new tires : Primacy MXM4 or Eagle RS-A2?

[Rifleman]

I am going to need to replace the tires on my S60 at some point in the not to distant future, and am trying to decide what to go with.

My car currently has the OEM Eagle RS-A2 tires on it. Tire rack has this tire on sale for $114 right now.

The other option I am considering is the Primacy MXM4. This tire is currently priced at $280. I like the idea of going with a low rolling resistance tire, as being a 60 owner, every mile of range I can pick up is important. Improved winter traction and tread life would also be nice to have.


Is there anyone here who has had both of these sets of tires on their car, and can tell me their opinion on if the MXM4 with worth more than 2x the price?

 

[LoL Rick]

My car came with the Michelins and I replaced them with the Goodyears at 35K miles. That was about 6 months ago and I'm perfectly happy with the Goodyears. I definitely don't see enough difference to justify the price. But note that my location is Florida so we don't have the same winter conditions.

 

[jerry33]

My car came with the Michelins and I replaced them with the Goodyears at 35K miles. That was about 6 months ago and I'm perfectly happy with the Goodyears. I definitely don't see enough difference to justify the price. But note that my location is Florida so we don't have the same winter conditions.

Neither is any good for winter. I rate them just barely adequate when new--any wear at all and they are not good for any winter conditions. The Primacies have had far fewer flats than the Goodyears (which I replaced at 13K miles due to the number of flats). The Primacies also don't have the tendency to skip on corners with uneven pavement.

 

[Rifleman]

My car came with the Michelins and I replaced them with the Goodyears at 35K miles. That was about 6 months ago and I'm perfectly happy with the Goodyears. I definitely don't see enough difference to justify the price. But note that my location is Florida so we don't have the same winter conditions.

This is great feedback. How did the watts / mile compare for you?

 

[LoL Rick]

This is great feedback. How did the watts / mile compare for you?

I can't tell any difference.

 

[TaoJones]

I can't tell any difference.

That's great news.

I've got Goodyear Eagle RS A-2 quotes in hand from Sam's Club for $518 out the door w/certs, and from America's Tire/Discount Tire for about $600 out the door, taking into account various hoops such as ordering online (saving $40), using their credit card (saving $60) and taking advantage of a standard promotion ($60) but *not* this weekend's Memorial Day promotion (saving $75). The add-ons for mounting/balancing and certs pretty much chewed all of that up. Funny how that works.

Yeah - Sam's Club's quote was brain dead simple and hoops-less by comparison. However, I've gotten tires at America's Tire/Discount Tire (depending upon the state, the name changes) for years and they've been good - especially for post-sale service.

Am coming to the conclusion that there are simply two solid options between the former OEMs and the current OEMs - either the Goodyears for half the money and approximately half the mileage, or the Michelin OEMs for all the money and all the mileage (am at 46,000 miles and still have 3/32" or better all the way around with nice even wear).

If I planned to keep the car for 46,000 more miles, I'd probably get the Michelins again. On the other hand, 2 sets of Goodyears means twice the tread *chuckle*. I wish I could find out if Goodyears have belts all the way to the edge as do the Michelins and the Pirellis. Given the reports of flats/curb damage with the former, I would guess not.

 

[zambono]

Tire rack has these on closeout
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...=P+Zero+Nero+All+Season&partnum=445WR90NMSOLD

Probably better than stock, check out their ratings etc, hit compare

 

[rogbmw]

I just switched back from the 21's to 19's. My Michelin 21's on turbines needed replacement, and I still had the OEM goodyears in storage so I put them on instead of buying another set of 21' Michelins. I still had the OEM Goodyears and TSport 19 inch turbines. I have to say I am very pleasantly pleased with the 19 inch OEM goodyears. I am also pleased that the ride is better on the 19s than the 21s.

 

[TaoJones]

Was at a Discount Tire in Raleigh yesterday getting a slow leak fixed - great service, btw. They didn't have a full set of either the Primacys or the Goodyears in stock at the moment else I would have replaced all 4 while I was there. Am at 3/32" with the OEM Michelins all the way around with 47,500 miles or so.

Interestingly, their tire wear charts show wear down to 1/32" and without a doubling in wet stopping distance from 4/32" to 2/32". Go figure.

