Michelin Primacy 4 vs Primacy SUV - Which Is #1? [2024]

Fuel Efficiency

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).

The Primacy SUV tyres also get a grade of C.

As their fuel efficiency grade is the same, expect negligible differences in fuel consumption between them.

Here's a graph comparing the Primacy 4 and Primacy SUV tyres for fuel efficiency (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Grip & Handling

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.

The Primacy SUV tyres, on the other hand, get a grade of B.

Expect the lower graded tyres to require about an extra 3 metres to come to a complete stop when braking at 80km/h.

Here's a graph comparing the Primacy 4 and Primacy SUV tyres for wet grip (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Noise

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.

On the other hand, the Primacy SUV tyres produce 69.8 dB of road noise, which means a grade of B.

As their noise grade is the same, don't expect many differences in terms of cabin noise.

Here's a visual representation of how the Primacy 4 and Primacy SUV tyres stack up for noise (1 = Grade C, 3 = Grade A).

Based on the results of a number of tyre benchmarks, the Primacy 4 scores 5 out of 5 for comfort. We don't have any comfort data for the Primacy SUV tyres.

As per the UTQG guidelines, the Primacy 4 tyres have a treadwear rating of 340, whereas the Primacy SUV tyres have a rating of 440. This means that the Primacy 4 tyres will theoretically last only 77% as long as the Primacy SUV tyres.

As per the, the Primacy 4 and Primacy SUV tyres both have a traction grading of A.

As per the UTQG system of tyre grading, the Primacy 4 and Primacy SUV tyres both have a temperature resistance grading of A.

For fuel efficiency, Primacy 4 score a grade of C, which is more or less average. Primacy SUV end up with a grade of C, which is more or less average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, Primacy 4 get a score of A, which is outstanding. Primacy SUV end up with a grade of B, which is above average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, Primacy 4 get a score of B, which is about typical. Primacy SUV end up with a grade of B, which is about typical.