Given
60%
while driving a
BMW 320i
(205/60 R16) on
a combination of roads
for 1,100
spirited miles
Initial review after a few days of driving with these brand new Michelin tyres for a long distance on various roads and weather.
According to the tyre-dealer this is the very latest Michelin tyres, same size as the original tyres.
This is not my car but I have often driven this car since it was new with two other different set of tyres from two other premium tyre brands.
The original OEM tyres were Run-Flats which I did not like at all, rather mediocre tyres in every aspect.
The second set of tyres were from yet another premium tyre brand, not Run-Flat tyres but the same original size, and I really liked those tyres on this car, very good comfort and noise level, very good performance in every aspect except wear which was rather mediocre.
The new Michelins are significantly better than the original Run-Flat in every way, but they can not quite match the second set of tyres from another brand.
The Michelins have in general a little bit more diffuse feeling and tendencies to instability on certain surfaces, I preferred the previous set of tires regarding feel, handling and stability, but it is very small differences.
The comfort and noise level on the Michelins are much better than the OEM Run-Flat and about the same as the second set of tyres, I did however prefer the second set of tyres, I just liked them a little bit better.
The Michelins are in general predictable and controllable in wet and dry and will probably not surprise with bad behavior although I would say that the tyres probably do not like cold rainy weather, I had a ”surprise” in a wet rainy roundabout coming home from the long drive, the temperature was ca 2-3 degrees, I was caught in this "surprising" skid and the stability systems on the car really had to work overtime, it's the only ”surprise” I had so far with these tyres, and maybe in all honesty I might have been over-optimistic in that roundabout, but I have done the same with the other tyres in the same circumstances in the same roundabout without "surprises".
There is nothing particular wrong with the Michelins, not huge differences, good grip wet and dry, relatively good comfort and noise level, acceptable handling and feel, but they are not worth the extra cost, they do not exceed other tyre brands, in fact they do not quite match the previous set of tyres from 2020.
I guess the joker here would be the wear rate, the other tyre brands had rather poor wear, if the Michelins have significantly better wear rate then this could probably persuade some buyers, but not for me, I prefer the best handling and feel over wear rate.