Half the tread life for half the money or all of what at least in my case will be 50,000 miles for all the money. Not bad options to have.

Anyway, one comment a technician made got my attention. He said that they have a tough time balancing the Goodyear Eagle RS A-2, and recommended the Michelins. Hadn't heard that reason before, so thought I'd share.

Have experienced more state to state cabin noise/road noise differences, and they've occasionally been striking. The worst was sustained 85dB noise with peaks into the mid-90dB range. That's awful. Next state over, in the 60dB range. Almost silent by comparison.

Average across the country this trip has been mid-70dB. Firmly in the "annoying" range, but just shy of the "long-term hearing damage" threshold. How special.

 

[jerry33]

Anyway, one comment a technician made got my attention. He said that they have a tough time balancing the Goodyear Eagle RS A-2, and recommended the Michelins. Hadn't heard that reason before, so thought I'd share.

With tires you almost always get what you pay for.

Have experienced more state to state cabin noise/road noise differences, and they've occasionally been striking.

Tire noise is really tire-road interaction noise. This greatly depends upon how the roads are constructed, aggregate size, etc. So whether a tire is silent or not often depends on the area you drive in.

 

[DFibRL8R]

I also have a 60 and would imagine our winter weather in Northern Virginia is pretty similar to Ohio.
I had the OE Eagles on OE 19" wheels for my first winter (OK), had Primiacies my second winter (really bad with several full-on traction losses at low speed on icy highway) and last winter switched to proper winter tires (Michelin X-ice). What a tremendous difference the Winter tires made. I decided to keep my old 19" rims for winter wheels and bought new 20" T-Sportline cyclone wheels which I think look great for spring->fall use. I had better mileage numbers with the Michelins than the Goodyears.

On the 20" wheels, I put Pirelli Cinturato P7 all seasons which have low rolling resistance, are very quiet and have a long (70k) mile warranty for $241 a piece from Tire Rack. So far I am happy with good mileage numbers despite the slightly heavier setup with the 20" wheels.

I strongly recommend a winter tire for winter driving, All seasons just don't cut it if you plan to drive the S in winter weather.

 

[TaoJones]

Was just told that new Model S (19"s) are coming from the factory with Goodyear Eagle Touring tires. Appears to be a new tire - $265 each at Tire Rack. No tire warranty (tread life) listed. Hrm.

Am now over 50,000 miles (as of this morning) with the OEM Primacys. With between 3/32"-4/32" as measured at an SvC Wednesday. A happy camper I would be.

 

[Villa-Lobos]

The primacy came on my 70D and drove it in Whitefish Montana with 300 inches of snow per winter and they were great(I am sure the car had something to do with it.) Never an issue.

 

[TaoJones]

America's/Discount Tire does price match Sam's Club, although it will show up as price matching Costco within the estimate.

That's for the tires only. 4 certs end up making the A/D T estimate about $55 more, but there are various recurring discounts ($60 off a full set, $40 for using their credit card, some variable amount depending upon which holiday weekend it happens to be...) that are available throughout the year.

The net net is that a set of Goodyear Eagle RS A-2 245/45/19s can be had out the door for between $500-$560 with either 2-year (Sam's) or 3-year certs (A/D T) - or for about half of what Tesla charges with no certs. Consensus seems to be 30,000-35,000 miles, they're not the best in snow/ice, deliver up to 3% or so less range, and may be more flat-prone (see certs). They also have a 440 A rating whereas iirc, the Michelins are 500 AA.

Almost zero data yet concerning the new Goodyear Eagle Touring 19s - in particular wrt any tread warranty.

Price matching the Michelin OEMs brings those down to around $1300 although with certs.

If I planned to keep the car past another 18 months, or if I drove in less hospitable environments with regularity, I'd just get the Michelins again. They held up fine for what will soon be 54,000 miles. Pretty darned spiffy.

As asserted above, one tends to get what one pays for. In this case, 2 sets of OEM Goodyears for $1100 and 60,000-70,000 miles (some have reported more, and some less), or 1 set of OEM Michelins for $1300 and 50,000-55,000 miles.

Looking forward to learning how the Goodyear Eagle Touring tires perform with the new cars. Also, rumor has it that Michelin is working upon a Tesla-centric next tire as well, and then we have the recent selection of Hankook for the Model 3.

