About two years ago, I purchased a set of Michelin Premier A/S tires for my Prius. Since that time, I have driven about 40,000 miles and the tires have worn to just under 4/32". For my driving style (which is on the aggressive side), the service life I received was actually a bit longer than other sets of tires that I have purchased for this same car. During this time period, I was actually quite satisfied with the performance of the Premiers; most notably, they delivered reasonably good steering feel and fantastic wet traction (even towards the end of their lifespan). Areas of improvement for these tires would be improved rolling resistance and a slight reduction in tread noise.
With the current rate of wear, I could have probably traveled another 10k miles before reaching the wear bars. However, the Black Friday specials and the reasonable prorate adjustment credit from my local tire dealer motivated me to purchase replacement tires a bit sooner than originally planned. While I considered getting a different tire this time, none of the other options in this size (215/45-17, V) provided compelling reasons to switch from a known quantity.
Here are some pictures of the new tires. I apologize for the nighttime pictures and the very very very dirty car.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
In conclusion, I do recommend these tires for anyone who is seeking a "grand touring" type tire. Although the pricing is a bit on the high side, the overall performance of the tire is quite good and I would not be concerned about the 8.5/32" starting tread depth. The service life is reasonable (competitive) and Michelin will standby the tire and address premature wear with an appropriate pro-rate adjustment.
With the current rate of wear, I could have probably traveled another 10k miles before reaching the wear bars. However, the Black Friday specials and the reasonable prorate adjustment credit from my local tire dealer motivated me to purchase replacement tires a bit sooner than originally planned. While I considered getting a different tire this time, none of the other options in this size (215/45-17, V) provided compelling reasons to switch from a known quantity.
Here are some pictures of the new tires. I apologize for the nighttime pictures and the very very very dirty car.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
In conclusion, I do recommend these tires for anyone who is seeking a "grand touring" type tire. Although the pricing is a bit on the high side, the overall performance of the tire is quite good and I would not be concerned about the 8.5/32" starting tread depth. The service life is reasonable (competitive) and Michelin will standby the tire and address premature wear with an appropriate pro-rate adjustment.