Went from Defenders to Premiers.

[N3OO]

Well I hate to report this but my Defenders on my 2005 Camry LE ( 205/65/15) were shot at 25k miles!!!! The Defenders were rotated every 5k miles from the shop I bought them at, I ran 33.5 lbs front and back; nearing 25k treads were down to 3/32 but tires were wearing even. They even started to lift rubber on the tread, by that I mean little chunks were lifting off the tread in 1/16 inch sections....like layers coming off! The tire dealer could not figure it out either, asking if I was traveling gravel back roads! Alignment and shocks are good too. They ran smooth and were good in the wet but terrible in the slightest snow covering when new. I'd say 50% miles were highway / other miles traveling rural PA.
SOOooo he got in touch with Michelin and pro rated the tires....told him I didn't want Defenders again, so my only choice was the Premiers. Pro rated still cost me $277...u know taxes/ dispose fee/ balance etc.
I'm 66 yrs old and drive the Camry like a family car , not like a Supra ! I hope these Premiers last maybe a shade longer than the Defenders .
To make matters worse....I have Michelin LTX MS 2'S on my 2003 Silverado that look like they are staring to wear to fast for my like'n...... I just can't win with tires.

 

[Nick1994]

What tires did you have on the Camry before the Defenders and how long did they last?

 

[NO2]

CR says they are supposed to last 80K. We have them on both of our cars, great handling, decent in snow too.

 

[Kool1]

I have the Michelin Defenders on my 03 CRV and I can tell you that they are pretty worn at 40,000 miles. I may change them out by 50,000 miles. I rotate mine every 5,000 miles.

 

[sciphi]

I hope the Premiers last a good long while, since the set we purchased were expensive. Although they handle, ride, and sound very good. For what we paid, I'd expect them to live up to their name.

 

[Kool1]

I drive my 03 CRV very hard. I hang turns and must say I have a lead foot. I will probably buy the same Michelin Defenders again as Costco sells, installs, and has them on sale often. 50,000 miles on a set of tires is good for me.

 

[spk2000]

Michelins are good tires but I never get close to the rated mileage out of them before tread is worn out or dry rotting. Most Goodyears have belts breaking prematurely. I have never had a bad Cooper or General. Hate Kumho and Hankook. Not sure how they get decent reviews unless the people that work there are doing the reviews

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: N3OO
Well I hate to report this but my Defenders on my 2005 Camry LE ( 205/65/15) were shot at 25k miles!!!! The Defenders were rotated every 5k miles from the shop I bought them at, I ran 33.5 lbs front and back; nearing 25k treads were down to 3/32 but tires were wearing even. They even started to lift rubber on the tread, by that I mean little chunks were lifting off the tread in 1/16 inch sections....like layers coming off! The tire dealer could not figure it out either, asking if I was traveling gravel back roads! Alignment and shocks are good too. They ran smooth and were good in the wet but terrible in the slightest snow covering when new. I'd say 50% miles were highway / other miles traveling rural PA.
SOOooo he got in touch with Michelin and pro rated the tires....told him I didn't want Defenders again, so my only choice was the Premiers. Pro rated still cost me $277...u know taxes/ dispose fee/ balance etc.
I'm 66 yrs old and drive the Camry like a family car , not like a Supra ! I hope these Premiers last maybe a shade longer than the Defenders .
To make matters worse....I have Michelin LTX MS 2'S on my 2003 Silverado that look like they are staring to wear to fast for my like'n...... I just can't win with tires.




Your not the first-
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3747910/1

But hey they are Michelins right? They can't be a poor tire!

But they continue to get recommendations on here like their a divine gift from the tire Gods.

 

[dmiko]

I had good experience with Kumho tires, but that was aver 10 years ago. When tires were at most lasting 60k. The Kumhos were warranted to go 50k and went 45k. And I drove them lil a lunatic. They were much better than Goodyear Eagle LS tires that my Mitsubishi Galant came with. So let's not generalize too much.

Even same model of tire can be very different in different sizes because some sizes come in OEM spec, designed for a specific vehicle. I mistakenly got Michelin Primacy MXV4 215r55/17 V for my Infiniti G35 and they have excellent fuel economy and comfort. But the traction I horrible. Turns out this size of them has a Toyota designation. So I am driving on Prius tires. Argh!

 

[Doc8404]

Those khumos came on my fleet car. 2014 Altima. 60k mikes and probably another ten left. Would love another set before winter though.

 

[sciphi]

So you Michelin haters are going to take another swipe just because a tire known for wear issues in common passenger car sizes has a wear issue on a passenger car? Give it a rest.

