My buddy who turns wrenches at a high end garage priced out a set of new tires for me. He gave me a very good price of $680 OTD for the H rated. The V's are like $75 more. I'm not ever going to drive this car anywhere near 130 mph, but I wonder if the ride quality on the softer V's would be worth the extra coin. The downside would be having to put a new set on sooner.

Thoughts?

 

It all depends on what you are looking for in ride. Check out the wear specs and the one with the longer wear will be a harder riding tire. Nobody needs V rated tires unless you are driving the autobann. The amount of time you will exceed the H rating would not matter. Also usually the softer riding tire will wear faster because of the material. So pick your poison and ask yourself if you want the soft cushy ride then get the OEM tires or ones that are equivalent. Anything else will be a little rougher ride and maybe a higher price. Weigh out your options. My 2 cents

 

I put the H rated Primacys on my 2007 about a year ago. They're fantastic for my taste. They are very smooth and quiet. Much better than the OEM tires. I have nothing bad to say about them. They have been just what I wanted. Also, there is almost no discernible wear on them after one year. You can't go wrong with the H rated tires.

 

From my experience, I'd recommend sticking with the rating that the OEM tires have (or better). Went from a V rated OEM tire to an H rated tire and couldn't wait to get rid of them.

 

Wow, really? What brands are we talking about here? I have Energy MX4Vs on now. They have been stellar tires to date, except for wear. Just turned 36K and they are on their last legs.

The primacy has gotten a lot of good reviews in this forum.

 

Speed ratings are a measure of how fast a tire can dissipate heat, and the Fed requires the manufacturer's to put on OEM tires that match the theoretical top speed of the vehicles they are installed on. IMHO, an H rated tire will be just fine for what an ES is designed to do. When it comes time to retire my wife's car, she will be getting the H rated Michelin Michelin Primacy MXV4, a the top rated tire by the users at Tire Rack.

Lou

 

They were Goodyear performance tires. I *think* I've got the Primacy's (V rated) currently on my LS430 and they've been very good. I'd guess 20K since I put them on.

 

In Consumer Reports the #1 H rated all-season tire is the Michelin Primacy MXV4 (Nokian is #2) and the #1 rated V rated tire is Michelin Pilot Exalto (Dunlap is #2).

 

I know of no tire designated as a "Performance Tire" available in an H speed rating. But, in any event your talking apples and oranges here.

Lou

 

FWIW,

I went from the OEM Michelin to the Bridgestone Potenza Grid 019s and like them much better than the Michelin. Noticibly less road noise and the ride and handling characteristics are about the same. Only time will tell on the wear. But, for the two months I have had them they have been satisfactory. I have not driven them much in the wet (the one or two days they were OK). I live in No. California (Bay Area).

 

I'm thinking for a few bucks more it will be worth it to go with the V rated. They are softer, which should provide even better handling and ride than the H rated. So they won't last to 60K, but I doubt I will have the car that long because it would be over 10 years old at that point.

 

^^^^Michelin rates the treadwear the same for the H or the V. I don't think you'll find it any softer.

Lou

 

Tire Rack has treadwear as:
-Energy MXV4 - 440
-Primacy MXM4 - 500
-Primacy MXV4 - 620

Just reconfimred my upcharge to go with the MXM4's is only $40...total.

 

Well you're both right and wrong. The Primacy MXM4 and MXV4 are different tires. Both are available in different speed ratings. However, in the ES 215/55/17 size, the MXM4 is V rated and the MXV4 is H rated. Consumer Reports rated the Primacy MXV4 highest, as does the Tire Rack Owner's Survey and many members of this forum. The MXM4 is not yet rated on the Tire Rack survey (Grand Touring category). Again, different tires - Apples and Oranges. Good Luck with your choice.

Lou

 

You are correct in pointing out the MXM's have a completely different tread pattern than the MXV's. This warrants more research given the Energy has been a proven tire over 4 1/2 years of driving in all different conditions.

Anybody else have any experience with or knowledge about the MXM4's?