Continental PremiumContact 7 vs Michelin Primacy 4+

Continental PremiumContact 7 vs Michelin Primacy 4+: Continental and Michelin are two of the most prominent tire manufacturers in the world, known for their quality products and innovative technologies. In this article, we will compare two of their latest touring offerings- the Continental PremiumContact 7 and the Michelin Primacy 4+. Michelin’s Primacy 4 being a legend in its own right by dominating the touring segment for a huge period of time. However could Primacy 4+ still be competitive enough with only a compound change? Let’s find this out in this article.

This would be the first official showing of Continental’s brand new touring segment tire Premium Contact 7 which was launched in late 2022 last year. Primacy 4+ on the other hand was available in the market around the same time and it will also make its first competitive debut in this test. Without further ado, let’s bring both tires head to head to see who comes out on top !

New Feature Highlights:

Continental PremiumContact 7: RedChili

Continental’s PremiumContact 7 tire features a new RedChili compound that allows for optimal performance across a wide temperature range. This innovative compound enables the tire to achieve high grip even at low temperatures, without requiring a warm-up phase, making it ideal for use in transitional seasons like spring and fall. The compound is a mix of natural rubber and synthetic components, each of which requires a specific temperature to achieve optimum performance. By selecting and composing the materials in a targeted manner, Continental has been able to develop a tire that performs optimally across a broad temperature range.

Continental PremiumContact 7: Adaptive tread design

The PremiumContact 7 tire’s adaptive tread design enhances stability and ride comfort on both wet and dry roads. Wide lateral openings in the outer areas of the tread pattern allow for optimal drainage when driving straight ahead, while the ground contact surface shifts outward and the lateral openings close again during cornering, providing more rubber and better grip on the road. This design resolves the tradeoff between optimal water removal and perfect dry handling, resulting in excellent driving stability during braking, cornering, and accelerating on wet surfaces.

Michelin Primacy 4+: For greater safety made to last

The Michelin Primacy 4+ is a long-lasting tire that provides excellent wet braking performance and aquaplaning control even at legal tread depth. It uses the latest generation of rubber compound and self-rejuvenating tread technology to maintain safe performance, even when the tire is worn.

Results

Results below were taken from the 2023 Tyre Reviews Best Summer Tyres Test which includes 13 top tires in the market. The graph below shows the comparison between Continental PremiumContact 7 vs Michelin Primacy 4+ based on the relevant performance category. The PremiumContact 7 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.

The tire size of interest is 205/55R16 which is a common tire size for Volkswagen Golf (2018) and the Toyota Corolla Altis (2018). You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle is a standard VW Golf.

Wet

Safety has always been the main theme when it comes to the need for wet performances. As wet is the ultimate requirement for the touring segment, Tyre Review has tested extensively on wet by testing 6 different wet tests ! PremiumContact 7 was ahead in wet braking as it out-brake Primacy 4+ by 1.3m ! This is quite an astonishing feat as both tires are the top 2 in the test however PremiumContact 7 still managed to find a 1.3m distance between Primacy 4+ to claim the top spot. With an advantage in wet braking, PremiumContact 7 managed to stay ahead with a 0.87 seconds faster lap time. This was also translated subjectively as PremiumContact 7 finished with a +5 points more than Primacy 4+. Similar advantage was also observed in the wet circle with PremiumContact 7 setting the higher lateral acceleration.

However when it came to aquaplaning, Primacy 4+ was back in the driver seat as it has a +4 km/h higher slipping speed compared to PremiumContact 7. Overall PremiumContact 7 certainly outmaneuver Primacy 4+ when it comes to both wet braking & handling. The only shining light for Primacy 4+ lies in aquaplaning as it consistently performs at a high level.

Primacy 4+ :

• -4.0% in wet braking
• -1.0% in wet handling (lap time)
• -2.5% in wet handling (subj)
• -3.3% in wet circle
• +4.4% in straight aquaplaning
• +3.6% in curved aquaplaning

Dry

As for dry, safety is usually not an issue as the braking distance is much longer than wet. However this is the default daily usage and the tires have to perform at a very consistent level. PremiumContact 7 was again in the lead in dry braking by out braking Primacy 4+ by 1.3 meters.

In the dry handling performance criteria, PremiumContact 7 was 0.87 second faster than Primacy 4+ which translates into a whooping +15 points subjective advantage against Primacy 4+. Overall on dry surfaces, PremiumContact 7 leads in the dry area with its strong dry braking performance.

Primacy 4+ :

• -3.6% in dry braking
• -1.7% in dry handling (lap time)
• -7.5% in dry handling (subj)

Noise & Comfort

Noise & comfort is usually not the top requirements when it comes to the touring segment but Tyre Review nonetheless has tested it out. Primacy 4+ has a clear advantage in exterior noise as it is 1.9 dB better compared to PremiumContact 7. While in subjective comfort, Primacy 4+ was rated 8 points better than PremiumContact 7. Overall Primacy 4+ is a quieter and more comfortable tire compared to PremiumContact 7.

Primacy 4+ :

• +2.7% in exterior noise (-1.9 dB)
• +4.0% in subjective comfort

Rolling Resistance

As wet braking takes the biggest dominance in the touring segment, rolling resistance is definitely not at the highest priority as the engineer has to handle other more important target conflicts. However with the sustainability topic being more prevalent, rolling resistance has been widely used as a competitive marketing tool as it could be easily seen in the label values.

Primacy 4+ had a lower rolling resistance coefficient value of 8.24 N/kN in comparison with PremiumContact 7 which has a 8.38 N/kN rolling resistance coefficient. The numbers are extremely close and in our eyes both tires are roughly the same.

Primacy 4+ :

• +1.7% in rolling resistance

Price

Michelin being Michelin with no surprises as it commands one of the highest priced tire in the market as Primacy 4+ is €8 more compared to PremiumContact 7.

Tire size: 205/55 R16

Primacy 4+ : €99

PremiumContact 7:  €91

Difference: +7% more expensive for Primacy 4+.

Summary

In conclusion, PremiumContact 7 excels in wet & dry performances while Primacy 4+ was better in noise/comfort & rolling resistance. As this is the touring segment and wet performances it’s of utmost importance, PremiumContact 7 is the winner of this duel !

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