Michelin Tires Are They Really That Good ?

I replaced the tires on the 924s over the weekend with some Michelin Alpine Pilots PA3 ZP's and first impressions are WOW what a great tire. Call me impressed I have never had Michelins tires before.

The tires I had were Pirelli P 0's All seasons. Yes they were all but worn out. They never really transmitted that road feel that the Michelins seem to do. I have also had Dunlop tires as well and they are good but not great. Mind you that none of these are track tires. I am talking street tires here. In fact the Michelins are winter tires but dam they feel a lot more like a performance summer tire. It has me wondering what there summer performance tires would be like.

Another thing that impressed me was how little weight I needed to get them in to balance. No more than 1/2 ounce on either side of all 4 tires.

I had more than 2 ounces on several of the Perelli's

Anyone else have any experience with these tires? Or Michelins street tires in general? I got a screaming good deal on them but they are still very pricy. I could probably get a similar deal on a set of summer tires. However these were probably the most expensive set of tires I have ever put on this car or any car for that matter with the exception of my truck.

I've never had a bad set of Michelin's. Current set of Michelin Defender tires on my Subie make it a real nice ride.

Not on a car, but on my sportbike I tried a number of different tires over the course of 30,000 miles.

The Michelin Pilot Power 2CTs were noticeably better than any others I tried including the Metzeler M3, Pirelli Diablo's, Dunlop 208s.

I got more mileage out of them, the softer outside compound just STUCK, and I liked the sharper turn-in compared to the other tires (more triangular shape).

Haven't tried any Michelin car tires yet though.

They are pretty much the only street tire I buy anymore. Always round, always have decent life, and always seem to out perform most other tires I've had. Not there aren't any other good brands, but I'm never disappointed when I buy a Michelin. You always know what you're going to get.

For non performance applications, sure....the family has purchased many Michelin tires versus other brands on my recommendations. For performance, oh berkeley no.

My fukus has finally worn out its hydro edges, and I considered the 2ct for my bike(I'm going with the new dunlops though)

I've got LT's on my truck. They wear like iron, but they are seriously weather cracking. They're about 3 1/2 years old. I've never seen a tire crack so bad. All 4 of them. I keep them clean but I don't use any tire shine crap on them. I'm starting to wonder if they're still safe. Never needed a re-balance, and perfectly even wear on all four, but still ready for the trash... Some of the truck message boards I'm on indicate I'm not alone with this experience. I won't buy another set of these.

I thought they were excellent tires, but DAMN do you pay for them.... from the set of...somethings I had on my DSM.

The standard all-season tires from Michelin at Costco are hard to beat anywhere, even the Tire Rack.

Michelin makes zero tires that are useful for me.

When I worked at a tire store I was always impressed with the Michelin's. They were noticeably heavier than the other tires, however. They smelled better than the other tires too, although that may not be as important to you.

I just had both cars get their michelins replaced because of severe weather cracking on the sidewalls. Both cars came with them on it but will never see another set. I've got continentals on both now. I don't trust michelins after the last experience.

I've like MIchelins, but generally not enough to pay for the premium price they demand. They are not a performance tire, just a very good average tire.

only michelins I have ever had came stock on my old Hyundai Tiburon. the MXVsomething or other... terrible tyre. I would never consider another Michelin because of them

In reply to mad_machine:

Most cars come with E36 M3 tires from the factory, and all the tire companies make at least one E36 M3 tire just for that.

I thought this was common knowledge and ive mentioned it in many other threads on GRM: Michelin tires age out LONG before the tread wears off. They're a fantastic tire for getting a lot of miles out of within a certain number of years. But they do seem to all look like crap after 3 or 4 years and if you havent got your miles out by then you probably could have bought a cheaper tire.

I think their high performance street tires are the standard to beat.

Vigo wrote: I thought this was common knowledge and ive mentioned it in many other threads on GRM: Michelin tires age out LONG before the tread wears off. They're a fantastic tire for getting a lot of miles out of within a certain number of years. But they do seem to all look like crap after 3 or 4 years and if you havent got your miles out by then you probably could have bought a cheaper tire. I think their high performance street tires are the standard to beat.

The major tire companies make so many different types and models of tire that I really don't think it's possible to make sweeping general conclusions about the performance across the brand. Michelins do tend to be more expensive than comparable tires from other brands (so do Pirelli and, to a lesser extent, Bridgestone). The Korean brands OTOH tend to be less expensive.

If Michelin's high performance street tires are the standard to beat, then I think Hankook (RS-3), Toyo (R1R), BF Goodrich (Rival), and Bridgestone (RE-11) have done an excellent job of beating them. :-) Michelin really don't make a tire that's competitive in ST-class autocrossing.

