Michelin Primacy or Pilot Exalto?

[pmesfun]

Which tire would you chose? I noticed very bad wear on one tire, probably camber wear from lowering springs before alignment was done. I plan on getting tires this week, since the wear is pretty bad and I don't want a blowout or loose air.


The Pilot is about $4 cheaper per tire, but would they last as long as Primacy, is the shorter tread life worth the extra traction, is it as quiet as Primacy? Does Primacy compare in traction? Btw I drive about 300-400 miles a week.

[JohnGD]

Pilot should last about 45K miles and Primacy about 60K miles.

At least the Primacy gets the 60K tread wear warranty the last time I checked at Costco. So if you get less than 60K then it's a prorated rebate towards new tires. But these warranties change from time to time, so double check.

I personally would get the primacy. But if you have lowering springs you may want the Pilot just to feel every curve on the road , after getting a camber kit of course just to get the most out of your suspension investment.

[pmesfun]

I think Primacy is the logical choice(rather maintain a nice ride, if not make it better), John to the rescue.

Oh that wear is from when the front tires were on the rear axle before I got an alignment. Everything is in spec now, but I will be changing ball joints soon so I'll get an alignment again.

[islandboy57]

I put Pilot Exaltos on my mom's '95, my '05, and my gf's '09 Camry.

I LOVE them. Really, I do.. Or I wouldn't have put them on all of our cars!

Previously on the '95 were Michelin Energy MXV4s, the '05 had Bridgestone Potenza RE92s, and the '09 had Michelin Energy MXV4 S8s.

The Energy's had awful traction in the rain and I took a look at the Primacys which have an identical tread pattern, so I skipped it. I think I had the Primacys installed on my aunt's '04 Accord though, just because they were the only Michelin's in stock and she needed tires. They're okay, still fairly new (she drives only a couple thousand miles per year; I think I'm going to shift toward changing her oil once a year) so we'll see how it goes as they get older.

Bottom line:
Exaltos = less mileage (45K vs. 60K), but SUPER grippy.. made all three Camrys much more responsive and steering a lot more crisp. I could tell as soon as I was driving out of the Costco parking lot.
Primacys = more mileage, better gas mileage (the rubber is not as soft, which is I'm sure why it lasts longer too)

I'd choose the Exaltos again in a heart beat. I've NEVER driven on such a good tire. I'm willing to pay a little more to get a grippy, responsive tire. Everything has improved - steering, acceleration, and braking. All depends on what you're looking for. I like to drive a little more aggressively so the Exaltos fit me perfectly. 45K miles is not much (the X-Radials last 80K!) but it's a price I'll gladly pay.

PS: I have ~20K miles on my Exaltos now. Road noise has gone up a little (still much better than my crappy OEM tires even when the OEMs were new), but traction and handling is still A+.

[islandboy57]

Oh, and the ride quality with the Exaltos is excellent. Tracks straight, and absorbs the little imperfections in the road well. I keep them at 34-35 PSI and they've been wearing evenly.

(I know I sound like a paid spokesperson for Michelin, but I swear I'm not.. I just love the Exaltos. I HATE the Energy line though!)

[pmesfun]

Ah, you changed my mind again. I'll go with Pilot, I read alot of reviews online about them and people are getting more than 45k with tire rotation every 4k. I'll be calling Sam's Club soon to have them ordered.

[pmesfun]

Went with Primacy, they have those in stock. Getting them installed tomorrow and installing new ball joints and alignment on Friday.

Had to put on the spare because I hit a nasty pothole on the bad tire. I pretty sure it did this.

That's the passenger front, left is just as worn out but no camber wear and I found THREE nails in the driver rear tire, didn't check the passenger rear. What amazed me what that with just one good tire(spare) the ride is extremely better, much quieter and more solid feeling.

[islandboy57]

How much are you paying? Costco has their $70 off Michelin coupon starting soon and they regularly stock the Primacy in sizes like 205/65/15 and 215/60/16. I could wait so I special ordered my Exaltos, but a local tire chain said they'd match Costco's price and they had it in stock already. I just prefer Costco way more than Sam's so Costco is where I got my tires.

I think you'll like the Primacys. It's definitely more of a "touring tire" though with softer sidewalls and a less aggressive tread pattern. Maybe you can get the Exaltos next time . My mom drives 3-4K miles per year so I'll be replacing her tires well before the estimated 45K mile life as I'm sure it'll be cracking after 5-6 years what with the hot Hawaii sun and rubber just getting old.

