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

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During the 23 years I owned my Honda Accord I was RARELY able to buy the same tire twice. I wore them out about every two years and the manufacturer would either change the tread design, or do away with the tire model altogether. I had plenty of good tires and plenty of lousy tires. The LXi model Accord used 195/60/14 89H. It became increasingly difficult to find good options in the later years because the number of 14" tire models was dropping fast.

I just bought a set of Primacy's so I hope they are around for at least a couple of years! It's a compulsive tendency I have to not like mismatched tires.
 
I've run into the OEM version being vastly different than the aftermarket version on motorcycle tires. I've bought a new bike that I HATED the tires on and ended up replacing them only to find out that a friend had the same tires my motorcycle came with that he loved.

I did some research and discovered that OEMs many times spec tires that are within a set of specs they specify. Even if it shares a common name with an aftermarket version, the two tires can be completely different.

If I were racing or owned a sports car, I'd be really concerned with tire choice. But if it's round, black, safe, and not too loud, then I'm not overly concerned about tires on my family hauler. I do want it to last a long time, and have good emergency handling in the event I need to stop hard or avoid a collision. I typically stick with a tried and true tire that gets good reviews. The Tire Rack does some excellent tests on tires and many times, the most expensive tire is not the best tire.
 
Originally Posted By: ChadHargis
I've run into the OEM version being vastly different than the aftermarket version on motorcycle tires.......


You're new to the forum, so I'll tell you that this applies to passenger car and light truck tires, too. If you do a search, you'll find some threads that discuss OE tires in much greater detail.

Summary: Any tire supplied to a vehicle manufacturer is spec'd by the vehicle manufacturer - and the tire manufacturer designs to those specs or they don't supply. Commonly, fuel economy is important to the vehicle manufacturer, so he will write the spec to emphasize that - and the tire manufacturer has to sacrifice treadwear and/or traction in order to get better fuel economy. That is why OE tires are so poorly rated. It isn't cost; it's their traction and wear qualities.

And there are 2 exceptions to the OE thing - trailers and big rig trucks. In the case of trailer manufacturers, there aren't any big enough to dictate the tire specs. In the case of big rig trucks, the tires are generally specified by the buyer of the truck.

Now you may say to yourself: "Why can't I specify what tires I get with my new car (or pickup truck)?".

Well, you can - BUT - when the vehicle leaves the factory, it has to have a sticker indicating the result of standard fuel economy tests AS MANUFACTURED - and that includes the tires. Once it gets to the dealer, the tires can be replaced.

That means the vehicle dealer has to swap tires - and has to deal with the extra set of OE tires. This, of course, is going to add to the cost of the vehicle (which may be hidden from view).

I'm not sure how this works exactly, but the fuel economy sticker has to be in place when the vehicle is sold, and replacing the tires changes the fuel economy. I know that some dealers will offer an upsized wheel and tire that negates the F/E sticker. I suspect they do a slight of hand by "selling" the vehicle with the OE tires, then claiming the customer performed an "Upgrade" before delivery.
 
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I decided to try the new Premier A/S tires on my Altima. Picked them up today (well, yesterday really). They look good, but the tread depth is noticeable. They still are better than the old tires, but not by much. We'll see if they can last as long as Michelin indicates. I had Michelin tires on an old car (1990 Accord EX maybe?), and those tires lasted 80K before I replaced them. Maybe I'll have as good of luck with these. Time will tell, but my initial impressions are that these are solid tires. I've already had them on the highway today a couple of times and they drive great. Hope they live up to the marketing machine's claims. Either way, right now I'm satisfied!
 
I think people are talking about the 8.5 tread depth like its almost a slick. No one has mentioned the tread depth on other Michelin tires.

Defender - 10
Energy Saver- 8.5 to 9.5 depends on the tire size
MXV4- 9.5 to 11 depends on size
MXM4- 9 to 9.5 depends on size

Michelin is making another tire at 8.5 and most are at 9.5 thats just 1/32 more than the Premier A/S.

That said, I just put a set on my Subaru,size 205/55-16.
I have not driven far enough to say anything about them other than they are quiet and smooth.
 
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