Trying the Michelin Premier A/S

[MCompact]

The Cooper Zeon RS3-As on my son's X3 were getting very close to the wear bars, and-since my tire dealer no longer sells Cooper tires-I decided to give the Michelin Premier A/S a try.

With a 60,000 mile treadwear warranty I'm optimistic that the Michelins will last him through the rest of his college years. They might be a bit of overkill but I am not one to cut corners on tires. My initial impressions are positive; the ride might be just a bit better than the Coopers, while steering response is perhaps a touch softer.

My BMW dealer dialed the alignment in just before my son returned to South Carolina so here's hoping the tires live up to their billing.

 

[Rand]

Those are great tires, if they cost 20%-25% less I think there would be a big bandwagon and the naysayers would be silent.

That being said.. they are overpriced. If I can score a great deal on them.. they could possibly be my next tires.

 

[MCompact]

My shop knocked $50 off the set and their price includes mounting, balancing, and lifetime rotation so I was OK with the price.

 

[horse123]

>son
>college
>x3

Seriously though? I'd like to hear a good reason for this.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I would agree with them being overpriced. Excellent tires that you don't have to worry about but I always wonder if Michelin is expecting people who "don't want to scrimp" on tires to always pony up just based on their reputation. Typically, they're $30-$40 more a tire than the competition for my vehicle. It may be worth it to you so I can't comment.

I've owned two sets of Michelins and neither lasted for more than 35-40K miles ( less than their rating ) while in recent years I've had Bridgestone, Yokohama, and General each go longer than their rating. In the case of the Bridgestones, 25K miles. That being said, Michelins seem to have less problems than most brands and IMO you are getting better quality on the whole. That may or may not translate into time and money savings in the future for you or your son.

 

[horse123]

My dad had some 700 TW rated michelins on a CRV (so basically FWD), they got down to dangerously low almost every year. At least if he was going to use them in the snow. I've abused my Contis on the other hand, also with a 700 TW rating, on an AWD car, and they're still good for probably another year if I want to replace them at 6/32" like you should for winters. Already put them on a year and a half ago.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: horse123
>son
>college
>x3

Seriously though? I'd like to hear a good reason for this.


So I need a reason? Hmmm...

Let's see...

My son's first car was my 1975 2002; I told him I'd help him out with an upgrade if he kept his grades up and went a year without a ticket or at-fault accident. He kept up his side of the bargain and said he'd be happy with his mother's 2004 X3- which now has 159k on the clock. He's attending college sans any student loans or other debt.

Happy?

 

[cashmoney]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: horse123
>son
>college
>x3

Seriously though? I'd like to hear a good reason for this.


So I need a reason? Hmmm...

Let's see...

My son's first car was my 1975 2002; I told him I'd help him out with an upgrade if he kept his grades up and went a year without a ticket or at-fault accident. He kept up his side of the bargain and said he'd be happy with his mother's 2004 X3- which now has 159k on the clock. He's attending college sans any student loans or other debt.

Happy?


Sounds reasonable to me. Nice job Dad.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: cashmoney

Sounds reasonable to me. Nice job Dad.


Thanks, but I don't want to claim all the credit; he's ambitious and willing to work hard to get what he wants, yet he still goes on mission trips to Cuba and Haiti. My wife and I are truly blessed.

 

[horse123]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: horse123
>son
>college
>x3

Seriously though? I'd like to hear a good reason for this.


So I need a reason? Hmmm...

Let's see...

My son's first car was my 1975 2002; I told him I'd help him out with an upgrade if he kept his grades up and went a year without a ticket or at-fault accident. He kept up his side of the bargain and said he'd be happy with his mother's 2004 X3- which now has 159k on the clock. He's attending college sans any student loans or other debt.

Happy?


Yes. Sounds fine to me.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: cashmoney

Sounds reasonable to me. Nice job Dad.


Thanks, but I don't want to claim all the credit; he's ambitious and willing to work hard to get what he wants, yet he still goes on mission trips to Cuba and Haiti. My wife and I are truly blessed.


You don't need to explain to anyone!

I am finding too many replies in post that are of little value from, too many members(new and seasoned members). These members I have blocked!

They ask too many questions that offer nothing or sarcasm!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
My shop knocked $50 off the set and their price includes mounting, balancing, and lifetime rotation so I was OK with the price.


Folks here routinely knock Michelin on price.

I only run their LTX MS2 in load range E and PSS summers on my car. In both cases they are FAR cheaper per mile than any other brand we have used.

For example, in the car I have never had a set of tires last beyond 20k miles. But the PSS's are warranted for 30k miles! Huge savings long term, and these tires do not lose their performance as they age in our fleet. Ride and handling are almost the same to the end. IMO excellent bang for your buck.

Maybe some peace of mind for a parent, too...

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Those are great tires, if they cost 20%-25% less I think there would be a big bandwagon and the naysayers would be silent.

That being said.. they are overpriced. If I can score a great deal on them.. they could possibly be my next tires.


Buying a premium brand tire is really not much more expensive...

4 tires , $ 60 more a tire, equals $ 240 net difference, spread over 3 years say... that is a whopping $ 80 per year. Not really much of a premium in the long run...

There are better things to price shop for than tires...

And, as a bonus, they are made in the USA / Canada...not China, like the old Coopers, if I remember a previous post correctly...

 

[Rand]

in my size they are 204$ vs 125$ (each)

Oh and thanks for answering about the x3, I was interested but wasn't rude enough to ask.

 

[raytseng]

Well no X3 snark from me, but the only advice is if your son's going to own the car is to start giving your son budget and power to make these decisions on car maintenance himself.

Or at least making him go to the tire shop and get the tires put on, so he understands what it takes, after you've made the decision and pay the bills. Then maybe next tire change he can handle it himself (even if he goes to you for advice, he has learned how to follow through on it).

 

[MCompact]

He handled a starter repair pretty much on his own just last semester; all I did was steer him towards a good indie BMW tech.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Independence is a parent's greatest gift...