Michelin Premier A/S hits the stores today...

[badtlc]

Who is interested in trying these? I know I am, but the price is probably going to scare me away.

http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector...-s/tire-details

I think the fact that the tread changes as you wear them out is interesting. It was just a matter of time.

 

[PeterGreen]

I am. I think Michelin is nearly always worth the extra investment. great tire company. they spend on R&D more than some tire companies have in their entire budgets

 

[faramir9]

Tread depth 8.5/32"?!? Did I read that right? Also, is this a replacement for the MXV4?

 

[DBMaster]

They are $153 each from my local Discount Tire. I JUST bought a set of Primacy MXV4's yesterday for $125 each. I went with them since they were the top rated H-all season in Consumer Reports. The tires that came on the car from the factory were Bridgestone Turanza EL-400's. So, of course, I am much happier now. I'm sure I'll be even happier as they get worn in, but the dry handling is so much better and I doubt anything could have worse wet traction than those Turanzas. They were simply awful all the way around.

Oh, the prices are for my car's size, 205/55/16, H speed rating.

 

[michaelluscher]

Hmm.....
I'm skeptical, as I've grown quite attached to my ~$600 set of
94H 215-60-16's on the Taurus. Hopefully this leads to a price drop on them, Can finally get a decent set of tires on Le Camry
.......those [censored] Bridgestone Turanza EL42's/400's have given me both tourettes and post-traumatic stress disorder........
Edit: They've hit TR in my needed size........They 'spensive

TR
Made in US?

USA!
USA!!

 

[DBMaster]

I should have traded them off when the car was new. New car take-offs get decent trade-in value at most tire stores. Discount actually used to carry the EL400's. Last time I was there I noticed they weren't on the "menu" anymore. When I asked why they told me it was due to the poor wet traction. If it weren't for the traction control on my car I would have considered them downright dangerous.

 

[michaelluscher]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I should have traded them off when the car was new. New car take-offs get decent trade-in value at most tire stores. Discount actually used to carry the EL400's. Last time I was there I noticed they weren't on the "menu" anymore. When I asked why they told me it was due to the poor wet traction. If it weren't for the traction control on my car I would have considered them downright dangerous.

That line of Turanza's and Ecopia's in a nutshell

The fact that "Yes sir, This IS A tire"
It's round, black, and has tread, And MIGHT! hold air
They're the textbook definition of a tire, Just as a Corolla is the TB definition of a car
The difference is, The Corolla works

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I should have traded them off when the car was new. New car take-offs get decent trade-in value at most tire stores. Discount actually used to carry the EL400's. Last time I was there I noticed they weren't on the "menu" anymore. When I asked why they told me it was due to the poor wet traction. If it weren't for the traction control on my car I would have considered them downright dangerous.

OEM tires are going to vary by application, as the exact attributes will be spec'ed by the OEM, not the tire mfg.

With that said, the EL400-02 tires on my mother's 2010 Altima V6 are excellent. I really have no complaints about them. They deliver a great ride, good cornering and decent traction.

 

[Rand]

their marketing is [censored]

The MICHELIN® Premier® A/S Tire - Safe when new, Safe when worn (Safe refers to wet braking, wet handling and hydroplaning resistance when tires are new and worn to 5/32).


they start out with 8.5/32
I'd hope they were safe with 5/32 left.
So thats just ~~41% worn
and snow traction starts going downhill fast below 6/32

when you have worn off a mere 29% of the tread.

It might be the new best thing but pencil me in as skeptical until they have a few years out there.

 

[Rand]

oh and they are 200$+ a piece in my tire size!!!

 

[Hokiefyd]

I am surprised that, indeed, every size starts with only 8.5/32" of tread. This is definitely something new in the tire industry. I think I'll wait to see how these do in the field (though I'm sure they've been tested extensively).

We recently put Primacy MXV4s on our Acura and they're among the best sets of tires I've ever bought.

 

[badtlc]

I hate to continue the off topic discussion of the bridgestone turanza el400 tires but I have them on my mazda3. I haven't noticed any problems with them. I drove 13mi in a downpour to work today with no issues. My car is a stick, though, so maybe I don't push things enough to break these tires loose. I also had no problems in 6"+ of snow with the EL400s but everyone says they are [censored] there, too. Maybe some real tires will blow my mind someday.

The michelins that were on my ATX mazda6 were [censored]. they'd spin on just about every start from a stop.

I think it is funny how opinions on tires can vary so drastically. I also think it is funny how people will hate an OEM tire no matter how good it is. People just attach stigmas to certain things when it comes to tires.

 

[Rand]

Thats because the car manufacturer spec's the tire when its OEM

so your OEM tires might be different than other OEM tires/retail versions.

Also saying your michelin's were [censored] is worthless without a model of tire, and if they were oem or not.

