Michelin Primacy mxm4 Review

[JHZR2]

My wife's 08 Rabbit still had its OE continental tires on it at 56k miles, and while the tread was still decent, she had made some complaints regarding hydroplane sensations. So since the winter was coming, we figured we would get some new tires. Tire Rack had done some reviews and rated the Primacy mxm4 very highly, so it appeared to be a good tire to get. We were considering the mxv4 and mxm4, but the mxm4 offered better wet braking and dry handling, which we felt were important, and it maintained high fuel economy performance.

Per the sheet in Costco, this is how it racks up against other Michelin tires:

So we got a set at Costco, because the pricing was compellingly lower than any other vendors and even tire rack... Even with a membership.

Got them installed and started driving. Immediately notable was the quietness as compared to OE tires with 1/3-1/2 tread. This is somewhat expected, but it was still observed to be a substantial difference.

Driving and handling is good, the tires roll nice and smoothly, but with good grip and provide a neutral feel. We havent taken them through much very aggressive driving.

The second day of ownership, we were a good 20 miles from home and had to go through some substantial rainstorms with a lot of standing water on the roads. The tires performed excellently, with no complaints. My wife was driving, and her comfort level was substantially increased as compared to her worries over hydroplaning when driving (carefully and suitable rates of speed) on the OE tires.

So we are very happy with the tires and look forward to having these in use for a very long time.

 

[Falken]

Just got a tire quote at Costco today for fun.

Their prices are much better than everyone else, and they have Road Hazard insurance that is included in the price of the tires themselves.

They had an instant rebate etc etc, and taxes and everything included was $531 for 4 Blizzak WS-70 in 185/65R/15.

Our taxes are over 15%, and we have a tire levy, so this is a great deal.

I have no doubt that this would be close to $800 anywhere else.

 

[Rand]

The primacy mxm4 has significantly less winter traction than the primacy mxv4. In everything else except treadwear its much better.

 

[hsd]

Just put a set of Primacy MXV4 on my Accord. They are so much quieter than the 3 year old Michelin Pilots they replaced (tread feathered). Alignment checked out good so Im not sure why the pilots wore that way.

 

[supton]

hsd, I wonder what the alignment specs are, and if your car carries a lot of weight in the trunk. And or suspension wear. I recently posted about feathering on my car, and it sounds like the specs are too accepting of bad numbers.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Rand
The primacy mxm4 has significantly less winter traction than the primacy mxv4. In everything else except treadwear its much better.


"significantly"? Have data? I know they have somewhat of a compromise, but they also address it with the sunflower oil composition, which keeps the tread softer and more compliant at cold temperatures - similar to snow tires. I get it that there is less siping, but obviously it doesnt make that much difference since wet traction is superior.

We also have two cars that get snow tires in the winter, so driving somewhere snowy isnt a concern. Since we tend to drive slow and careful when it is wet or snowy out in the wintertime, we arent terribly concerned.

Remember that our baseline is the Conti ProContact, which is rated worse (at tire rack) in every way. And theyve done great for multiple winters' snow and ice, including a trip out I-68 over the eastern continental deivide where we were in a big snowstorm over the mountains, without plowing and treatment yet. All was fine traction wise.

 

[hsd]

Originally Posted By: supton
hsd, I wonder what the alignment specs are, and if your car carries a lot of weight in the trunk. And or suspension wear. I recently posted about feathering on my car, and it sounds like the specs are too accepting of bad numbers.


Honda Specs are front toe=0, Rear toe-in= 1/16 in. Tolerance is 1/16 either way.
Camber front 0, rear 0.5. Tolerance 1.0 degree
No extra weight in the trunk or anywhere else (normally 1 or 2 people). The tires were feathered worse on the inside tread blocks and these tires were the first set to wear that way?? Car drives fine so I dont think anything is worn too bad. One tire shop commented that directional tires (pilots) tend to wear like that.

