Tirerack picks Michelin Premier A/S as the best

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I am actually in the market for new tires for my 2012 Legacy. I live in Connecticut so I need something that will handle the snow. NO I don't run winter tires on this car as it is not driven a lot and we use my spouses minivan the most which has snow tires.

Anyhow I was considering the Michelin Premier A/S, but I was also looking at the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus and the Continental Pure Contact????

Really hoping to get real-life experience on any of these tires vs. subjective feedback on the brand.
 
Originally Posted By: Picky1
I am actually in the market for new tires for my 2012 Legacy. I live in Connecticut so I need something that will handle the snow. NO I don't run winter tires on this car as it is not driven a lot and we use my spouses minivan the most which has snow tires.

Anyhow I was considering the Michelin Premier A/S, but I was also looking at the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus and the Continental Pure Contact????

Really hoping to get real-life experience on any of these tires vs. subjective feedback on the brand.


As I mentioned above, I have the Michelin Premier A/S and just had them put on my Subaru about two weeks back. Tires are grippy and the driving/handling characteristics are good, and mine are very smooth and quiet. It's actually the first time i've ever got new tires and noticed they were smoother and quieter than my old tires. However I've noticed a definite hit to my MPG since having them installed. It feels like the vehicle is slower, or at least requires more gas to get moving now than it did before. I only have about 800 miles on them right now, so I'm not sure if that'll go away as they get broken in.

I've only driven them on dry ground and some rain, so I can't comment on winter traction yet.


I was torn between the Michelin Premier A/S and the Continental PureContact because I only drive in unplowed snow or ice at most a handful of times a year, and the vast majority of my driving is in dry or wet (rain), so those were the weather conditions I was most concerned about. Plus I hope the Subaru AWD would help improve the snow/ice handling if I ever needed it.

So based on my driving conditions, I ruled out the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus simply b/c I didn't feel giving up the wet condition handling was worth it to gain the snow handling since I drive in rain significantly more than I drive in snow/ice. However you might feel differently.

If I had to do it again, I might've gone with the Continental PureContacts, but that's really only because they've been around enough to know their characteristics in different weather conditions. I'm basically hoping the Michelin tires perform as well in winter conditions as the Continentals do. If it performs significantly worse than I'm going to be upset b/c it was my dislike of my previous tires in the snow/ice that led to me getting rid of them a year earlier than I really needed to. As long as the Michelins handle snow/ice decently, then I don't care about the lost MPG b/c I put the safe driving/handling above MPG.

If you decide to get the Michelin tires, and you have a Costco membership, Costco currently has a promotion running on them. $70 off a set of four, plus free installation (another $50-60 savings). They didn't have the free installation when I got mine a couple weeks ago, but the $70 off helped to bring them closer in line with the price of the Continentals.
 
Originally Posted By: sicko
Originally Posted By: Picky1
I am actually in the market for new tires for my 2012 Legacy. I live in Connecticut so I need something that will handle the snow. NO I don't run winter tires on this car as it is not driven a lot and we use my spouses minivan the most which has snow tires.



As I mentioned above, I have the Michelin Premier A/S and just had them put on my Subaru about two weeks back...

...Plus I hope the Subaru AWD would help improve the snow/ice handling if I ever needed it.



You guys... SUBARU and all seasons... sorry, but why...?

Now you can accelerate good BECAUSE of the all wheel drive... but once up to speed, you are now relying 110% on your tires to STOP and TURN...

AWD and marginal tires is a recipe for disaster. Every winter, the majority of the vehicles in the ditch or worse are trucks and SUVs with AWD (4WD) and 1/2 worn oem all season tires...

People are so worried about getting stuck... but being stuck doesn't usually hurt you. Not being able to stop or turn after getting going too fast, and too quickly, courtesy of AWD, often does..

My SUBARU on studless winter tires is FANTASTIC in terrible winter conditions. But I can tell you that the tires have saved my bacon numerous times when other drivers have lost control, or slid into the intersection etc., and I have had to avoid them. And AWD had nothing to do with that... the TIRES did...!
 
