Michelin Primacy MXV4 Review

A factory fitment on numerous vehicles, the Michelin Primacy MXV4 is designed to deliver a premium ride, sporty driving dynamics with longer life.

PROS

  • Luxury ride quality
  • More grip than you’d expect
  • Solid tread life

CONS

  • Cold, wet weather grip could be improved
  • Pretty pricey
  • Consistent (though low) reports of tread life issues

 

Michelin offers numerous different tires in what is known as the Grand Touring segment. These tires aim to ind a balance between ride quality and tread life, but mix in more driving enjoyment features than a conventional Touring tire. That said, it’s not surprising to see them as an original fitment on vehicles from brands like Honda, which put more emphasis on driving dynamics than, say, Toyota would.

Ride quality here is first rate, with an internal construction that includes twin steel belts coated in a layer of spiral-wrapped nylon strips, which work to make the tire more durable while also aiding in high-speed handling.

The tread pattern is designed using the latest computer aided technologies to wear longer by distributing road forces more evenly across the contact patch during the life of the tire. The result is a 60,000 mile tread life warranty, which is quite high for a tire of this grip level.

That’s not overly long, but there are tread life compromises here to optimize for solid handling dynamics. Notably the shoulder tread is extremely tightly packed together for a better contact patch with the road, while inboard of those treads is a thin strip of rubber that bands those tread blocks together and further reinforces them against the negative effects of hard cornering. As a result, you get some pretty impressive driving dynamics out of this all-season tire.

Still, when you consider a tire like the Michelin Defender T+H gets an 80,000 mile warranty, you might be willing to forgo the added sporty driving features for longer tread life.

As a Grand Touring tire, noise levels are very low thanks to Michelin’s Comfort Control Technology. Again, the tread has been computer-optimized to minimize any noise feedback from the road, or the air rushing across the tire.

Looking at the tire’s all-season capability, it makes use of active sipes across the tread blocks that give added biting edges in the wet or light snow, while they lock together in cornering in the dry to maintain tread structure and continue to offer that sporty and engaging driving feel with limited flex in the tread surface.

Michelin does offer some newer wet-weather technology on tires like the MXM4 that have a sunflower oil-enriched Helio Compound that helps better resist the effects of cold weather on the tire. That said, we do think colder wet performance could be improved.

Beyond all this, most versions of the Primacy MXV4 come with Michelin’s Green X technology, meaning they meet a certain standard for low rolling resistance, which saves you money at the pump and, in the process, preserving our natural resources.

Is the Michelin Primacy MXV4 a Good Tire?

Overall, it’s hard not to be impressed by the Primacy MXV4. Its mesh of premium and sporty features will bring out the best in almost any car or crossover. Considering the engaging drive it delivers, the 60,000 mile tread life warranty is also quite high.

The tire is on the more expensive side, which is to be expected for almost any Michelin, but owners are overwhelmingly pleased.

We will caution that amongst the thousands of user reviews online there are regular reports of tires under-achieving on their tread life goal. The reports are limited, but consistent (and don’t seem to show any pattern for type of vehicle, size or brand). So we do advise regular rotation and special attention to inflation.

Michelin Primacy MXV4 Price

Pricing for the Michelin Primacy MXV4 ranges from roughly $200 to $250 depending on the specific size of the 17- or 18-inch tires.

 

Michelin Primacy MXV4 Warranty

Michelin backs the Primacy MXV4 with a 60,000 mile tread wear warranty.

In addition, it comes with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee plus three years of complimentary flat tire changing.

All Michelin tires come with a standard limited warranty that includes free replacement for tires deemed defective due to materials or workmanship within the first 2/32-inch of treadwear. After that point, Michelin will replace defective tires on a pro-rated basis down to the final 2.32-inch of useable tread.

Michelin Primacy MXV4 Sizes

17-inch sizes
215/55R17
215/55R17
235/60R17
235/65R17
235/65R17

18-inch sizes
P235/60R18