerful rear-wheel-drive vehicles who prioritize dry road dynamics over all-season capabilities. It shines on warm, dry roads and race tracks, providing tenacious grip during hard acceleration, cornering, and braking. The PE2 allows you to push your performance vehicle closer to its limits with confidence.

However, those seeking a more versatile tire that can also handle light winter conditions may want to consider an ultra-high performance all-season option instead. The PE2’s summer compound will start to stiffen up and lose grip once temperatures drop below 45°F.

Pros

• Extremely responsive and grippy on dry roads
• Precise steering feel and high-speed stability
• Durable tread life for a max performance summer tire
• Available in many sizes for sports cars and sedans

Cons

• Subpar traction on snow and ice
• Not ideal for cold weather below 45°F
• Road noise can be elevated on certain vehicles
• Premium pricing, though justified for the performance

In summary, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is an outstanding summer tire choice for driving enthusiasts who want to unleash the full potential of their high-performance vehicle on warm, dry roads. Its strengths in dry grip, handling precision, and durability make it a compelling option despite the premium pricing.