Choosing tyres leaving you confused? Click here to let our experts do personalised research for you
Michelin Primacy 4

Michelin Primacy 4 Review - How Does It Stack Up?

Here are the key stats for the Primacy 4, at a glance.
Key Info - Australia
Vehicle SuitabilityPassenger
Driving StylePremium Touring Summer
SeasonSummer
Release Date2017
Run Flat?No
Overall Score84/100

Pricing

Enter your tyre size below to see the best prices for your specific size (if unsure, check placard on the driver's side door or your existing tyres).

Michelin Primacy 4 in Australia

This offering by Michelin has been around in Australia for about 7 years. Especially designed for regular passenger (non-SUV) vehicles, it comes in a total of 143 sizes.

This premium touring summer tyre is a solid option for those looking for a summer tyre in the premium end of the market. Note that it is not a runflat tyre.

Read on to see how it stacks up against the competition!

How We Reviewed The Primacy 4 Tyres

Unlike the Australian government, the European Union carries out standardised tests on all tyres sold in Europe. These tests are carried out in identical conditions, making them a reliable way to compare tyres.

For this review, we use averaged results from tests done on 109 sizes of the Primacy 4 tyres by the European Union.

We then compare these to the same results for the following similar tyres, also rated for Premuim Touring Summer usage and sold in Australia.

Fuel Efficiency

EU GradeCompared to an A grade tyre?
Fuel Efficiency
(A - E)
C0.2L/100km extra fuel consumption. ~$36 extra per year

The US Department of Energy estimates that around 25% of the fuel consumption of a vehicle is attributable to the tyres. That's a lot, and it means that choosing fuel efficient tyres can save you quite a bit of money.

The Primacy 4 tyres rank a C on a scale of A to E in the official fuel efficiency tests carried out by the EU (they call these rolling resistance tests).

Relative to an A grade tyre, expect to use an extra 0.2L/100km. This works out to $36 extra spent on petrol per year, based on a typical 12,000 km driven per year.

Comparison

Here's how the Primacy 4 compares to similar tyres for fuel efficiency (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Based on the comparison tyres we've selected, the Primacy 4 ranked # out of 0 tyres.

Grip & Handling

EU GradeCompared to an A grade tyre?
Wet Grip
(A - E)
ANo difference

We'll now take a look at how these tyres compare in terms of grip and handling.

A good measure of this is 'wet grip', which is an indication of how well the tyres will allow the vehicle to come to a stop in wet conditions.

The Primacy 4 tyres rank a A on a scale of A to E in the official fuel tests carried out by the EU.

This is the highest possible rating, and indicates excellent grip and handling in wet conditions relative to other tyres.

Comparison

Here's how the Primacy 4 compares to similar tyres for wet grip (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

For wet grip, they scored # out of 0 comparison tyres.

Noise

EU GradeCompared to an A grade tyre?
Noise
(A - C)
B (69 dB)2 times as noisy

Another key factor to consider when choosing a tyre is road noise. Once you're over about 40 km/h, the dominant source of noise you hear is from the contact of your tyres on the road.

There is a surprisingly wide variation in the amount of noise each tyre makes.

The Primacy 4 tyres produce 69.0 dB of road noise, which corresponds to a rank of B on a scale of A to C in the standardised testing done by the EU.

Expect these tyres to produce about 2 times as much noise as an A grade tyre (the decibel scale is logarithmic).

Comparison

Here's how the Primacy 4 compares to similar tyres for noise (1 = Grade C, 3 = Grade A).

For noise, they ranked # out of 0 comparison tyres.

Comfort

Based on the results of a number of tyre benchmarks, including those below, the Primacy 4 scores 5 out of 5 for comfort.

  • ADAC: Summer Tire Test R17
  • Autonavigator: Summer Tire Test R16
  • Tyre Reviews: Summer Tire Test for Crossovers R18
  • Test World: Large Summer Tire Test R16
  • Teknikens Värld: Summer Tire Test R18
  • Auto Motor und Sport: Summer Tire Test R16
  • Promobil: Commercial Summer Tire Test R17
  • Promobil: Summer Tire Test R17
  • ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ: Summer Tire Test R17
  • TCS: Summer Tire Test R17
  • Auto Zeitung: Summer Tire Test R18
  • Autonavigator: Summer Tire Test R16
  • Auto Bild Allrad: Summer Tire Test R17
  • Motor: Crossover Summer Tire Test R17
  • Tyrereviews: Best Touring Tires for 2020
  • ADAC: Summer Tire Test R16
  • ADAC: Summer Tire Test R15
  • Auto Zeitung: Summer Tire Test R17
  • Auto Motor und Sport: Summer Tire Test R17
  • Auto Bild: Large Summer Tire Test R17
  • Al Volante: Summer Tire Test R16
  • Quattroruote: Summer Tire Test R17
  • Al Volante: Summer Tire test R17
  • Auto Zeitung: Summer Tire Test R17
  • The Best Passenger Tires for North America in 2024 by TiresVote
  • Vi Bilägare: Summer Tire Test R17
  • ADAC: Summer Tire Test R17
  • Vi Bilägare: Summer Tire Test R16
  • Auto Bild Allrad: Summer Tire Test R18
  • Motor NAF/Vi Bilägare: Summer Tire Test (Premium)
  • Ultimate Summer Tire Test by Tyre Reviews
  • Tyre Reviews: Summer Tire Test R16
  • GTÜ/ACE/ARBÖ: Summer Tire Test R16
  • Auto Bild: Summer Tire Test R16
  • AutoExpress: All-Terrain Summer Tire Test R18
  • Tyrereviews.co.uk: 11 of The Best Summer tires

Treadwear

With a UTQG treadwear rating of 340, the Primacy 4 would theoretically last 3.4 times longer than a tyre with a treadwear rating of 100.