[pmesfun]

We paid $523.xx with tax, that was including the $70 off instant rebate. Not bad, about $108 per tire and that's about how much all of the other good brands were, Yoko, Goodyear etc. Sams, Costco, all the same thing, my parents shop at both stores, mostly Costco.

[Yuko]

Originally Posted by pmesfun

We paid $523.xx with tax, that was including the $70 off instant rebate. Not bad, about $108 per tire and that's about how much all of the other good brands were, Yoko, Goodyear etc. Sams, Costco, all the same thing, my parents shop at both stores, mostly Costco.

Did that include road hazard? Michelin in general have the best tire lineup but I do find that the sidewalls tend to crack earlier than other brands. (Just cosmetics) If you get 60K out of those Primacy, then it was well worth it. I paid over $500 for a set of Brigdestone Pole Position and it wore out in 14K. I have to fight with Firestone for a pro-rated set of Falkens. These rough Texas cement roads eats up tire fast, and are loud.

[pmesfun]

Originally Posted by Yuko

Did that include road hazard? Michelin in general have the best tire lineup but I do find that the sidewalls tend to crack earlier than other brands. (Just cosmetics) If you get 60K out of those Primacy, then it was well worth it. I paid over $500 for a set of Brigdestone Pole Position and it wore out in 14K. I have to fight with Firestone for a pro-rated set of Falkens. These rough Texas cement roads eats up tire fast, and are loud.

Yeah, it includes all this. The factory Michelin lasted 60k with minimal rotations so if I keep getting them rotation balanced and set at the correct psi they should last just as long if not longer. From reviews Bridgestones don't seem to last long.

[fenixus]

not a fan of Michelin I am as I don't like tires priced over net $90/each for stock alloy sizes...

I really like my Yokohama AVID Envigor on V6's 16'' (91V harder rubber than regular 92H) and suprisingly the cheap Dunlop Signature SP Sport (92V) mounted on 15'' turned out to be awesome too on wife's 5s-fe - a nice relief after a few years of driving on horrible Bridgestone Potenza GE09 (or something like that) from local Firestone ...

what is this Road Hazzard thing?

I see the Tirerack.com offers it too, I never took it though. I like ordering from them as price wise they offer excellent deals (tax free), shipping is fast and they ship to my preferred local shop (equipped with Hunter GSP9700 - it makes a difference!) which does installation free and balancing at some ridicolous price of $10/tire. can't beat the deal.

Maybe next time I try some Michelin Exalto

[pmesfun]

Originally Posted by fenixus

not a fan of Michelin I am as I don't like tires priced over net $90/each for stock alloy sizes...

I really like my Yokohama AVID Envigor on V6's 16'' (91V harder rubber than regular 92H) and suprisingly the cheap Dunlop Signature SP Sport (92V) mounted on 15'' turned out to be awesome too on wife's 5s-fe - a nice relief after a few years of driving on horrible Bridgestone Potenza GE09 (or something like that) from local Firestone ...

what is this Road Hazzard thing?

I see the Tirerack.com offers it too, I never took it though. I like ordering from them as price wise they offer excellent deals (tax free), shipping is fast and they ship to my preferred local shop (equipped with Hunter GSP9700 - it makes a difference!) which does installation free and balancing at some ridicolous price of $10/tire. can't beat the deal.

Maybe next time I try some Michelin Exalto

I was going to get the SP Sport tire, but the Signatures I had on my car were absolute crap. I got the Primacys' for pretty cheap, about $107 each. Which was about how much all the other decent tires were, so why not get the best brand. I got the tires installed, they ride smooth and solid, pretty quiet. Do new tires get softer after driving a good distance on them? I've only driven about 5 miles so far. Tire installation package was 15 per tire, which includes everything in that link.

[fenixus]

All new tires surely will bed in after around 500-1000 miles. do not over-inflate them under no circumstances during that time, or the beads may get broken (or belts or whatever else there is in it).
They should get a little quieter and yeah maybe a tad softer after initial 1k miles.

[pmesfun]

Yeah, because its a little rough on the bumps, with the spare I had on yesterday I didn't feel any. We'll see. Thanksgiving Break I'm replacing the pos moog strut mounts, they're driving me crazy, maybe even before that if I have time. Doing the ball joints Friday and alignment.