Which Mich for the Forester?

[fdcg27]

I am looking at new tires for the Forester to mount before winter.
This car takes 225/55/17 tires.
The OEM Yoko Geolanders have been pretty good, but should be close to 50K before real weather arrives, so I think they've served their purpose.
For a spread of only $100.00 for a set of four, Michelin offers the Hydroedge, the Defender and the Primacy MXM4.
I'm leaning to the MXM4, based upon its being a V rated tire with significant fuel saving potential.
Critic had a thread somehwere on here detailing his experience with this tire on his Prius, but I'll be darned if I can find it using the search function.
I should add the the cheapest decent tire in this size, the Hankook Optimo H727 would run about $170.00 less for a set of four than the Hydroedge, with the new H426 about the same.
The cheapest tire in this size would be the Khumo KH25, which would be a dirt cheap $316.00 for a set, but these tires have very bad reviews, so you get what you pay for.
Thoughts on which to buy, including tires not made by Michelin?

 

[Falcon_LS]

Have you looked at the Continental ProContact EcoPlus?

 

[bigjl]

I wouldn't hesitate putting any Michelin product on a vehicle I own, my Taxi used to have Michelin all round but found some cheaper Austones that seem to be wearing well.

Michelin are a good long lasting product.

My previous employer, large NHS Ambulance Trust changed over from GoodYear tyres (sole contract), to Michelin, with the introduction of winter tyres during Oct -Feb in outer London areas.

The Michelins are better than the GoodYears in wear and as good if not slightly better in grip.

 

[DuckRyder]

Hydro Edge are directional I'd scratch those. (I also thought they were/are discontinued).

No experience with Defenders, I picked Primacy MXV4 for my Acura.

I've had various Yokohama over the years and they have always been good tires as well.

 

[Ddub]

Not having had either, but I can tell you the Defenders and MXV4s were both ranked at or near the top of their respective categories by CR. Having a 90,000 mile warranty, I am guessing the Defenders are true all season tires while the MXV4 are slightly more performance oriented with a lower mileage warranty.

 

[oilstudent24]

I am pleased with the Michelin Primacy MXV4 not the MXM4 that you asked about. Have have put on about 7,000 miles. What conditions do you drive in?

 

[bourne]

Critic bought the Michelin Energy Savers, different tires from the options you listed. Anytime anyone considers MXM4/MXV4 , I highly recommend Goodyear Comfortred Touring.

Goodyear Assurance Comfortred Touring

If you purchase a set on Goodyear card, you get $160 MIR. Or else $80 MIR with any other method or payment.

 

[fdcg27]

I have MXV4s on my '99 Accord, and I am still pleased with them after about 45K in use.

 

[The Critic]

I did try a set of 17" wheels with Primacy MXM4 tires on the Prius for a brief period of time. They were sharper handling and delivered equal fuel economy to 15" wheels with the Primacy MXV4.

I also had a set of Primacy MXM4 installed onto my boss's B6 Passat. As expected, grip was excellent.

I have heard that the Primacy MXM4 may not fare as well in deep snow/ice as some other tires, so that is something you may want to look into. Otherwise, I think it is a very, very well-rounded tire for the discerning driver who values excellent handling for a Grand-Touring tire.

The Hydroedge is being replaced by the Defender/Defender XT.

 

[barlowc]

We have a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4s on the Saturn. I generally like the tire but am disappointed in how they're wearing. They've been on for about 23K miles and I believe that I'll have to replace them around 40-45K. I rotate and balance every 7500 miles and the vehicle is in perfect alignment.

I got a great deal on a set of Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring so I picked those up for my Nissan and will have them put on when the current OE tires wear out. (They're a set of Continental ContiProContacts and are trending to last 65-70K!)

 

[fdcg27]

Since I don't plan on a dedicated set of winter tires, snow and ice performance matters, although maybe not as much with the Subie as with one of the Accords.
The Hydroedge remains available alongside the Defender and is a little cheaper.
The main problem with the Hydroedge is that it appears to be a loud tire, especially as it wears.
This is the main rap on Goodeyear Assurance tires as well.
The MXV4s were good in their first winter and not as good in their second.
Their third winter was the one last year, which never really came in either snow or cold.

 

[The Critic]

I know you were shopping for Michelins, but I recently went through this for a co-worker's 08 CRV.

A set of Defender XTs in the 225/65-17 size was $700 installed at Costco. Last Fri, Sears ran a blowout sale on the GY Assurance ComforTred Touring. This is ranked #2 in the Grand-Touring category on Tirerack, though traction and handling are not quite as good as the Primacy MXM4.

