Bridgestone Turanza 6 vs Michelin Primacy 4+: After 5 years of consistent performer in the touring segment, Bridgestone finally bid goodbye to Turanza T005 and introduced the Turanza 6 as its successor in 2023. Touting an impeccable “A” label wet braking line up plus superior mileage and improved fuel/energy efficiency claims, Turanza 6 definitely looks like a top notch tire which you do not mind having with you during the summer days. Let’s put the Turanza 6 with the best touring tire out there “Michelin Primacy 4+” and see which will come out on top !
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the “Bridgestone Turanza 6 press“. The tests were carried out by TÜV SÜD on the request of Bridgestone. Word of caution here, as these are test data provided by Bridgestone it is hard not to rule out any biases. Even though the test is commissioned by a 3rd party, only wet performances are shown without any data on other performance criteria. Knowing that tires are a target conflict game, being good in one area usually sacrifices performance in other areas. Hence only by evaluating a full performance test would enable us to see truly the full potential of Turanza 6.
A total of 4 tires were tested this time around including Continental’s Premium Contact 6 and Pirelli’s Cinturato P7 (P7C2). The graph below shows the comparison between Bridgestone Turanza 6 vs Michelin Primacy 4+ based on the relevant performance category. The Bridgestone Turanza 6 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
The tire size of interest is 245/45 R18 which is a common tire size for Audi A6 and the Volvo S90. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The tests are tested on 2 different vehicles which are a BMW 520i & BMW 530d.
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. Both Primacy 4+ and the new Turanza 6 are labeled “A” in wet braking which would set up a very interesting battle.
Based on the wet braking results, Turanza 6 managed to out brake Primacy 4+ by 2.3m (7.5 feet). This is an astonishing length which is over a half length of a typical Volkswagen Golf. The test was conducted from a speed of 80km/h (50mph) down to 20 km/h (12mph). Only Premium Contact 6 fared better than Primacy 4+ by topping the charts with an overall 33m compared to 33.7m of Turanza 6. Lateral wet grip was also tested and once again the new Turanza 6 was close to 5% better compared to Primacy 4+.
Aquaplaning used to be Primacy‘s main forte but things have completely changed as Turanza 6 was 1.5% better in straight aquaplaning. This could be attributed to its new wet braking compound which contributes to its aquaplaning performances. Curved aquaplaning was also tested and Turanza 6 again leads the front with close to a 10% advantage against Primacy 4+.
Overall in the wet category, Turanza 6 is clearly the better performing wet tire.
Primacy 4+ :
- -6.4% in wet braking
- -4.9% in lateral wet grip
- -1.5% in straight aquaplaning
- -9.8% in curved aquaplaning
Price
The prices for the latest Turanza 6 is not out yet and we will update accordingly once it is in the market.
Tire size: 245/45 R18
Turanza 6 : TBC
Primacy 4+ : €157
Difference: —
Summary
In summary, it is quite clear that Turanza 6 is the de facto wet maestro as demonstrated by its wet results. However, having not seen the dry, rolling resistance & noise/comfort results , it is hard to determine whether it has the whole package to beat the well established Primacy 4+. Having said that, please stay tuned for updates in the upcoming 2023 summer press test season to get the full press test results of Turanza 6 and see whether we can crown a winner !