Michelin Primacy Tour A/S Review: Expertly Competent Grand-Touring All-Season Tire
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Pros
- The steering was light, direct, and very sensitive.
- On dry terrain, exceptional control and braking performance
- Excellent levels of adhesion around corners for an all-season tire.
- Resistance to hydroplaning and adequate grip in rainy conditions.
- Excellent grip and very short stopping distances on snow with a little coating.
- Treadlife must be of the highest caliber.
Cons
- Wet handling isn’t competitive with the best grand-touring tires
- The treadwear warranty is very short for the price
- Moderate road noise on coarse surfaces
- Should be available in more sizes
- Expensive
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There is a diverse selection of tires available for purchase to owners of passenger vehicles, particularly in the touring and grand-touring categories of tires. In this region, practically every tire manufacturer that is worth something has a competition, and the majority of the goods give an excellent driving experience in general, particularly on public roads.
However, owners of luxury automobiles frequently report that certain grand-touring all-season tires do not provide enough cornering grip for their vehicles. This is to be expected because the tires in question were not developed for high-performance driving. Instead, they are made to provide a ride that is comfortable, dependable, and long-lasting.
Even said, this does not mean that premium tire manufacturers do not attempt to improve the whole driving experience provided by their products. Michelin is a fantastic illustration of this, as the company has recently introduced the Primacy Tour A/S, which is the successor to the extremely successful Primacy MXM4.
Michelin describes the Primacy Tour A/S as an all-season grand-touring tire that was designed for a premium and elegant driving experience. This tire is available in the all-season version. Even when compared to the prices of other premium competitors, the cost of a tire with such a high level of quality is extremely costly.
In addition, the term “premium” is used so frequently in modern times that it is impossible to differentiate between different kinds of products. For instance, Michelin claims that this tire is suitable for premium and luxury vehicles; but, does this imply that products manufactured by Bridgestone, Continental, and Pirelli are not suitable for such vehicles?
As per usual, I’ll address all of those concerns in great length in my review of the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S. In this section, I’m going to evaluate the tire in relation to its most direct competitors in terms of its performance in dry and wet conditions, traction in snow, comfort levels, and durability. Naturally, by the time everything is all said and done, I will also take into account the cost before offering my verdict to you.
While this was going on, Michelin limited the availability of the Primacy Tour A/S to only the larger sizes, beginning with a 17-inch wheel diameter and going all the way up to a 21-inch wheel diameter. In addition, the manufacturer does not provide the tire in as many sizes within those wheel diameters in comparison to the other companies in the market.
Michelin is undoubtedly trying to differentiate its product from other grand-touring tires, which are available in smaller wheel sizes, but also have narrower tread and a greater variety of sidewall dimensions. With this, Michelin aims to differentiate its product from other grand-touring tires.
But let’s get right down to business and examine the specific elements that Michelin incorporated into the Primacy Tour A/S to turn it into a “premium” product.
What are the features of the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S?

Michelin describes the Primacy Tour A/S as a tire that was developed for precision premium handling as well as a quiet and comfortable ride on their website. In addition to this, they bring to our attention the fact that the majority of premium automobile manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW, fit their vehicles with Michelin tires, which makes up one in four premium automobiles.
In order for the engineers at Michelin to attain the premium attributes that the company boasts about, they used a tread compound that was technologically sophisticated and strengthened with silica. According to Michelin, the compound performs exceptionally well in hot situations, and it also manages to keep its traction and its flexibility when exposed to frigid temperatures.
As a result of this, the Primacy Tour A/S has 17% greater snow traction than its forerunner, the Primacy MXM4, which is a significant improvement considering that the forerunner wasn’t exactly outstanding in this regard. In addition, the Primacy Tour A/S is able to keep a stronger grip on the snow because to the sharp lateral groove angles that are designed to bite into the snow.
The Primacy Tour A/S has a rubber compound that is molded into an asymmetric tread pattern. This pattern is tailored to create a driving experience that is refined and quiet. Enhanced ComfortControl with PIANO Noise Reduction Tuning is the name that Michelin has given to this technology. For the most part, this tread design consists of frequency canceling shoulder grooves and block chamfers combined with ultra-smooth belts, which results in a ride that is exceptionally quiet.
The tread pattern makes use of wide circumferential grooves as well as sweeping grooves for improved water evacuation, which helps to lessen the likelihood of hydroplaning. In the meantime, the Primacy Tour A/S features zig-zag sipes, which have been shown to be particularly successful in challenging winter circumstances, such as driving through snow and ice.
As was to be anticipated, Michelin made use of the Total Performance package throughout the Primacy Tour. Because of this package, the performance of the tire is guaranteed to remain very high even after the tread has become worn down. The MaxTouch Construction is another factor that contributes to this, as it helps to ensure that the tread of the tire wears evenly across its surface and that the biting edges that are necessary for grip in wet and snowy conditions are maintained throughout the life of the tire.
