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Michelin Premier A/S tires?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Zeus661, Oct 29, 2015.

  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm also 17" (Canadian Touring), currently have the original Michelin Pilot hx mxm4 215/65R17, wondering what to choose next. Still around 7/32" tread depth, nearing 60,000 km's, but it may be age, not tread depth that forces a change: they're currently 7 years old. Strangely they seem to roll pretty easy, maybe with age??

    No bright ideas really for 17", maybe the EP422's? Good to hear the Turanza were not bad.

    All of this is off-topic for David Marshall, though. David, I would swap for EP20. In my experience (purchased twice so far for another hybrid with 195/65R15) they'll try to steer you to the EP422, but they can get the EP20.
     
  2. ZBrink

    ZBrink Member

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    I had a set of Michelin Premier A/S installed on my 2010 factory 15" wheels on 05/2015 and have over 20k on them now as I drive a lot.

    Pros: Better ride quality, much better traction in wet weather and snow and slightly better handling.
    Cons: Dramatic decrease in fuel economy. I went from an avg of 47 mpgs to an avg of 41 mpgs.

    To each there own. I'm a huge car guy so let's be honest, the Prius is a shit drivers car. I am upset about the decreased fuel economy but I love the peace of mind knowing that I am rolling on a better, safer tire. The Energy Savers were dangerous in poor weather, even with good tread. It was way too easy to break them loose. I also really enjoy the improved ride quality of the A/S tires.
     
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  3. ALS

    ALS Active Member

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    I have them on my 2010 (15") and I'm not happy. They ride nice, quiet, great handling and very good wet weather traction, BUT they're pretty much worn out with around 20K miles on them. Mileage I can't really say, better, worse or the same as the Yokohama's that came on the car due to mostly short trips. I paid around $130 per tire and I'm not happy with the tire wear. They were rotated every 4,500 miles and I use snows from Dec-April. Funny I just checked Tire Rack and they got real cheap, down to $113

    My Volvo has MXV+4 Energy's on it and the tires look almost brand new with close to forty five thousand on them.
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    This is weird. Michelin Canada describes them as "10" (out of 10) for tread wear, with 100,000 km (62,500 mile) tread life. Poor quality control??

    Also seems a common refrain that you'll take a mpg hit.
     
  5. Xterra72

    Xterra72 Senior Member

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    Agree with the thread life.

    I am still getting 50-53 MPG here in Northern California.

    Michelin Premier A/S 17s
     
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  6. ALS

    ALS Active Member

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    OOP's I should have said I have the Michelin Energy Saver A/S.

    Great tire with lousy wear characteristics.
     
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  7. Robert Holt

    Robert Holt Senior Member

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    Surprised as our Costco had the Michelin Energy Savers in the standard size available in late 2014 in Washington, DC area. I also noticed an immediate small gain in mpg,and the wet pavement handling and braking is acceptable. We don't get much snow/ice here, but I am super careful on those tires when we do as they were not rated well for those conditions. I also Like the Costco guarantee service, etc. Please at least ask if they can be special ordered.
     
  8. Topp Cat

    Topp Cat Member

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    award winning tires , love them getting a set for our Jetta hybrid soon
     
  9. David Marshall

    David Marshall New Member

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    I drove to Jefferson City, Mo this past weekend(375 miles). I got 53 mpg on the way there and dropped to 51 on the way back due to rain. They seem much quieter than the EP 20's and handled better. It didn't feel like I was fighting the car to drive it. In past trips going West I have gotten around 55 mpg, so there is a MPG loss. I think I like the pros of the tires to outweigh the MPG loss.
     
  10. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I have a set of Michelin Premier A/S in the 215/45/17 size. There was definitely a drop in fuel economy in comparison to the Primacy MXM4 that were on there before. But the wet traction has been excellent and the ride quality is very good.

    The tires start out at 8.5/32" and I have 6/32" remaining after 26k. I expect to see 50k without much difficulty.
     