Traction

The UTQG system measures traction as straight-line braking in dry conditions. The scale is AA, A, B, C, with AA being the best grade, and C the worst.

These tyres score a grade of A.

Temperature Resistance

The UTQG temperature resistance tests measure how well tyres can dissipate heat that builds up due to friction with the road. The scale is A, B, C, with A being the highest grade.

These tyres score a grade of A.

Warranty

The Primacy 4 tyres have a warranty of 6 years.

Comparisons With Similar Tyres

Still undecided as to whether to go with these premuim touring summer tyres? Check out our data-driven comparisons to similar tyres on the market in Australia!

Summary

With an overall rating of 84 out of 100, the Primacy 4 tyres are a solid choice for anyone looking to replace their car rubber with some tyres designed for premuim touring summer action.

For fuel efficiency, they score a grade of C, which is more or less average, though this isn't a super important factor.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, they get a score of A, which is outstanding.

Finally, for road noise, they receive a B grade, which is about typical.

In terms of data out of the US, they have the following UTQG ratings:

  • Treadwear: 340
  • Traction: A (scale: AA, A, B, C)
  • Temperature Resistance: A (scale: A, B, C)

Full Size List (click to show)

Below is a list of all 143 sizes of the Primacy 4 tyres sold in Australia, sorted by tyre width. Select your preferred size to compare prices across multiple suppliers.

Size
165/65 R15 81T
175/65 R15 84H
185/50 R16 81H
185/60 R15 88H XL
185/65 R15 88T
185/65 R15 92T XL
185/65 R15 88H
185/60 R15 84H
185/55 R15 82V
185/60 R15 84T
195/55 R15 85V
195/60 R18 96H XL
195/60 R17 90W
195/65 R16 92V
195/55 R16 91V XL
195/60 R15 88H
195/60 R15 88V
195/50 R15 82V
195/55 R16 87H
195/55 R16 87V
195/65 R15 91V
195/55 R16 87T
195/45 R16 84V XL
195/55 R16 87W
195/65 R15 95H XL
195/65 R15 91H
195/55 R16 91T XL
205/55 R16 94V XL
205/55 R16 94H XL
205/50 R17 89V
205/60 R16 92V
205/45 R16 83W
205/55 R17 95V XL
205/45 R16 83H
205/55 R19 97V XL
205/50 R17 93H XL
205/65 R15 94H
205/55 R17 91W
205/45 R17 88V XL
205/55 R17 95W XL
205/55 R16 91H
205/55 R19 97H XL
205/65 R15 94V
205/60 R16 92H
205/55 R16 91W
205/60 R16 96W XL
205/55 R16 91V
205/50 R17 93W XL
205/55 R17 91V
205/60 R16 92W
205/60 R16 96H XL
205/50 R17 93V XL
205/45 R17 88H XL
205/60 R16 96V
205/60 R16 96V XL
215/55 R18 99V XL
215/55 R17 94W
215/65 R16 102H XL
215/45 R17 91W XL
215/45 R17 87W
215/55 R16 93W
215/55 R16 97W XL
215/55 R16 93V
215/50 R17 91W
215/50 R18 92W
215/60 R16 99H XL
215/60 R16 95H
215/50 R17 95W XL
215/60 R17 96V
215/65 R16 102H
215/65 R17 103V XL
215/60 R16 95V
215/45 R17 91V XL
215/55 R17 94V
215/60 R16 99V XL
215/55 R17 98W XL
215/60 R17 96H
215/65 R17 99V
225/50 R16 92W
225/55 R18 102Y XL
225/45 R17 91Y
225/45 R17 94W XL
225/50 R17 98Y XL
225/60 R17 99V
225/55 R17 101W XL
225/55 R16 95W
225/45 R18 95Y XL
225/50 R17 94Y
225/60 R16 102W XL
225/45 R17 94Y XL
225/55 R17 97Y
225/50 R18 99W XL
225/45 R17 91V
225/55 R18 102V XL
225/55 R17 101V XL
225/50 R17 94W
225/40 R18 92Y XL
225/55 R17 101Y XL
225/55 R16 99W XL
225/65 R17 102H
225/45 R17 91W
225/55 R16 99Y XL
225/45 R18 95W XL
225/45 R17 94V XL
225/55 R17 97W
225/50 R17 94V
225/50 R17 98W XL
225/50 R17 98V XL
235/55 R18 100W
235/40 R19 96W XL
235/50 R18 101Y XL
235/55 R17 103W XL
235/45 R20 100V XL
235/55 R18 100V
235/55 R18 104V XL
235/60 R17 102V
235/60 R18 103V
235/45 R18 98Y XL
235/45 R18 98W XL
235/45 R17 94W
235/40 R18 91W
235/45 R17 97W XL
235/50 R18 97V
235/50 R19 103V XL
235/55 R17 99V
235/50 R18 101H XL
235/55 R17 103Y XL
235/45 R17 94Y
235/55 R19 105W XL
245/40 R18 97Y XL
245/45 R17 99Y XL
245/40 R18 93H
245/45 R19 102V XL
245/45 R17 99W XL
245/45 R18 96W
245/45 R18 100W XL
245/45 R18 100Y XL
255/40 R19 100W XL
255/40 R18 99Y XL
255/45 R18 99Y
255/50 R18 106Y XL
255/45 R20 105V XL
255/45 R20 101V
Louis from Tyre Geek

Louis

I'm Louis, an engineer passionate about helping Australians choose better tyres for their vehicles!