Originally Posted By: geeman789
Originally Posted By: sicko
Originally Posted By: Picky1
I am actually in the market for new tires for my 2012 Legacy. I live in Connecticut so I need something that will handle the snow. NO I don't run winter tires on this car as it is not driven a lot and we use my spouses minivan the most which has snow tires.



As I mentioned above, I have the Michelin Premier A/S and just had them put on my Subaru about two weeks back...

...Plus I hope the Subaru AWD would help improve the snow/ice handling if I ever needed it.



You guys... SUBARU and all seasons... sorry, but why...?

Now you can accelerate good BECAUSE of the all wheel drive... but once up to speed, you are now relying 110% on your tires to STOP and TURN...

AWD and marginal tires is a recipe for disaster. Every winter, the majority of the vehicles in the ditch or worse are trucks and SUVs with AWD (4WD) and 1/2 worn oem all season tires...

People are so worried about getting stuck... but being stuck doesn't usually hurt you. Not being able to stop or turn after getting going too fast, and too quickly, courtesy of AWD, often does..

My SUBARU on studless winter tires is FANTASTIC in terrible winter conditions. But I can tell you that the tires have saved my bacon numerous times when other drivers have lost control, or slid into the intersection etc., and I have had to avoid them. And AWD had nothing to do with that... the TIRES did...!



I completely see your point, but there are other factors at play here as well. The thread I was replying to said that although they live in Connecticut they rarely drive their Legacy in the winter, so they don't put snow tires on it but do put snow tires on their other car.

I go with all season tires because I live in the mid-atlantic, where there really isn't a need for snow tires. We're just as likely to get snow/ice 3-4 times as we are to get nothing all winter long. Our snow storms aren't much either, usually less than 6 inches, and even then we get the option to work from home. So even when it snows, it doesn't mean I'll be driving in it.

I completely agree with your comment about getting stuck versus not being able to stop or turn b/c you were going too fast. I'm always surprised at the number of SUVs I see in ditches on the side of the road when it snows. I used to take a winding road to my previous job, and on many occasions I would have a vehicle pass me when it was snowing, only for me to pass them a moment later b/c they were stuck in a ditch after trying to take a turn too fast.

If I lived in a place that could consistently support winter tires, I'd have no problem putting them on my vehicle every year for the extra safety. However, where I live it's really not needed, so I go with all season tires and just use common sense if I have to drive when there's snow or ice out.
 
Sicko, thanks for your insights that is the type of feedback I am looking for vs. the criticism about running A/S tires in the winter especially on a car isn’t the primary vehicle or used a lot. To be honest this is my 3rd Subaru and good A/S tires with the superb Subaru AWD has always gotten me everyplace I wanted to go included some of the major storms we have had here in the NE the last few years.

You are right on target as to why I am considering the Michelin’s (vs. the Continentals or Pirelli’s) is due to the $70 coupon from Costco paired with the $60 free install discount that they are running. I have read a ton about these tires and it seems like a lot of folks complain about either the road noise and MPG hit…so perhaps this isn’t the tire for me especially when you couple it with the tread depth difference.
 
Originally Posted By: cutter
These Premiers have the most aggressive wintry looking treads I've ever seen on an A/S.


I couldn't agree, the general altimax rt43 is much more aggressive.

on the michelin
at full tread depth most of the voids are sipes that turn into voids at lower tread depths

also the generals start out with 33% deeper tread.

the general
link

and the premier
the premier full size pic link
I used links because the full size pics are obnoxious to put as a pic in the thread.
 
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Originally Posted By: Koz1
Couldnt a company fake a bunch of surveys?
There is no certified owner on those reviews.


How do we know that Michelin doesn't pay for these? Same with auto magazines ....
 
If you look at all the surveys on Tire Rack a lot of Michelin tires have gotten negative surveys in the past. In many ways I see positive surveys for Michelin as more valid because they often cost more-people have higher expectations for them as oppose to tires are a lot less.
 
Originally Posted By: Koz1
Couldnt a company fake a bunch of surveys?
There is no certified owner on those reviews.

Verified owner of tire should accompany every review.
Just login and write to your hearts content.
 
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