CarPauper

I just bought a slightly used ES350 with Bridgestone Turanza tires. They perform well, so far , but seem overly noisy. I have always preferred Michelins. I'm considering replacement with the Michelin Primacy MXM4 in hopes that it will give the same or better performance with less road noise. Anyone with similar thoughts, experience, suggestions?

larrytstar

The Michelins will make a big difference, providing the smooth, quiet ride you hoped for when you bought your ES. Post back here after you make the switch.

Poppa

CarPauper.... I agree, going with the michelin's will not only reduce road noise, but will provide you with a smoother ride. I bought my ES in January, it came with the upgrade to 18" wheels, but for some reason came with the bridgestone tires.. seems to me when you pay $880 for a wheel upgrade the better tires ( michelin ) would come on it, but they didn't... I bought a toyota avalon a few years back.. same thing, bridgestone tires were oem... as soon as they wore out I put a set of Michelins on them and the difference in comfort and road noise was astounding... as soon as these turanza's wear out I'll be buying another set of Michelin's.

Poppa

CarPauper

Thanks for the input, guys. The Bridgestones have less than 6k miles so I'll see if I can get the local Michelin man to work a trade with me. Whatever the cost, I think I'll be a happier camper.

lesz

I have the Michelins on my 2013 ES, and I also had two sets of them on my 2006 ES. While they perform well and while they give a very quiet ride, I was not happy with the tread life that they gave. I'd guess that the compound used to give the quieter ride also contributes shorter tread life. Also, the Michelins start out with only 9/32 of an inch of tread, while many/most of their competitors start with 12/32 of an inch. That extra 3/32 of an inch of tread also translates into lots of miles of additional tire life.

While I've never had the Bridgestone tiires and can't comment on them, with the 2006 ES, after 2 sets of the Michelins, I bought a set of Goodyear Assurance tires, which do start with 12/32 of an inch of tread. If there was any difference in road noise or vehicle handling between the Michelin tires and the Goodyear tires, I didn't perceive it, and the Goodyear Assurance tires gave me 20,000 more miles of usage than did either of the sets of Michelin tires, and they probably still had another 10,000 miles of wear left on them when I sold the vehicle. Thus, I'd suggest that the Goodyear Assurance tires are worth considering as an alternative to the Michelin tires, and, when the Michelin tires on my 2013 ES are worn out, I'll likely buy the Goodyear tires to replace them.

SW17LS

The Michelins will be a big noise improvement over the Bridgestones. I did that exact swap on my 2010 ES.

For the ES though I would select the Primacy MXV4 not the Primacy MXM4. I have the Primacy MXM4 on the GS and had the Primacy MXV4 on my 2010 ES. The MXM4's are also smooth and quiet, but they're a little higher performance than the MXV4 which suits the GS, but I wouldn't think that performance would do anything for the ES to make any tradeoffs in ride or noise worthwhile.

Its the MXV4 that is an OEM option for the ES, not the MXM4.

Max707

The Michelins have a 500 wear rating, should wear better then the Bridgestones with their 440 wear rating?

SW17LS

You gotta be sure lesz that the tires you had were the PRIMACY MXV4, there are other MXV4 models and the Primacy is fairly new. The MXV4 S8 which used to be OEM on the ES had poor tread wear.

I've had multiple sets of the Primacy MXV4 and have had excellent tread wear.

lesz

The tread wear rating on the Michelin Primacy MXV4 that I have on my 2013 ES is 500, and the manufacturer's warranty is for 60,000 miles. For the Goodyear Assurance Comfortted Touring tires (also V-rated), the tread wear rating is 640, and the manufacturer's warranty is for 70,000 miles. For the T-rated version of the same Goodyear Assurance Comfortred tires, it is 80,000 miles. While I've been buying the V-rated versions, for the ES, I'm not sure that V-rated tires aren't more than is really needed.

As I said earlier, I have never had the Bridgestone tires. So, I can't speak for how they wear, but I only know that the difference in tread life between the Michelin's that I've had and the similarly designed and rated Goodyear Comfortred Touring tires has been dramatic. The difference of the extra 3/32 of an inch of initial tread with the Goodyear tires alone should account for a significant difference in tread life.

lesz

The tires that I had on the 06 ES were the Michelin Energy MXV4, which did have a wear rating slightly lower than the Primacy. I believe it was 480. But, even the Primacy, at a wear rating of 500, is substantially lower than the Goodyear Comfortred Touring (640). Again, with 9/32 of an inch initial tread on the Michelin tires, it would be hard for me to expect them to last as long as a tire with similar design that starts out with 12/32 of an inch initial tread.

Max707

In about 6-7 years when I need new rubber I will look at the Goodyears. But by then who knows what will be out there?

Dave Mac

There is a new Michelin tire, I believe it is called the Premere AS that is replacing the Primacy and about the same price. It looks like quite a tire. Not out long enough for any good test results yet but I would certainly consider this tire. I always prefer Micelins.

Dave Mac

SW17LS

I also had the Energy MXV4. The Primacy MXV4 is a much better tire and much longer lasting than the Energy. Treadwear ratings are all well and good, but Michelin sees fit to give the Primacy a 60k mile warranty. The Energy never had any tread wear warranty.

The Comfortread is a good tire, just in general I've been happier with Michelins than Goodyears in being round and easy to balance, staying quiet through their lifespan, etc. I wouldn't throw the Goodyears away if they were on a car I bought as I would the Bridgestones, but for my money its going to be the Michelins.

lesz

I'm certainly hoping that I get better tread life from the Primacy MXV4 tires on this ES than I got with the Energy MXV4 tires on the older ES, but, if I don't come, at least, close to getting what I got with Goodyear Comforttred Touring tires, I won't hesitate to replace the Michelins with the Goodyears when the time comes. Not only did I not see a bit of difference with regard to either noise or vehicle handling with the Goodyears, but they were also quite a bit less expensive to start with. I also wonder about Michelin's reason for starting out with only 9/32 of an inch of tread, and with only 9/32 to start with, that is a primary reason why I'll be quite surprised if the Michelin's on the ES come close to lasting as long as did the Goodyears on the previous ES.

Curiously, on my GX, I still have the original Michelin tires that came with the vehicle, and, with a little over 40,000 miles on the GX, I still have between 6/32 and 7/32 of tread left. Those Michelin's have worn better than have any of the many tires from several manufactures that I've ever had on a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

SW17LS

Michelin SUV tires are VERY long lasting. What model are they? I've always run Michelin LTX M/S on SUVs and I've had sets with 100k miles on them and they still have tread...they dry rot long before the tread wears out.

As for depth of tread, the tread compound itself has a lot to do with how quickly tires wear. As to why a company would have less depth, for stability and feel. The more tread depth the more potential for squirrelly handling behavior. Thats one of the main reasons why higher performance tires have shallow tread leading to ultimately no tread.