The Primacy Tour A/S follows the typical formula for the category in terms of its interior construction. The tread is held in place by twin steel belts, which are reinforced by spiral-wrapped polyamide cord and a two-ply polyester cord casing for better ride comfort.
What are the maintenance indicators?

Michelin incorporated the standard tread wear indicators (also known as TWIs) in the Primacy Tour A/S tire, same as they do in all of their other tire models. It’s excellent that you do that, however some of our premium competitors, like Continental, utilize letters to show the condition of the tread depth, which is a much more effective system.
Nevertheless, the proprietor shouldn’t have any trouble checking the tread depth using the TWIs. These indicators are made up of thin rubber bars that are embedded within the circumferential grooves of the tire. These grooves are recessed in new tires, therefore they are exposed in used tires.
However, as time goes on and the tread gets worn down, the rubber bars will become more noticeable. When the tread reaches a depth of 2/32 of an inch, the indications will have worn down to the point where they are fully flush with the surface. When this occurs, the tire will no longer be able to offer the driver any useful resistance to hydroplaning, and it will be unsafe to use on conditions that are wet or covered in snow.
Due to the fact that the Primacy Tour A/S is a new model, I am unable to provide much information regarding the treadlife. The Primacy MXM4 was the model that came before this one, and its owners reported being quite pleased with the longevity of the tires.
However, the treadwear warranty that Michelin offers on H- and V-Speed rated models is only good for 55,000 miles, while the warranty that it offers on W-Speed rated models is only good for 45,000 miles. That is quite a bit lower than the category average for grand touring, which is especially disappointing when considering the cost of the tire.
To put these two warranties into perspective for you, the treadwear warranty that Bridgestone offers on the Turanza QuietTrack is good for 80,000 miles, while the treadwear warranty that Continental offers on the PureContact LS is good for 70,000 miles.
How does it behave on a dry tarmac?
On paved roads with little to no moisture, the Primacy Tour A/S is one of the grand touring tires that performs the best. Even if there is not a lot of feedback from the surface, which is not unusual for tires that fall into the grand-touring category, the tire makes the drive significantly more responsive. This is due to the tire’s direct and precise steering.
However, in terms of grip and traction, the Primacy Tour A/S is on par with the greatest grand-touring vehicles. The variations in the Primacy Tour A/S’s handling and braking are also too minor to be noticeable when driving. In spite of this, the Primacy Tour A/S does not outperform the competitors on the handling course in the same way as its predecessor, the MXM4, did.
On a more upbeat note, the tire has a light and nimble feel when turning, which results in a driving experience that is more pleasurable than that provided by competing grand-touring tires.
The Primacy Tour A/S, in general, exhibits competent on-road characteristics that won’t leave any driver feeling less than satisfied.
How is it over wet and slippery roads?
When driving on wet roads, the Primacy Tour A/S has a slow reaction time to the driver’s input and gives the impression of being slightly separated from the road. On slippery ground, the handling provided by other tires, such as the Continental PureContact LS, is more dependable.
However, wet traction is perfect for daily driving, and most regular drivers won’t ever have an issue with it. In addition, the resistance to hydroplaning is among the finest in the category, and the stopping distances are extremely small.
With that being said, how is it on snowy roads?
The Primacy Tour A/S, thankfully, outperforms its predecessor, the Primacy MXM4, in terms of both its snow traction and braking capabilities.
Now, the latest model can be used without any issues on light snow, and it even has the ability to provide some grip on ice. Additionally, the braking distances are some of the shortest in the category as a whole.
In spite of this, the Primacy A/S is not a suitable substitute for a dedicated winter tire.
Is it suitable for off-road driving?
The Primacy Tour A/S is available in dimensions that are appropriate for some crossovers and SUVs. However, the tire is not intended for use when driving on unpaved surfaces. Not only does the tread not have the ability to provide traction on any surface other than hardpack, but it also does not have the ability to resist cuts and chips.
Is it comfortable and refined?
It is interesting to note that Michelin decided to provide the Primacy Tour A/S sidewalls that are somewhat more rigid, as a result, the tire is slightly more direct and responsive.
The ride became slightly more hard as a result of this selection; yet, when traveling at highway speeds, the tire now seems more comfortable. You might notice the ride is slightly harsher at slower speeds and on roads with more bumps, but this is where I’m really nitpicking over details.
Even though it is a quiet tire, the Primacy Tour A/S is still noisier than the class-leading Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack and even the Continental PureContact LS. This is the case despite the fact that the Primacy Tour A/S is a quiet tire.
Should I buy the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S?
The Primacy Tour A/S is an extremely capable grand-touring tire that is able to compete with the top in practically every category it is tested in. On the other hand, it is quite pricey and does not come with a warranty that is particularly good for treadwear.
Because of this, I will suggest this tire to drivers who aren’t bothered by the tire’s greater cost but are looking for a more responsive and stable handling experience overall.
However, motorists who are interested in obtaining more value for their money or a more pleasurable driving experience should go in other directions.