Writing about the
Matador MP 44 Elite 3 given
84% (205-60-15-H)
Driving on
a combination of roads for 2000
average miles
I bought these for my XM as I wanted something value for money but also a decent tyre. These were recomended to me by my chosen tyre supplier as fitting that description. They also said that Matator is owned/part of Continental and having had good experiences with that brand before, I bought these MP44s.
I have only covered around 2500 miles since fitting them to the front, however there is no noticeable signs of wear yet.
I usually fit Michelins to my Citroens and have another XM with Michelin Energy Savers, which suit the car well. However, these Matadors are quite hard to tell apart from the Michelins, in terms of grip, road noise and ride, its all very good.
I had trip around Wales just after fitting these, it was very wet and flooded but the tyres never gave any worries. Wet grip is pretty excellent for the price you pay for these tyres. I do tend to be a bit of a spirited driver and they did not let me down on the soaked and twisty country lanes.
They seem to be a step up in quality from older Matador tyres, the siewall looks more upmarket. Alone with the legal 1.6mm tread markers they also have ones slightly higher at 3mm, which is referred to as the recommended tyre change thread wear. Along with this safety feature there are numbers which appear in the tread itelf, as the tyre wears lower numbers are exposed which give a rough guide to how many mm of tread is left, a great idea! Mine are just starting to show 6mm of tread.
Its not a sporty feeling tyre but for my car that is not what I was wanting. Its a very good alrounder which grips very well in the wet and dry, gives a good ride, low road noise and seems to wear quite well. Impressive for the money, glad I didn't pay twice as much on some Michelins!
I would recommend them and will consider them again.