There is no finer tire for a big SUV or truck than the LTX. They just ride better, quieter, smoother and must have some magic tracking dust that provides excellent straight line stability. Plus they wear very well. My Wife hits every curb twice and never a sidewall failure.

doc_speeder wrote: I've got LT's on my truck. They wear like iron, but they are seriously weather cracking. They're about 3 1/2 years old. I've never seen a tire crack so bad. All 4 of them. I keep them clean but I don't use any tire shine crap on them. I'm starting to wonder if they're still safe. Never needed a re-balance, and perfectly even wear on all four, but still ready for the trash... Some of the truck message boards I'm on indicate I'm not alone with this experience. I won't buy another set of these.

Same thing here with LTX M/S. I don't think they're unsafe, but I don't like the dry-rotting look.

I've owned two set on two different vehicles. Both sets had several tires separated in the carcass long before the tread wore out. I haven't bought another set since.

codrus wrote: If Michelin's high performance street tires are the standard to beat, then I think Hankook (RS-3), Toyo (R1R), BF Goodrich (Rival), and Bridgestone (RE-11) have done an excellent job of beating them. :-) Michelin really don't make a tire that's competitive in ST-class autocrossing.

'Cause, you know, the only measure of street tire performance is auto-xing and lapping days.

I haven't had a set of "bad" Michelins in many years, but they all weather check long before they wear out.

Years ago I had three sets of the XCH4 truck tires on my Nissan truck and for some reason, one set had ruptured side walls long before they wore out.

codrus wrote:

Vigo wrote: I thought this was common knowledge and ive mentioned it in many other threads on GRM: Michelin tires age out LONG before the tread wears off. They're a fantastic tire for getting a lot of miles out of within a certain number of years. But they do seem to all look like crap after 3 or 4 years and if you havent got your miles out by then you probably could have bought a cheaper tire. I think their high performance street tires are the standard to beat.

The major tire companies make so many different types and models of tire that I really don't think it's possible to make sweeping general conclusions about the performance across the brand. Michelins do tend to be more expensive than comparable tires from other brands (so do Pirelli and, to a lesser extent, Bridgestone). The Korean brands OTOH tend to be less expensive. If Michelin's high performance street tires are the standard to beat, then I think Hankook (RS-3), Toyo (R1R), BF Goodrich (Rival), and Bridgestone (RE-11) have done an excellent job of beating them. :-) Michelin really don't make a tire that's competitive in ST-class autocrossing.

Cool story bro.

Now go watch One Lap of America. The tires need to excel at Auto-X, Track, highway and have a long enough tread life to last on heavy, powerful, and FAST cars.

Michelin's are on the VAST majority of cars on the grid.

mad_machine wrote: only michelins I have ever had came stock on my old Hyundai Tiburon. the MXVsomething or other... terrible tyre. I would never consider another Michelin because of them

Ah yes... the MX4 Energy. Those were the OE tires on my TDI. I've had three sets for various reasons (original 15" set, OE set that were on my BBS RXII's, another 15" set I bought cheap). None lasted more than 25K miles with regular rotating.

I LOVE their bicycle tires and I've heard a lot of good things about the LTX M/S truck tire, but my experience with the Energy gives me pause.

Ian F wrote:

mad_machine wrote: only michelins I have ever had came stock on my old Hyundai Tiburon. the MXVsomething or other... terrible tyre. I would never consider another Michelin because of them

Ah yes... the MX4 Energy. Those were the OE tires on my TDI. I've had three sets for various reasons (original 15" set, OE set that were on my BBS RXII's, another 15" set I bought cheap). None lasted more than 25K miles with regular rotating. I LOVE their bicycle tires and I've heard a lot of good things about the LTX M/S truck tire, but my experience with the Energy gives me pause.

I had these on two separate vehicles (they came on them stock). WORST tires I have ever had. Both sets started to dry rot within a year! Never bought Michelins again, and probably never will.

I won't run anything besides the LTX M/S on my Explorer. I got over 10 years out of the last set. Really. The last half of it was garage kept and occasional use, but included much towing. No other tire has ever felt as good or worn as well on that truck. Also, my FIL spent his entire life as a mechanic and said he's never seen a Michelin blow out catastrophically, something that I think about on an Explorer. They consider a new Michelin defective if it requires one or more ounce of weight to balance, most other tires are 2+.

I've never tried their HP tires because they don't make the size I need. Plus it's harder to justify the cost on a quick-wearing tire.