i've had the Premier tires on my 2004 ES330 since May 2014 and love them so far. prior to these i always bought the MXV4 Energy since my car was brand new back in 2004. the Premier tires are as smooth or smoother under most conditions IMO. i got the Premier tires because i was intrigued about the new technology and wanted to try something new. the MXV4 Energy always seems to wear fast for me. we'll see how the Premier do.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/au...-it-wears.html

 

My mxv4's seem to shimmy/bounce a bit over certain highway sections also, same spots every day on the way to work. I don't need/like any feedback from the wheels like all the car magazines deem mandatory for a good car. Give me a dead wheel that will track straight on the freeway.

I'm getting too old.

 

don't blame the tires. blame the road.

 

I have about 1500 miles on my set. I was disappointed in them too but either Im getting used to them or they are broken in and are quieter now.

 

You all might get a kick out of posts 40 through 52 here:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/31...mry-xle-3.html

It looks like there is simply no way to match the H rated Primacy for all around comfort. quiet, and tread life.

 

Around the 40,000 mile mark my MXM4, and 5 years old, they had lost a significant amount of grip and were quite hard. While the tread was still there, they drastically reduced braking performance.

 

*******
Not a big deal ......... but MXM4 was never standard on Lexus ES350 2007-2012. If you are certain that was tire on your car, they were simply not OEM.

Unless there was some kind of dealer or regional "option" that involved MXM4's, the only standard tires were 215/55/17 Energy OR Turanza.

Low Quality Bridgecrap Turanza EL400 last about 10-25K miles for most users.
Mediocre Quality Michelin MXV4 Energy S8 would run further on tread but were a disaster in other aspects once you hit 25,000 miles for most people. .

The MXV4 Primacy V rated tire became standard for model years 2012 Camry and 2013 Lexus ES350 with 17 inch wheels.
2012 Camry SE V6 and Lexus (sport) do come standard with 18" wheels and Michelin MXM4's .......... 225/45/18

Go here for the 18 inch wheel version of the Michelin MXM4 tire:

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...false&pc=34083

 

You all might want to try the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus. Just put a set in my LS and like them very much. Tire Rack felt they were quieter than the Premier.

 

I strongly second the Pirelli Cinturato P7 tire recommendation. I have had a set on since July and really like them. This is on a 2007 ES350. I've used Michelin in the past and have like them and I gambled on a set of Dunlop's for the last set of tires and they were fair at best. Even my wife who generally doesn't notice/care about such things made a comment about how she liked the new tires and how they "felt" driving.

 

******
I called Discount Tire Pensacola FL this morning about buying H rated Premiers since Consumer Reports rated them very high .. especially on tread wear.

I told him I had noticed a number -- albeit a small percentage - of people that report problems with Toyota/Lexus 215/55/17 tires. The manager of the place told me he has been asked the same question before because of posts on tirerack.com.

His response: there may have been a bad batch somewhere but the ONLY tires we have never had a compliant about are all Michelin tires (all the models they stock including the cheap T rated defender) and the Pirelli P7.

He asked if I had called before with the same question, which I had not.

I am going with H rated Premiers but for the rest of you that want an almost zero chance of complaints about "noise" and fuel economy and are less concerned about tread life, go with the P7..

.

 

Dealer put a set of Pirelli Cinturato P7s on my just-purchased 2011 ES 350. The original Michelins wouldn't balance and two of them had flat spots from sparse use (car had 8400 miles on it when I bought it). Very quiet ride. Excellent handling at (ahem) high speeds. And 30 mpg highway. Now Lexus owner for life.

 

We put a set of the Michelin Premier A/S 94V tires on my wife's 2010 Lexus ES350. I've been asking her every day how she likes the new tires and she says that she really likes them. I asked about noise and she said that they don't sound any different from the MXV4 Energy 93V tires. We took the car to the coast this weekend from Puget Sound to the Olympic Rain Forest. The rain was pounding at times and light at other times and I didn't feel any hydroplaning, even when passing logging trucks at 70mph. The car averaged 26.5 mpg on the trip, no better or no worse than previous trips to the coast. I'll let you know if it changes, but so far so good. I run Pilot Sport A/S 3 100Y's on my Infiniti and like the handling on them better, but they are noisier than the Premiers. I wouldn't hesitate having my wife take a long trip with the new Premiers.

 

Your experience is similar to mine. I just put on a set and they are excellent:

Full review here at post #119:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/31...mry-xle-8.html

My conclusion about inconsistent reviews:

Inconsistent reviews: I don't know what causes the differences between reviews like those of KYRANDY and 2002Camry in this thread but they are replete in many forums/reviews here on toyotanation, club lexus, tirerack, etc. Personally, I think Michelin pumped out a bad batch for a while. As time progressed, I noticed the reviews seemed to be about 100% positive where the tires were purchased more recently. The only other explanation is that the Premier is more sensitive to certain types of (poor quality) roads than other tires.

 

I have a different experience with these Michelins. I have 26K on my wife's 2013 (original owner, brand new) and the OEM Michelin Primacy MXV4's are at their wear limits. This is a low mileage car with most of the miles that even got it to 26K were highway; otherwise in town short trips by my wife. The absolute worst tires for tread life I have ever owned. I've had much less expensive brand tires do a lot better than that. There are so many tire models within the same brand out there on the market that it is mind-boggling to try and make an informed decision. Best set of tires I ever owned were on a 1996 LS400 - Firestone Firehawks in stock size for that car). They were glass-smooth up to 130mph and never had balance or treadwear issues (this was a 4-yr old car I bought in 2000 outfitted with new Firehawk tires when I purchased the preowned car). I cannot speak for the same tire today, as I have not owned any since.

 

Buy a set of Milestar M932 on eBay in your size and resell your Michelin's. Life is too short for loud tires.