Its been 6 years now since the launch of Michelin’s Primacy SUV and it still somehow dominates the SUV premium segments. From the marketing material, Michelin promotes a “Reduced Braking Distances” and a “Better Holding on Wet Roads plus a Smooth & Comfortable Ride“. We can put this statement to the test as the tire was also included in the SUV showdown conducted by emao.com .
Table of Contents
1. Wet braking.
Over the past decade, wet braking has been the focus for Michelin throughout its tire portfolio regardless of the segment. As the wet conditions generate the longest braking distance, the difference of 1-2 m could really potentially save lives. Michelin Primacy SUV came out with top spot achieving a wet braking distance of 43.8m. Michelin beat its nearest competitor by 0.7m while braking from a speed of 80-0km/h.
2. Wet handling
With its dominating performance in wet braking, it is not surprising that Michelin Primacy SUV came in 1st from the wet handling test. Michelin Primacy SUV was 1.9 seconds faster in the wet handling track compare to UC6 SUV.
3. Aquaplaning
With such a good performance in both wet categories, you would expect the Michelin Primacy SUV to perform equally well in the aquaplaning criteria. It was somehow unexpected that the tire placed only 4th clocking a speed of 78.4km/h @15% tire slip. From the top premium competitors, only Goodyear was better than the Michelin.
4. Dry braking
The real weakness of Michelin Primacy SUV was revealed in the dry braking category. The tire was one of the worst performer when it comes to dry braking. It came in 2nd last with a deficit to the top performer UC6 SUV of 3.1m from 100-0 km/h
5. Rolling resistance
Michelin Primacy SUV was placed in the middle of the pack when it comes to the rolling resistance raking. Both Bridgestone and Landsail excels in this category which is traditionally a tradeoff in wet braking performance. Both the tires came in last in the wet braking category.
6. Comfort
CushionGuard and EvenPeak technologies absorb road imperfections for a smoother ride.
Michelin Primacy SUV website
As comfort is one the feature of this tire, it would be interesting to look into detail how the tire perform in this category. Michelin Primacy SUV was ranked 5th in the comfort standing with a rating of 6.6 compared to a 7.2 of UC6 SUV. Clearly this is not as “comfortable” as advertised. The Michelin however performed better in the interior noise category placing 4th with only a 0.6 decibel difference against the top rank tire.
7. Cost
A 225/65 R17 Michelin Primacy SUV cost RM 445 while a UC6 SUV cost around RM 378. This makes it one the most expensive SUV tire out there in the market. For the latest update on all UC6 SUV prices, please visit our table or app.
Summary
Overall the Michelin Primacy SUV provides the maximum safety performance during wet conditions. It however lacks behind its competitor in dry braking and also comfort. Being one the most expensive tire out there, it is worth every sen if you value wet safety over everything else.