 

[JHZR2]

You know, BMW does alignments with weights in the vehicle, and MB at least on the old ones, used a spreader rod on the front tires to more accurately simulate road forces under operation.

No alignment shops seem to do either of these things, and Id bet that it has much to do with it.

 

[Rand]

I stand by my assertion that the tires have significantly less snow traction, Esp. deep snow traction.

Just look at the tread pattern.

Now as far as traction with just a coating of frost, ice, light snow.

That should be more similar.

Pics
Primacy MXM4

Primacy MXV4
Quite a large difference.

Am I saying the mxm4 is "BAD" in the winter? no

but the mxv4 is designed to be much better in the snow.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: hsd
Honda Specs are front toe=0, Rear toe-in= 1/16 in. Tolerance is 1/16 either way.
Camber front 0, rear 0.5. Tolerance 1.0 degree


This demonstrates how wide the alignment tolerances are. You can have -1/16" of toe on the front or 1/16" of toe on the front (which are both equally opposite of neutral) and it's okay. Same with the camber. You can have 0.5 deg of camber or -1.5 deg of camber, and it's okay. In my opinion, those allowances are way too wide. By the way, I think the rear camber spec is probably -0.5 deg (negative) rather than 0.5 deg (positive).

You can have a really "tight" alignment with moderate toe on all four corners and moderate negative camber and really chew through tires. Or you can have a pretty "loose" alignment with neutral toe and camber settings and that'd be really easy on tires. The car will drive completely differently, and the tires will wear much differently, but both would be allowable.

HSD, if you could post you actual alignment numbers (as measured on the car, not specs) in a different thread, assuming you were curious enough about it, we could take a closer look at your particular situation. I don't think directional tires as a rule are more or less prone to feathering, but certain tread patterns may be. Also, since you said that you are experiencing inner-edge feathering, you may be dealing with a combination of negative camber and toe out (rather than toe in).

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: hsd
Honda Specs are front toe=0, Rear toe-in= 1/16 in. Tolerance is 1/16 either way.
Camber front 0, rear 0.5. Tolerance 1.0 degree....


I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

IMHO published factory alignment tolerances are too wide by half. Put another way, the alignment should be within the inner half of the tolerance.

In this case, the toe should be within 1/32nd (each side) and the camber within 0.5 degrees. Please note that this is what BMW specifies as a tolerance - as do the big truck manufacturers.

 

[Schmoe]

Those tires are what I got on both the Accord and the CRV....great tires!!! I try to be cheap on some things, but with tires, I stick to Mich....regardless of price.

 

[AboutTires]

Originally Posted By: Rand
I stand by my assertion that the tires have significantly less snow traction, Esp. deep snow traction.

Just look at the tread pattern.

Now as far as traction with just a coating of frost, ice, light snow.

That should be more similar.

Pics
Primacy MXM4

Primacy MXV4
Quite a large difference.

Am I saying the mxm4 is "BAD" in the winter? no

but the mxv4 is designed to be much better in the snow.



Bingo. It's not just the number of sipes either, but the type. The MXM4 sipes are "sweepers." They're designed to suck up water and sweep the road surface to ensure good contact in the footprint. The little 2/3 cuts on the inner ribs are designed for some snow bite, but the swept grooves on the shoulder are for evacuating water quickly.

The MXV4 sipes are designed to let the tread block flex and get many more biting edges against the snow. Note how the outer grooves are partially blocked by an extra set of inner ribs - they went for extra snow grip over water evac there.

Trade-offs. There are always trade-offs. This is why Michelin's incredibly confusing naming process bewilders me. Between MXM4 and MXV4 there's nothing to tell you what kind of driving they're really made for. Of course I can't recall the last time Michelin made anything that was truly bad in any area, but still...

 

[JHZR2]

Good stuff, wasnt trying to pick a fight about snow, rather washt sure if there were indeed some tests. Nice to break it down by reasoning of why. Thanks!!!