  11. Ripes

    Ripes Junior Member

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    When I bought my used 2013 Two (36 K miles); the dealer had Toyo Extensas on them. Based on Consumer Reports, I had him replace those with the Michelin Premiers from my previous car (a 2003 Passat, same tire size). There was one measurable result: the Michelins noticeably reduced road noise compared to the Toyos (i have a decibel app in my phone which can run in the background, so I left it on both in the test drive on the Toyos and after the swap. purchase, on the same highway at the same speed. The Michelins were about 15dB quieter - huge difference). As for mileage, i THINK it's still getting 50 mpg if I'm calculating right, so maybe the tires are broken in enough (they were on the Passat for 10K miles). At this point I'd do it again. Meanwhile, I'm definitely planning to switch to my Blizzaks during the winter - can't take chances around here - will let you know how that works!
     
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  12. Lizbug117

    Lizbug117 New Member

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    Great thread! I've been running Michelin Energy Savers for 4 years and am due for a new set of shoes for my 2010 Prius.

    Has anyone switched to the Michelin Premier a/s who cound offer a comparison?

    Priorities for me are a smooth and comfortable ride with minimal road noise.
     
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  13. bsk6294

    bsk6294 Junior Member

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    Just put a set of the Premier A/S on last night. 2014 Prius three (15" wheels). Has anyone had any issues with wobbling, vibration or noise at highway speeds? This is the worst tire experience I've ever had. Wondering if it is the mount/balance or the actual tire.

    Nexus 6 ?
     
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Hmm, not good. Sorry no ideas other than your speculation; hopefully they resolve it.

    Would a defective tire be impossible to balance, ie: when they run it in their machine it would be rejected??
     
  15. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    I'm traveling now, but I'm pretty sure I have the Premier A/S tires for the past 20,000 or so, and they've been fine. Much quieter than the Yokos before them and the Bridgestones that came on my 2010. Apparently not quite as fuel efficient as Michelin Energy Savers but you trade that for the softer, quieter ride. I would buy these again
     
  16. yortlecti

    yortlecti Junior Member

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    I bought my 2010 with Michelin Premiers all around. The front two were of unknown age, the rear two were under 1,000 miles. The break-in period on these tires is very real. I was getting low 40's as far as MPG goes, but I'm a fee thousand miles farther along and that has come up to mid/upper 40's now. All other factors being equal. I still belisve I'm taking an MPG hit over other LRR tires, but man... They do offer a nice ride!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    On Tire Rack, in the category LRR, Michelin uses a couple of expressions: "Michelin Total Performance" (for Premier A/S and others) and "Green X" (for Primacy MXM4 and others). I'm guessing the former is not as LRR as the latter; Michelin doesn't really explain.

    Using Cookies
     
  18. yortlecti

    yortlecti Junior Member

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    Interesting! I'm leaning towards replacing the front two with something more LRR-friendly when the time comes, but I really don't want to give up noise suppression and handling... If all I'd gain is 2 or 3 MPG, I'll pay the premium for those benefits.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  19. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I've had mine (15") since October 2016 and have put just over 20,000 miles on them. On account of a recent encounter with a road hazard, I wanted to look into getting a single replacement from TireRack and have them shave it to match the tread of my other 3, which might be worth it, as I expected those to have about 2/3 of the promised 60,000 miles left.

    But before making that call, I went out this evening to measure them, and they are roughly half gone already at 20,000 miles. (5 to 5.4 / 32", gone being 2, and new being 8.5). I've been religious about inflation and rotation. At this rate, looks like I'd get maybe 40,000 out of them, or 28,000 if I wanted to replace at the more conservative 4/32" limit often recommended. That would be pretty much this coming fall or winter, so they would have given me just about two years.

    They have been very comfortable and quiet (which could not be said of the former Goodyear Assurance FuelMax) and sure-footed in all conditions. They are unquestionably very nice tires to drive on. But it looks like the price tag for that luxury is going to work out to have been somewhere around $335 per year, or 2.4 cents per mile. I wonder what other choices might be almost or just as good but improve on that figure (either by costing less or lasting longer).

    -Chap
     
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  20. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    Re: Premiers
    That is disappointing to hear, Chap. But not unexpected because I've read similar comments like yours on a couple of tire review websites. Treadwear not living up to expectations.

    I wish I could say the same about quietness. That has not been my experience. The tire noise volume seems to vary with the outside temps. And also after a rotation. And of course the type of road surface I'm on. When my Premiers wear out, I have no idea what brand of tire I will buy next.
     
    #40 Starship16, Jul 15, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2018