Given
60%
while driving a
BMW 320i
(205/60 R16) on
a combination of roads
for 1,100
spirited miles
Initial review after a few days of driving with these brand new Michelin tires for a long distance on various roads and weather.
According to the tire-dealer this is the very latest Michelin tires, same size as the original tires.
This is not my car but I have often driven this car since it was new with two other different set of tires from two other premium tire brands.
The original OEM tires were Run-Flats which I did not like at all, rather mediocre tires in every aspect.
The second set of tires were from yet another premium tire brand, not Run-Flat tires but the same original size, and I really liked those tires on this car, very good comfort and noise level, very good performance in every aspect except wear which was rather mediocre.
The new Michelins are significantly better than the original Run-Flat in every way, but they can not quite match the second set of tires from another brand.
The Michelins have in general a little bit more diffuse feeling and tendencies to instability on certain surfaces, I preferred the previous set of tires regarding feel, handling and stability, but it is very small differences.
The comfort and noise level on the Michelins are much better than the OEM Run-Flat and about the same as the second set of tires, I did however prefer the second set of tires, I just liked them a little bit better.
The Michelins are in general predictable and controllable in wet and dry and will probably not surprise with bad behavior although I would say that the tires probably do not like cold rainy weather, I had a ”surprise” in a wet rainy roundabout coming home from the long drive, the temperature was ca 2-3 degrees, I was caught in this "surprising" skid and the stability systems on the car really had to work overtime, it's the only ”surprise” I had so far with these tires, and maybe in all honesty I might have been over-optimistic in that roundabout, but I have done the same with the other tires in the same circumstances in the same roundabout without "surprises".
There is nothing particular wrong with the Michelins, not huge differences, good grip wet and dry, relatively good comfort and noise level, acceptable handling and feel, but they are not worth the extra cost, they do not exceed other tire brands, in fact they do not quite match the previous set of tires from 2020.
I guess the joker here would be the wear rate, the other tire brands had rather poor wear, if the Michelins have significantly better wear rate then this could probably persuade some buyers, but not for me, I prefer the best handling and feel over wear rate.