IIRC the Premiers are a newer, higher-end tire meant to overcome some of the pitfalls of the Defender. The jury is still out on that since folks on here haven't had enough time to properly evaluate the treadlife of the Premier. If it deserves a roasting for poor treadlife, roast away at that point.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
So you Michelin haters are going to take another swipe just because a tire known for wear issues in common passenger car sizes has a wear issue on a passenger car? Give it a rest.

IIRC the Premiers are a newer, higher-end tire meant to overcome some of the pitfalls of the Defender. The jury is still out on that since folks on here haven't had enough time to properly evaluate the treadlife of the Premier. If it deserves a roasting for poor treadlife, roast away at that point.



The issue is Sir these tires are STILL RECOMMENDED even with seemingly widespread less than satisfactory results. So who needs who to give them "a rest"?

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: sciphi
So you Michelin haters are going to take another swipe just because a tire known for wear issues in common passenger car sizes has a wear issue on a passenger car? Give it a rest.

IIRC the Premiers are a newer, higher-end tire meant to overcome some of the pitfalls of the Defender. The jury is still out on that since folks on here haven't had enough time to properly evaluate the treadlife of the Premier. If it deserves a roasting for poor treadlife, roast away at that point.



The issue is Sir these tires are STILL RECOMMENDED even with seemingly widespread less than satisfactory results. So who needs who to give them "a rest"?


Which ones? The Defenders, the Premiers that are still new, or Michelin in general? The Defenders are proving to be junk for passenger car sizes. The Premiers are still too new to have much feedback yet. And Michelin, like every other tire company, makes some good tires and some bad ones.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: sciphi
So you Michelin haters are going to take another swipe just because a tire known for wear issues in common passenger car sizes has a wear issue on a passenger car? Give it a rest.

IIRC the Premiers are a newer, higher-end tire meant to overcome some of the pitfalls of the Defender. The jury is still out on that since folks on here haven't had enough time to properly evaluate the treadlife of the Premier. If it deserves a roasting for poor treadlife, roast away at that point.



The issue is Sir these tires are STILL RECOMMENDED even with seemingly widespread less than satisfactory results. So who needs who to give them "a rest"?


Which ones? The Defenders, the Premiers that are still new, or Michelin in general? The Defenders are proving to be junk for passenger car sizes. The Premiers are still too new to have much feedback yet. And Michelin, like every other tire company, makes some good tires and some bad ones.



Yes those. Defenders. I respect you greatly for the last sentence. Because according to some on here-Michelin can do no wrong.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
So you Michelin haters are going to take another swipe just because a tire known for wear issues in common passenger car sizes has a wear issue on a passenger car? Give it a rest.

IIRC the Premiers are a newer, higher-end tire meant to overcome some of the pitfalls of the Defender. The jury is still out on that since folks on here haven't had enough time to properly evaluate the treadlife of the Premier. If it deserves a roasting for poor treadlife, roast away at that point.



Coming off kinda odd on that one? who Wouldn't bash a tire that is rated at 80000miles and wears out in 25000.

I'm not a Michelin hater.. I currently own 3 different sets of Michelin tires. But defenders which are still recommended highly by some are junk in many sizes.

The Premier A/S seem to be very good tires but their MPG is lower than expected. I wasn't expecting to lose 2mpg with a standard passenger touring tire rated good for rolling resistance.
I don't mind so much because the wet traction and directional stability in wind is very high.

The Michelin Xice xi2 are wearing quite well they look to exceed the treadlife of the DEFENDERS by at least 10000miles.
Which IMO is ludicrous. How can you have a tire who's main claim to fame is long treadlife FAIL so badly?

Dumping the defenders next year for some Altimax RT43 if we still have the car.

 

[N3OO]

When I posted this , I was not bashing the Defender tire nor was it to be taken that way. On my Camry they just didn't last....hopefully on ur car they will last twice as long and I hope they do! I liked them , they didn't like me.
They rode good , smooth and I felt safe with them on....other than winter condx. I know how to drive in winter condx as I lived 20 some years near Erie PA.
Why the tires wore so quickly I don't know....bad batch of rubber compound? PA. roads which are hills and turns. But to spend close to $600 for tires and only get 25k miles out of them with proper care , well ....I just didn't want them again.

 

[sciphi]

I might be wrong on this one, but aren't the Defender's treadwear issues old news on this board? And on TireRack, the first three reviews mention treadwear issues. So, it's a very valid criticism of that particular tire.

Some of the posts on the first page were verging on hyperbole. That's where my Michelin-basher comment came from. Bash away at this particular tire, since it clearly deserves it.

Now, if other Michelin tires are consistently bad, throw away the whole company. Since other Michelin tires meet or exceed their advertised treadwear and performance attributes, they haven't earned universal derision (or praise).

Lastly, I know, this is BITOG, and there will be some folks unwilling to see shades of gray (or amber, since this is nominally an oil forum!).

Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox.