Michelin Primacy 4 vs Nokian Hakka Blue 2: We know from our previous coverage of the touring segment, Michelin’s Primacy 4 is the undisputed best touring tire out there in the market. In this post we would like to compare the Michelin Primacy 4 vs Nokian Hakka Blue 2 which was launch in 2016. Nokian is mainly a niche tire manufacturer which is highly focus on winter tires. They do however carry a summer portfolio which is interesting to compared against.
Results below were taken from the 2021 ViBilagare summer tire test results. 8 tires were tested in Goodyear’s test track in Mireval, France. The graph below shows the comparison between Primacy 4 vs Hakka Blue 2 based on the relevant performance category. The Primacy 4 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark. Note that for subjective comfort evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if the tire A is graded 4 while tire B is graded 3, A is better than B by 5%. The natural scaling does not really make sense in evaluation whereby the max number is 5. The tire size of interest is 225/45 R17 which is a common tire size for Audi A3 and Hyundai Elantra. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information.
Table of Contents
Wet
Wet has always been the main forte of Primacy 4 however the wet master finally met its matched where it was outclassed by Hakka Blue 2 in not only one but all wet performances . Both wet braking and straight aquaplaning managed a clear 4% advantage while the wet handling and wet circle on the other hand yield a small advantage of not more than 2.1%. Hakka Blue 2 is clearly the winner in wet performances.
Hakka Blue 2
- +4% in wet braking
- +1.1% in wet handling
- +2.1% in wet circle
- +4.1% in aquaplaning
Dry
After loosing its “King” sport in wet, Primacy 4 managed to defend its dry competitiveness compared to Hakka Blue 2 by very fine margins. Primacy 4 in dry braking achieved the highest margin of 1.7% compared to Hakka Blue 2. While it is almost inseparable in dry handling with razor thin margins separating the two tires.
Hakka Blue 2
- -1.7% in dry braking
- -0.1% in dry handling
Noise & Comfort
Hakka Blue 2 was the far better tire when it comes to subjective noise & comfort. Hakka Blue 2 was ranked 4/5 in subjective noise & comfort while Primacy 4 only got 3/5. From a competition perspective, Hakka Blue 2 was ranked number one in comfort among the competition while being 2nd ranked in noise among the 8 competitors.
Hakka Blue 2
- +5% in subjective noise
- +5% in comfort
Rolling Resistance
If there is one true weakness of Hakka Blue 2, it will be rolling resistance. Primacy 4 is approximately 6% better in rolling resistance compare to Hakka Blue 2. Primacy 4 is a “B” label while Hakka Blue 2 has a “C” label in rolling resistance.
Hakka Blue 2
- -5.9% in rolling resistance
Price
Being the undisputed technology leader, Michelin naturally commands one of the highest priced tire in the market. What was suprising is the price positioning of Nokian’s Hakka Blue 2 which is just a tiny bit behind of Primacy 4.
Tire size: 225/45R17
Primacy 4: : €142.81
Hakka Blue 2: €140.55
Difference: -1.6% more cheaper for Hakka Blue 2.
Summary
Nokian being clearly the underdog here did not disappoint. The David vs Goliath story reaches its climax as Hakka Blue 2 dominates in wet, noise & comfort. The Primacy 4 was better in rolling resistance and slightly ahead in dry performances. Overall it is clear to us that Hakka Blue 2 is our clear winner !