Michelin e.Primacy vs Michelin Primacy 4+ (with Wear Results !)

Michelin e.Primacy vs Michelin Primacy 4+: Michelin is a renowned tire manufacturer that offers a wide range of tires for various types of vehicles. Two of their popular tire models are the Michelin e.Primacy and Michelin Primacy 4+. The Michelin e.Primacy was launched in 2021, while the Michelin Primacy 4+ was introduced in 2019.

With the major shift towards electric vehicles replacing hydrocarbon-powered ones, the requirements for tires are also changing. Previously, we have covered the Michelin e.Primacy, which was specifically designed for the electric vehicle market, boasting to be the first carbon-neutral tire available in the market. We also examined how the e.Primacy stacked up against the Primacy 4 and demonstrated its drawbacks in order to reach amazingly low rolling resistance values.

This time around, we would like to compare the e.Primacy with the updated version of the Primacy 4, called “Primacy 4+.” This will be a battle between the dedicated EV tire and a traditional touring segment tire. We even have the elusive wear results, which are rarely tested due to their extremely high testing cost. Without further ado, let’s put both tires head-to-head to see who comes out on top!

Results

Results below were taken from the 2023 ADAC Summer Tire Test which includes an outstanding 50 top tires in the market (something so outrageous only ADAC will do it). As mentioned at the introduction, wear test results are included in the comparison to get a complete overall performance picture. The graph below shows the comparison between Michelin e.Primacy vs Michelin Primacy 4+ based on the relevant performance category. The e.Primacy 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 8.

Wet

Safety has always been the primary concern when it comes to the need for good wet performance in tires. Wet performance has always been a top priority in the touring segment, as demonstrated by the Primacy 4. ADAC has tested two wet braking surfaces this time around to give us a more representative road surface simulation based on your daily needs. Due to its structural composition, the contact between asphalt and rubber has a much higher coefficient of friction compared to concrete/rubber. This is the reason why you see a much longer braking distance on concrete compared to asphalt. The Primacy 4+, with its wet-focused tire line, outperformed the e.Primacy when it comes to wet braking, managing to brake 7m (Asphalt) & 6.3m (Concrete) earlier than the e.Primacy.

With a much lower tread depth, the e.Primacy also performed poorly in aquaplaning as it struggled to dissipate water at high speeds. In straight aquaplaning, the e.Primacy finished in the bottom 3 with a slipping speed of 72.8 km/h compared to the Primacy 4+ slipping speed of 83.5 km/h. The results were also similar when it came to lateral aquaplaning, with the e.Primacy having a -0.8 m/sec2 deficit in terms of lateral acceleration. Overall, it is clear that the Primacy 4+ performs significantly better than the e.Primacy when it comes to wet performance.

Primacy 4+ :

• +19% in wet braking (Asphalt)
• +16% in wet braking (Concrete)
• +15% in straight aquaplaning
• +29% 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. e.Primacy took a slight lead in dry braking by out braking Primacy 4+ by 0.2 meters. This could be attributed to a much lower tread depth which provided a higher circumferential crown stiffness which is beneficial for dry braking.

Primacy 4+ :

• -1% in dry braking

Noise

Having a much lower tread depth which constitutes a lower void volume, we naturally would expect a much better exterior noise performance for e.Primacy. This was proved to be true as e.Primacy was 0.7 dB quieter than Primacy 4+.

Primacy 4+ :

• -1% in exterior noise (+0.7 dB)

Fuel Consumption

Rather than measuring the tire’s rolling resistance, ADAC measured the vehicle’s fuel consumption instead. As expected, the e.Primacy, being engineered with rolling resistance in mind, was tied for the best tire with a fuel consumption of 5.5 liters/100 km. However, the difference between the e.Primacy and the Primacy 4+ was extremely low, with the Primacy 4+ having only slightly higher fuel consumption at 5.8 liters/100 km. The worst-performing tire had a fuel consumption rating of only 5.9 liters/100 km! This result was similar to the previous test we covered, where the lower rolling resistance tires had only a minimal effect on the vehicle’s overall fuel consumption. Hence the question remains: are these small savings worth the big sacrifice in wet braking performance?

Primacy 4+ :

• -5% in fuel consumption

Wear

As mentioned at the start, mileage tests are extremely rare, and we are pleased that ADAC decided to conduct it for all 50 tires. To our surprise, the e.Primacy topped the mileage chart with a rating of 71,500 KM, despite starting with a much lower tread depth of 6.1mm compared to the touring segment tires’ 8-9mm starting tread depth. The Primacy 4+ was highly competitive in the test and finished in 4th position with a rating of 61,300 KM.

As pollution from micro rubber particles has been a concern lately, ADAC also measured the tire’s abrasion, which is a measure of how much weight loss your tire has undergone with respect to your mileage. The e.Primacy was the best abrasion tire, which was expected as it has the highest mileage but the lowest tread depth, signifying a very high abrasion resistance level. The e.Primacy finished with an abrasion level of 34.8 mg/km/t, compared to the Primacy 4+ at 53.7 mg/km/t.

Overall, the e.Primacy showed great dominance when it comes to mileage and topped the category despite having a very low starting tread depth. However, as tire choice is always a trade-off between conflicting factors, the high mileage honors came with a significant drawback in wet performance.”

Primacy 4+ :

• –14% in mileage
• –35% in abrasion

Price

Michelin being Michelin with no surprises as it commands one of the highest priced tire in the market relative to its competitors. However when it comes to its on internal pricing comparison, both tires were priced in the similar range with almost no difference between them.

Tire size: 205/55 R16

Primacy 4+ : €99

e.Primacy:  €99

Difference: Same.

Summary

The e.Primacy was designed with a singular focus on rolling resistance, and it achieved this goal by being the top-performing tire in terms of fuel consumption. Additionally, it exceeded expectations by being the tire with the best mileage performance among the competition. However, this comes at a significant cost in terms of wet performance, making it a less-than-ideal choice for drivers who frequently encounter wet conditions. Given that we are comparing two different segments, there is no clear winner from our point of view. Electric car owners should carefully consider the trade-off between having slightly longer range versus sacrificing wet performance when choosing between these two tires

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