Sears was doing a buy 3, get 1 free, $40 off coupon, 50% off wheel balancing, plus an $80 rebate ($160 w/Sears card). Altogether, the cost was only $447 after the $80 rebate.

For about 2/3 of the cost of Michelins, the GYs are definitely worth considering. Check the Sears.com facebook page every Friday as that is when they usually run the one-day sales.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I'd recommend against the HydroEdge. As you noted, they can get rather loud as they wear and they've never struck me to have great winter traction. The Defender and Defender XT look like good choices, but like the HydroEdge, they have 90,000 mile warranties. Does this mean that the rubber compound is too hard to be effective as an all-season tire (especially as it wears)? I would hope that Michelin has made improvements over the HydroEdge in terms of compound, but that's a question nobody can answer until there are a number of examples of well-worn Defenders out there.

Your size is a fairly common one, but Michelin doesn't offer many good choices for you in my opinion. The only Michelin I'd consider if I were you is the Primacy MXV4. Not the MXM4, but the MXV4. It will be a very good all-season tire that also has some performance-minded qualities to it.

Otherwise, you have a number of other very good choices. BFGoodrich's Advantage T/A is a good tire, as is the new Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus, Continental ProContact EcoPlus, and Continental ExtremeContact DWS (excellent all-season tire there).

If your Subaru is like most, it takes at least H-rated tires, making and T-rated tires like the Hankook Optimo H727 inappropriate for your application.

If you prefer a sporty tire that could also get around decent in the snow, try the Michelin Primacy MXV4. If you prefer an excellent all-season tire that also has some sporting pretentions on the road, try the Continental ExtremeContact DWS. The others will likely be somewhere in the middle.

 

[bourne]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Since I don't plan on a dedicated set of winter tires, snow and ice performance matters, although maybe not as much with the Subie as with one of the Accords.
The Hydroedge remains available alongside the Defender and is a little cheaper.
The main problem with the Hydroedge is that it appears to be a loud tire, especially as it wears.
This is the main rap on Goodeyear Assurance tires as well.
The MXV4s were good in their first winter and not as good in their second.
Their third winter was the one last year, which never really came in either snow or cold.


Goodyear makes 3-4 different assurance tires. I own Tripletreds on the Civic and Comfortreds on the Acura. I can wholeheartedly tell you right now, comfortreds are NOT loud. They are super quiet, being loudest on concrete. Tripletreds on the other hand are distinctly loud but are phenomenally grippy , which kinda offsets the loud factor for me.

 

[fdcg27]

I'd not be too concerned about T vs H rated tires on the Forester, since it appears to be electronically limited to 100 mph and has gone that fast exactly once with me alone in the car on an empty interstate.
I would think that 170 bhp would allow even this brick to exceed the ton were it limited only by drag, although the acceleration of this thing, which weighs only about 3300 lbs makes you wonder where Subaru hid the horsepower.
I've been thinking about the Hankook H727, which does look like it offers good winter grip as well as a really low price.
I've also looked at the Conti DWS, which looks like it might be a good winter tire and would only run a little more than an additional $100.00 for a set compared to the H727s.
The MXV4 is pretty old tech now, although I've liked them on my Accord, while the Defender probably has a fairly hard compound, judging by its mileage rating.
The Geolander G95 the car came on is still available in very limited distribution.
These tires work pretty well on the car in all conditions, but they are pretty expensive for what they are.
Cheapest I found them was $172.00 each, a few bucks more than the MXV4, which is certainly a better tire.

 

[fdcg27]

OTOH, CapriRacer's post in another thread has me convinced that a tire of at least an H rating does have value over an S or T rated tire, since it will likley be less prone to failure.
All it takes is one tire failure to turn that bargain buy into a foolish one.
Even if nothing bad happens, you'd still be looking at replacing all four after some miles, since Subarus don't do well with tires of unmatched diameters.
BIU noted this when he lost a tire on the Outback he used to own at around 10K.
He ended up replacing all four.
$$$!

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
OTOH, CapriRacer's post in another thread has me convinced that a tire of at least an H rating does have value over an S or T rated tire, since it will likley be less prone to failure.


It does, and there's also a personal liability issue. If you have T-rated tires on a car "requiring" H-rated tires, you've installed sub-standard equipment. Could it be argued in court that the speed rating had nothing to do with a 30 mph accident for instance? Probably, but I sure wouldn't give them that door to open.