Michelin Primacy SUV+

Michelin SUV+ tyres are great on our Subaru Forester! – Reviewing the Michelin Primacy SUV+ tyre 225/55R18 for our 2019 MY20 Subaru Forester 2.5i-S. Tyres purchased September 2022 from Jax Tyres & Auto Bowen Hills, QLD. Have now travelled around 33,000kms on these tyres so far. In Sep 2022, we did a fairly decent drive from Ipswich QLD - Cairns FNQ return during Sep 2022 school holidays when the tyres were brand new. Have to say that this is a very quiet and comfortable tyre on the road.

This is the second time I have had Michelin Primacy SUV tyres fitted on our vehicles, with the previous generation called Michelin Primacy SUV fitted to our previous vehicle - A 2009 Toyota RAV4 CV Auto AWD in 225/65R17 size tyres.

This time around in the new and updated version of this tyre called the Michelin Primacy SUV+ tyres and for us shod in 225/55R18 size for our 2019 MY20 Subaru Forester 2.5i-S as stated above. The feeling I have now compared to the previous tyre is definitely a big improvement on the previous tyre. It's a really good daily drive tyre. One thing to note though is that the current generation S5 Subaru Forester runs rings around the 3rd generation Toyota RAV4 for driving and handling.

This is not the sort of tyre for off road travels, as even with the Forester's X-Mode activated, a fair bit of slipping is evident on muddy tracks. However, during normal driving, this is a lovely quiet and comfortable tyre with predictable turn in and good confidence even on wet crappy roads at night. Some wear now at 33,000km. I reckon this set of tyres will easily get to 50,000km before replacement. I find when pushed quite hard around corners, I start to lose confidence in this tyre. But for everyday normal driving, it's a real pleasure to drive on, and very quiet as stated earlier. It might just be the Forester’s soft ride. This is not a performance tyre, but it’s not far off the Pilot Sport 4 tyres for wet weather traction on our terrible QLD roads.

No real difference in fuel economy between factory fitted Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport 225/55R18 Tyres. Our best fuel consumption that we could get on our recent trip was 6.1 l/100km between Cairns and Ayr. I reckon you could definitely push the Bridgestones harder around corners, but when we replaced them with the Primacy SUV+'s, both inside and outside shoulders of the Brigestone's were severely worn, even when operating at 38 - 40 psi.

The Michelin Primacy SUV+ tyre is aimed at comfort/touring, and you would need to upgrade to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres to compete with the factory Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport tyres. I think this is a better choice of tyre for this application, as the Primacy SUV+’s have a much better wear rate than the Michelin PS4 SUV’s, which are performance oriented.

Jax Tyres and Auto at Bowen Hills were fantastic to deal with on both occasions, and Graham went out of his way to help me with my very recent purchase of qty 5 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres on my 2011 Toyota Corolla to replace my worn-out Michelin PS4's. Highly rate these good folks! I travelled from Ipswich to Bowen Hills (45km each way) to get my tyres fitted. That says something!!

Would I buy this tyre again? 33,000km on, yes I would absolutely. This is a very good tyre for normal sensible everyday driving, and it excels at everything on road, wet or dry. It's quiet, it's comfortable, it handles pretty good when not pushed too hard, and I have never felt uneasy on these tyres. They’re great at what they are intended for. I am a Michelin fan through and through. I won't put any other tyre brand on my vehicles.

Expectations Achieved – UPDATE: Had opportunity to drive on wet roads, nothing super heavy but water laying in road depression and puddles in a few spots. Driving 80kmh and felt safe, with no aquaplaning. In urban area driving, stop to start driving under normal acceleration and braking showed no signs of traction loss or even traction control engagement (as I would expect from these tyres). I will update again after heavier rain and higher speed highway driving.

Original Review:

Fitted 225/65R17 on a 2020 RAV4.

Paid $240ea incl GST, fitting and balancing.

Have previously had the Primacy SUV version on an earlier model RAV4 (See my separate review).

Initial driving experience on bitumen urban roads 50, 60, 70 and 80kmh in usual Gold Coast traffic was "as expected". Smooth, quiet and functional. Acceleration and braking under normal conditions as expected.

Harsh braking in an unplanned incident showed the new tyre grip in action combined with the ABS pulled the car up quickly as expected from brand new tyres.

Road noise at 100, 110kmh was also as expected from past Primacy SUV use... not "super quiet" but also not loud. Just general road noise on hot mix smooth and general bitumen surfaces and concrete highway stretches.

Expecting good to great wet weather handling with good water clearance to avoid aqua planning. Will update after it rains.