Nice to have so many OEM choices along with what others have found/tested (other Michelins, Pirellis, and so forth).

 

[roblab]

Just a Data Point: I had Goodyears for 84,000 miles on my Sig. I had to replace them every 20,000 miles. OK, I live on a hill with curvy roads, downhills, uphills, passing lane uphill on a curve, etc. I never had a flat, but picked up one nail which I plugged at home.

But for comparison, I have the Primacy tires now. I'm at 20,000 miles. I don't need to get new ones. That's worth something. Goodyears have a tire wear rating of 4xx something. The Primacy tires are rated at 500.

 

[mspohr]

With tires you almost always get what you pay for.


Tire noise is really tire-road interaction noise. This greatly depends upon how the roads are constructed, aggregate size, etc. So whether a tire is silent or not often depends on the area you drive in.

Also air suspension makes a difference.

 

[TaoJones]

After much handwringing on my part, Tire Merriment Part One has come to an end. Thanks to all for their input along the way.

Had a set of Goodyear Eagle RS A-2s mounted and balanced yesterday at an America's/Discount Tire. Out the door at ~$450 for the set. They did a fine job, all by hand, and were careful to raise the car only via the specified lift points.

The OEM Michelin Primacy MXM4s, which lasted longer than expected - ~55,000 miles over ~18 months, had 3/32 - 2/32 - 3/32 at worst, and that middle disparity was only because I forgot to rotate them during a recent 12,000-mile sojourn. The other pair, now on the rear, had at least 3/32 - 3/32 - 3/32, and I could have gotten another 3,000 miles out of them I suppose. But with a long trip coming up, why push it.

The plan is to see how the new OEM Goodyears do over the next year, which is about how long I expect the old OEM Goodyears to last; while some have gotten 38,000 and one owner over 50,000 miles with them, as far as I'm concerned anything over 30,000 miles is gravy - especially at that price.

Next set, if I keep the car, which is unlikely past the 36-39 month point, will either be the new OEM Goodyears, which are rumored to have foam and to be very quiet, else back to the OEM Michelins, which were fine, if a tad noisy during the 2nd half of their extended longevity.

 

[mspohr]

After much handwringing on my part, Tire Merriment Part One has come to an end. Thanks to all for their input along the way.

Had a set of Goodyear Eagle RS A-2s mounted and balanced yesterday at an America's/Discount Tire. Out the door at ~$450 for the set. They did a fine job, all by hand, and were careful to raise the car only via the specified lift points.

The OEM Michelin Primacy MXM4s, which lasted longer than expected - ~55,000 miles over ~18 months, had 3/32 - 2/32 - 3/32 at worst, and that middle disparity was only because I forgot to rotate them during a recent 12,000-mile sojourn. The other pair, now on the rear, had at least 3/32 - 3/32 - 3/32, and I could have gotten another 3,000 miles out of them I suppose. But with a long trip coming up, why push it.

The plan is to see how the new OEM Goodyears do over the next year, which is about how long I expect the old OEM Goodyears to last; while some have gotten 38,000 and one owner over 50,000 miles with them, as far as I'm concerned anything over 30,000 miles is gravy - especially at that price.

Next set, if I keep the car, which is unlikely past the 36-39 month point, will either be the new OEM Goodyears, which are rumored to have foam and to be very quiet, else back to the OEM Michelins, which were fine, if a tad noisy during the 2nd half of their extended longevity.

Please keep us updated on your experience with these new tires.
I'll be facing this decision soon.

 

[TexasEV]

I just replaced my original Goodyears (19") at 25,000 miles with Michelin Primacy. I'm amazed at how much difference there is. The ride is much smoother and quieter. I wonder how much is just new vs. old tires and how much of the difference is changing from Goodyear to Michelin.

 

[mspohr]

I just replaced my original Goodyears (19") at 25,000 miles with Michelin Primacy. I'm amazed at how much difference there is. The ride is much smoother and quieter. I wonder how much is just new vs. old tires and how much of the difference is changing from Goodyear to Michelin.

It's hard to compare old tires and new. Old tires have less tread and will make more noise than new tires which have a "cushion" of thick rubber tread.