Michelin Primacy 4 Questions & Answers

Probably a valid reason, altough wasnt an isdue on the Focus.
Try adding a few extra psi into the front tyres - may help

I was told to run them at 36 psi and put them up to 38 but it doesnt seem to have made any difference

Hi Michael
I can only speak about how good they have been on my sons Ford Focus
His tyres (Sumitomo) were around 5-6 years old and although they had plenty of tread where absolutely useless in the wet. The difference was amazing.

As your Camry is front wheel drive as well, it's (like the Focus) tyres work that much harder up front - being steering and driven wheels. So I figure it should go ok for you. Remember though its a trade off between good traction characteristics and long wear - ie I would suspect that life will be a little shorter due to a softer compound on the P4's. Cannot comment too much as I've only had these tyres for 4-5 months.

One final comment - 10 years is a long time for tyres. Definitely get some new ones asap

Regards
Peter

Both are great tyres so I reckon you'll be happy with either.

It's still too early to judge the 4s wear durability but after 10000kms they still have heaps left.

Grab whatever one is in stock or cheaper.

The 4 is a later model. I doubt Michelin made them worse. I have them on my Peugeot and am completely happy. I'll buy the 5's when these wear out!

So I had the 3s on for a while as they didnt havr 4s in stock. But now I got the 4 on. So far can't tell much difference. Either way the improvement on grip and pick up and braking is amazing!!!

It depends what you mean for "best". The Pilot Sport would be the best for performance and handling, but the disadvantage is it is noisier than Primacy 4.

If you do track days by all means get the Sport. For road use the Primacy 4 is so superior I am gobsmacked. Never seen a greater improvement on a tyre change.

I don't know specifically for your car or those hankooks, however on my i30 which had khumos on it that had become noisy. Noisy enough that I changed a wheel bearing which it turned out didn't need changing as it was the tyres making noise...

The primacy 4s are fantastic tyres, handle well and super quiet. They are the sort of good tyres, that after the intitial wow what a difference phase you don't notice them because they are working well as they should be. The primacy 4s are just really nice road tyres, turn well, stop well, quiet. I put another 2 primacy 4 tyres on my lexus ls430 and they are nice on it as well.

I know its a painful decision choosing tyres as you make more or less a blind choice and cross your fingers as you get stuck with them for the next x kms. I reckon given the nature of a Genesis that you will find them a great tyre choice.

How quiet can it be at 110km/h?

Believe me, much quieter!

I don't know about the XM but the Primacy 4's should fit that bill

Michelin makes tyres that balances between comfort, tread life, and grip. XM would be a good tyre. However, if you have a performance car, Primacy 4, or even Pilot Sport 4 would compliment the tyre performance the Car is needed.
Michelin tyres line-up from good to best: XM>Primacy 4>Pilot Sport 4>Pilot Sport 4S

Can somebody shred some knowledge on the life of Primacy 4's as I got to change my old Primacy LC on my Camry which has given me twice 60K life out of it. Thanks.

I'm not sure how to answer your question - I agree with you that it is very hard to get accurate information for tyres.
It's kinda like you have to buy them first to know if the shoe fits.
Throw in all the different brands, price points, what's in stock, what is on promotion, opinion of the tyre vendor etc makes for a murky decision.

What is it that you don't like about the xm2's - given that they are still new and shiny and probably haven't worn in yet? Is it noise? the mazda 3's are apparently susceptible to road noise and I have heard that the best tyre for them is the Primacy 3 ST's which have been replaced by the primacy 4's

As for making a decision on tyres as they are a descision that the consequences stick around for years, I generally look at a few different sources - peoples viewpoints here, Choice advice, Whirlpool, if there are any decent comparisons from Wheelsmag motor or Which car. Even then there is a bit of reading between the lines as to what they are testing for and what is important to me or you, and if there is any common themes.

Over my driving years, despite forays into other brands, I have come back to Michelin tyres many times as I find they handle great and last a long time. That said you have the XM's which I have no personal experience with good or bad so I can't give you a direct comparison with that particular tyre.

I can say is that I'm very happy with the Primacy 4's, quiet with good grip. Best tyres that I have had to date. So much so that I have since put another 2 new primacy 4's on my other car about 2000km's ago. (2 tyres are still Kuhmos on the front. the 2 new Primacy 4's on the back) The new Primacy 4's have once again noticeably quietened down the car and the steering now drives straight (that was more of an indication of the state of wear on existing old front tyres than the quality of the new tyres given the new tyres are on the back!).

In your current situation, I would ask the tyre dealer what they can do for you as the people you have the transaction with about option to upgrade to the Primacy 4's. If they won't help, talk to Michelin directly.

I that helps.

I agree with valmorph. And would add that i find the primacy 4 I have fitted on the front are as gripping as I need, quieter and more comfortable than the pilot sports they replace. I also reverted to the specified tyres size so that may have helped. Very very happy.

Thank you very much Valmorph and Alex 1. I definitely appreciate your opinions and the experience that you have had with the Primacy tyres. . I do have the choice membership and this tyre hasnt been reviewed in my car tyre size.

I will try to reaxh out to Costco for getting these replaced. Pretty sure they will direct me to Michelin..will try and leave a comment here

I have a Dualis Ti, but the premacy 4 are on my Lexus. They are truly exceptionally compliant tyre and quiet on the Lexus and should smooth out the Quashqui ride (they were a big improvement over expensive Bridgestones fitted to the Lexus before) . They do feel a bit more 'squishy' on cornering but ultimately grip well, must be a softer compound. We have expensive Continentals ($300+ each) on our Dualis on 19s and I would never go this combo again. Ride is jittery at times and tyres blow very easily. I hadn't replaced a damaged tyre for over 10 years, but two on Dualis were shredded in 2 years. Not even sure what caused them to go. Dealer tells me even a speed bump or minor kerb scrape can do it due to their small inflexible sidewall.

Thanks for that. The Dualis is the older Qashqoi, so it would behave similarly I suspect. The car is remarkably quite in idle, and is quiet on some road surfaces. But as soon as a stony non-slip bitumen is there, the noise ramps up. I drive fairly sedately, so rolling the tyres off the rims while cornering, will not happen, but I do not like low profile tyres and the Qashqoi comes with 225/45/R19 as standard. Silence is golden, even on our roads!

Hi Mel,
You probably need to get on to Michelin for a definitive answer. Our Mondeo is also a diesel and the Primacy 3's are the only tyres I've tried so far that don't get chewed up. I'm hoping the 4's will be as good.

I have two Peugeot diesel cars (a 308 and a 407 coupe). In line with the Peugeot recommendation I put Bridgestone Potenzas on the 308. They are very good. On the 407, a big heavy diesel, I just replaced the Pilot Sport 3's with Michelin Primacy 4. The car is transformed, quieter, much less jittery, marginally more economical and at least as responsive to steering input. Biggest change I can imagine from two good tyres. I'll reserve judgment on the longevity but the Pilot Sports were awful.