Michelin Primacy MXM4 Review

Designed to deliver all-season performance for premium vehicles, the Michelin Primacy MXM4 has the grip you demand, but it may come at a cost.

PROS

  • Solid performance
  • Quiet
  • Comfortable

CONS

  • Unusually high number of complaints about premature tread wear

 

As Michelin continues to experiment wth new tire technologies and compounds, the Primacy MXM4 makes use of a new sunflower oil additive in the rubber. This chemical mix allows the tire to retain more of its grip in lower temperatures and on stick roads. In fact, when tested against a rival, Michelin’s own results shows it can stop by as much as 29 feet shorter on wet roads.

Critically, Michelin has also engineered the tire to maintain its performance over the life of the tire and not just in the first few thousand miles. This is due, in part, to the tire’s ability to retain a consistent contact patch with the road over time, so that it wears evenly.

Beyond all that, the tire is built to offer excellent grip, part of which is a result of a stickier tread compound on certain versions of the tire, with a UTQG rating ranging anywhere from 4000 to 500.

Unfortunately this grippier compound also seems to wear quite quickly. In fact, it seems too quickly in some cases. Some owners report tires that need to be replaced at 15,000 to 20,000 miles. The good news is, Michelin has a warranty to cover that. Still, it’s always an annoyance if you have to deal with a warranty claim.

We’d suggest owners, or future owners, look at the tread life warranty for their specific version of the tire as well. While the 55,000 mile warranty is most obvious, it doesn’t apply to some versions of the tire. Others get a 45,000 mile warranty and others still just a 30,000 mile warranty.

We’re surprised to see the high volume of complaints on a Michelin tire.

Michelin Primacy MXM4 Price

Pricing for the Michelin Primacy MXM4 ranges from just under $150 per tire and goes up to over $300 per tire for a 20-inch fitment.

 

Michelin Primacy MXM4 Warranty

Michelin backs the Primacy MXM4 with a tread wear warranty that ranges widely from 30,000 miles up to 55,000 miles.

Michelin Primacy MXM4 Sizes

16-inch sizes
215/55/R16

17-inch sizes
215/45/R17
225/45/R17
215/50/R17
225/55/R17
225/50/R17
245/40/R17
235/45/R17
245/45/R17
255/40/R17

18-inch sizes
225/40/R18
225/45/R18
225/60/R18
225/50/R18
235/55/R18
235/40/R18
235/45/R18
235/50/R18
235/60/R18
245/45/R18
245/50/R18
255/35/R18

19-inch sizes
235/40/R19
235/50/R19
235/55/R19
245/40/R19
255/45/R19
225/40/R19
245/45/R19
275/40/R19
245/50/R19
265/50/R19

20-inch sizes
245/45/R20

Is Michelin Primacy MXM4 run flat?

Yes, the Michelin Primacy MXM4 is run-flat tire. This means that it can safely travel up to 50 miles after being punctured, allowing you to continue on to your destination and then deal with your flat tire issue once you’re there. Michelin run flat tires are designed to be operated safely when flat at speed of up to 50 mph.

Michelin Primacy MXM4 vs Primacy MXV4

Tires are confusing enough to understand and brands don’t make it any easier with strange alphanumeric names that are nearly identical to each other. That’s definitely the case when comparing the Michelin Primacy MXM4 to the Primacy MXV4.

Both tires serve similar yet unique purposes with the MXM4 the newer of the two. The tire is actually the replacement for the Pilot MXM4, as Michelin reorganized its naming structure to put its more road-focused tires under the Primacy sub-brand and performance tires under the Pilot sub-brand.

As a Pilot-replacement, it’s obvious that this tire is more performance focused. It uses a more aggressive tread pattern with larger exterior tread blocks to help in cornering. The MXM4 also exceeds the MXV4 in wet weather grip thanks to Michelin’s Helio tread compound technology.

The MXV4 is better suited to piling on the highway miles or delivering a comfortable ride around town.

Both tires are rated with the same 500 UTQG rating so tread stiffness and durability is very similar, however, Michelin backs the MXM4 with either a 45,000 or 55,000 mile tread life warranty while the MXV4 gets a 60,000 mile rating.