I have yet to see a "good" oem tire.
at best they might be average.

Originally Posted By: badtlc
I hate to continue the off topic discussion of the bridgestone turanza el400 tires but I have them on my mazda3. I haven't noticed any problems with them. I drove 13mi in a downpour to work today with no issues. My car is a stick, though, so maybe I don't push things enough to break these tires loose. I also had no problems in 6"+ of snow with the EL400s but everyone says they are [censored] there, too. Maybe some real tires will blow my mind someday.



The michelins that were on my ATX mazda6 were [censored]. they'd spin on just about every start from a stop.

I think it is funny how opinions on tires can vary so drastically. I also think it is funny how people will hate an OEM tire no matter how good it is. People just attach stigmas to certain things when it comes to tires.

 

[badtlc]

They were OEM michelins. They had some 4 letter/number label.

The funny part is the tire manufacturers say the car companies get the grade A tires and ones that don't grade out that well get sold retail. So according to them, retail tires are of lower quality.

 

[kkreit01]

I wouldn't pay $75 a piece for them. They are already worn if they only start with 8.5/32nds. There have only been a few Michelins I have been pleased with. The rest are mediocre or poor -- just like any manufacturer. However, they sure have fanboys like no other.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
The funny part is the tire manufacturers say the car companies get the grade A tires and ones that don't grade out that well get sold retail. So according to them, retail tires are of lower quality.


Two comments on this:

First, I'm not sure I've read, from a manufacturer that say their best tires to go OES contracts and the tires that don't make that cut get sold at retail. I do know that that's a common belief, but I'm not sure it's based in fact. It could be...I've just never seen that verified anywhere.

Second, if that is indeed the case, they'd be talking about things like uniformity, roundness, etc. How that specific tire part number (part number, not model name) performs, things like grip or ride quality, should be the same whether you get it as original equipment or if you buy it from a tire dealer.

 

[Smokescreen]

That is pretty small tread to start out with. After the life I am getting with the Defenders, I will definitely be passing on these...especially at that price. I am sure they are good an all, but I need more due to my climate and seasonal overlaps.

 

[glock19]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
I hate to continue the off topic discussion of the bridgestone turanza el400 tires but I have them on my mazda3. I haven't noticed any problems with them. I drove 13mi in a downpour to work today with no issues. My car is a stick, though, so maybe I don't push things enough to break these tires loose. I also had no problems in 6"+ of snow with the EL400s but everyone says they are [censored] there, too. Maybe some real tires will blow my mind someday.

The michelins that were on my ATX mazda6 were [censored]. they'd spin on just about every start from a stop.

I think it is funny how opinions on tires can vary so drastically. I also think it is funny how people will hate an OEM tire no matter how good it is. People just attach stigmas to certain things when it comes to tires.


I've wondered the same thing. I'm not sure exactly what people are doing that they are complaining about the dry traction of these tires. How hard do you have to drive a car to get the tires to break loose in a corner? Definitely way harder than you're ever going to drive on the street. Are people tracking EL-400's?

My only complaint with them has been the road noise. The handling and performance of the tire is perfectly acceptable to me for a street tire. I've even had them in 8" of snow no problem. All that said, I'm still looking forward to when they wear out and I can put MXV4's on the Subaru for some peace and quiet.

 

[Rand]

ah but would that be michelin pilot hx mxm4, michelin primacy mxv4, or michelin energy mxv4, energy mxv4 plus,primacy mxm4, energy mxv4 s8

and in an oem or non oem size.

there is at least 12 distinctly different tires there that have similar names(or oem/retail variance).

the sad part is an oem version vs retail version can have very different performance/handling/mpg characteristics and not be labeled.

To farther confuse you oem and retail versions are both sold at retail.

usually by size but sometimes the same size is available in both tires.

but back on topic:
IF these wear like iron I guess theoretically they could be good but I just dont like starting out with 8.5/32 thats missing the good half of the tread.

Of course the point is moot since I wont be spending 900$+ on 4 tires.. even the primacy mxm4's were ~~700$

 

[tommygunn]

Honestly, I'm totally OK with the 8.5/32 tread. You know why?

Because Michelin's non-performance tires (basically any non-OE Michelin that doesn't have "Pilot" in its name) last a really really long time. Even after 10 years, a Primacy MXV4, Harmony, Symmetry, or Defender will still have half of their treads left with heavy sidewall cracking. This can actually be a bad thing because people won't replace the tires "oh it still has half the tread left so they don't need to be replaced yet"

With the shorter tread of 8.5/32, they will still last the 10 years that people drive the MXV4's on but they'll just show signs of needing to be replaced that are more obvious than the sidewall cracking that everybody seems to miss.

Plus, there are performance and fuel economy advantages to be had with less starting tread.