Michelin Primacy MXV4 Review

Best all-season tires

 Pros

• Smooth, quiet ride
• Very good traction on snow
• Excellent warranty

 Cons

• Loses some traction on wet pavemen

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Bottom line

Reviewers say the Michelin Primacy MXV4 has exceptional road manners -- delivering a quiet ride and smoothing out the bumps -- while providing excellent grip on dry or snowy roads. They recommend this grand-touring all-season tire for users who want a refined daily driver for highways, but don't need a track-worthy performer. Owners rank it as one of the longest lasting tires in this class, and Michelin's warranty is one of the best.

Breaking it down

Performance

All-weather traction. Professionals say the H-speed-rated Michelin Primacy MXV4 has excellent stopping power -- its braking performance ranks with the best in expert tests on wet and dry pavement. Though its traction on icy and snowy roads doesn't match a winter tire, the Primacy MXV4 has one of the best winter traction ratings among all-season tires. In its road test, TireRack.com says Michelin (along with a Bridgestone model) "provided the most stable handling with good overall traction and a predictable feel during the abrupt maneuvers of our course." It's also available as a V-speed-rated tire (safe to 149 mph), which posts even quicker braking on wet pavement and a longer tread life.

Comfort

Excellent road manners. "The Michelin Primacy MXV4 delivered a nice level of ride comfort, doing the best job at smoothing the sharper bumps and expansion joints along the route," say editors with TireRack.com. They compare it alongside other top-performing tires from Pirelli and Continental, saying the Michelin MXV4 provides the quietest, smoothest journey out of the three. Reviewers say the Michelin's refined ride is excellent for daily driving. The V-speed-rated Primacy MXV4 isn't quite as smooth as the H-speed-rated version, according to a separate expert comparison, though tread noise and ride comfort are still above average.

Durability

Solid and reliable. Hundreds of owners posting reviews to TireRack.com give the Michelin Primacy MXV4 an average rating of 8.4 out of 10 for treadwear, which means it falls into the category of "excellent." Many owner reviews at the same site report they get 80,000 miles or more on a set, saying the tires wear pretty evenly. Experts praise the Michelin's low rolling resistance. In a simulated real-world test, editors with TireRack.com report getting up to 32 mpg -- several gallons more than their test sedan's estimated fuel consumption. The Primacy MXV4 includes a six-year, 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is one of the longest tire warranties available.