Michelin Primacy LC – pretty decent comfort tyres!
The new Michelin Primacy LC is the successor to the Michelin Energy MXV8 and was just introduced in Malaysia in April this year.
Michelin claims a reduced rolling resistance of 13% compared to the MXV8, as a result of testing conducted on a Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC using 2.4 bar tyre pressure on all four tyres. Michelin also recorded reduced dB levels for road and tread noise compared to the MXV8. The new tread pattern also gives 21% more rubber contact on the road surface compared to the MXV8.
Michelin’s product positioning has placed the new tyre under the Primacy line to move it up towards the Performance category instead of Entry-level category. There will be three “brands” in Malaysia for passenger cars – the Pilot, the Primacy and the Energy.
The Primacy LC is available in various sizes – 31 in total, ranging from 15 to 19 inch and 40 to 65 series, with 195 to 245 section widths. There is Rim Protector for all sizes 55 series and below. It is made from a full silica compound and comes in V, W and Y speed indexes.
Click for enlarged image with available tyre sizes
I tried out a 205/55R16 tyres on my Perdana V6, replacing the set of Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE001 tyres that were previously had fitted. I had previously found the RE001 a little too loud and while it is a high performance tyre that gave excellent grip in the dry and decent enough in the wet (no crazy stuff in the wet for the Perdana), and a great feel devoid of much tyre flex during cornering, it didn’t really suit the kind of ride and feel that I wanted with the Perdana. The noise levels were too high for my liking and to put it plainly, the tyre felt too ‘hardcore’ for a stock standard Perdana. It’s more of a performance tyre and I really should have gone for a “touring” or comfort kind of tyre instead.
The tyres are rather smooth and exceptionally quiet on roads where JKR have been holding up their end of the bargain, but it somehow gets very affected when the roads are a little bad, though I would still say they perform quite well in absorbing most of the little bumps and imperfections on the roads. Driving right through a puddle of water on the highway (at non-excessive speeds of course) also proved to be no problem for the tyres. I’ve not taken the tyres to the limit yet but so far the car continued feeling as stable as a Perdana can be when negotiating the usual medium-speed bends and curves especially on highway entry and exit ramps. I really doubt the grip is going to be outstanding but the tyre’s characteristics suit the kind of drive I am looking for.
I think it’s a decent candidate for those looking to replace “baseline” tyres and are looking for something quiet and comfort-oriented. Are any of you using Primary LC tyres, or any of its similiar competitors? Share your experiences to help other fellow motorists make a decision their next tyre purchase.
October 2, 2009 @ 4:57 pm
Good!
October 2, 2009 @ 5:15 pm
I’m currently enjoying the Pilot Preceda 2. Very good all rounder.
October 2, 2009 @ 5:25 pm
I used to run 16 inch PP2 on the E39, quite decent. Then went to 17 inch Bridgestone My01 and now 18 inch PS2.
October 2, 2009 @ 5:39 pm
Me too using PP2 recently. Highly recommended by my tyre man over my choice of Goodyear F1. I am running on 195/50 R15. The PP2 is good performance; just that since it is soft compound, burn-smell generated after each trashing may sometimes be un-bearable!
October 2, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
Paul is on fire… rarely i see him posted soo many news in a day : )
October 2, 2009 @ 6:10 pm
Need to catch up on tokyo motorshow news
October 2, 2009 @ 6:10 pm
i’m using primacy lc on my myvi 195/55/15. for 3 months… but only at some point it feels quite.. at alot of time it still have sound… and it feels hard at times… but with hitting stuff or our lovely malaysia pot holes.. the sound is dampen alot… i dint really dare to push this tyre to the limits as it’s really cheap… but it did a decent of grippy feels to it… i really need to know how long the tyre wear it is on this tyre… please anyone know about it’s tyre wear life can you let me know… i now already run it for 10,000km d.. it still looks nice for the front, and the back still look damn new… so any updates on this please let me know!! and izzit true that pp2 is more harder then primacy lc… i still feel comfort ride ducaro is the best..
October 2, 2009 @ 7:15 pm
previous im using michellin xm1 just change to pp2 1 month ago. just found that pp2 is much more noisy than xm1 on highway cruising , but pp2 do very well in wet condition, for dry condition i think not much different . due to always outstation , im planning change my new pp2 ……maybe back to xm1 or this new primacy LC …..but still dunno how good this primacy LC will be …….looking forward these new Primacy LC performance …comfort …and silent …
October 2, 2009 @ 8:21 pm
@ Paul Tan
I noticed that… keep up the good work saudara.
October 2, 2009 @ 8:29 pm
I love Michelin tires. I have A/S Pilot 285/35/18 on my Mustang GT.
They have great traction in rain and last longer than Nitto.
October 2, 2009 @ 9:31 pm
Toyo C1S, Made in Japan is a good alternative to Primacy LC.
October 2, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
paul, any price list??
October 2, 2009 @ 10:38 pm
Primacy LC is a touring tyre. So should compared it with same category ones like Bridgestone’s Turanza series. The Pilot series or Potenza series belongs to different category
October 2, 2009 @ 11:06 pm
I previously used Michelin Energy and switched to the LC’s when they first came out. They do perform as advertised and am quite happy with them. Grip is noticably better and they really are very quiet on most road surfaces. There is quite an improvement in shock absorption over small irregularities too. If comfort is what you are after and your car is not performance biased, then these tires would be very suitable.
October 2, 2009 @ 11:34 pm
I’m a great believer of Michelin MXV8 but once tried to change that to Toyo Proxes T1R. I’m completely in love with these rubber on my standard City – superb grip on any conditions, acceptable noise level and looks good!
But lately I changed it to PP2 since it’s pretty new with decent reviews. My comment:
1) feel a little “heavy” – not sure if it’s grip or physically heavier tire
2) losing about 1.5km to 2km of petrol consumption on average
Would I continue to use PP2 – maybe not.
Same comments from my friend who drive an Alfa 157 using PP2 changed from Toyo Proxes T1R.
October 3, 2009 @ 12:04 am
I just changed my 205/65/15 MXV8 to Primacy LC of the same size. I noticed the width of the MXV8 is much wider than that of the Primacy. I was happy with the MXV8 as it lasted almost 70,000km with threads to savely push them to another 10,000km. Nonetheless, I decided to change as the tyres were almost 5 years old.. The Primacy offers a very supple ride (all new tyres do that). Have not tested them fully in expressways and winding roads. Costs me RM1340 for a set of 4
October 3, 2009 @ 1:38 am
Just changed from Continental CC-1’s to the Michelin Primacy LC’s on my Camry, 215/60/R16.
At first I was skeptical with the advertised claims, but since my trusted mechanic recommended it, I opted for the LC’s instead of the Premium Contacts from Continentals.
Got it for RM 480/piece at Old Klang Road.
Been using it for slightly over a week, and haven’t done long distance drive with it yet, so nothing much to report aside that it is the most quietest tyres I’ve used so far. Have used the CC-1’s, and the rubbish NCT 5’s so far on the Camry.
Prior to this, used the PremiumContacts on a previous gen Camry.
My only concern is how fast this tyres will degrade. The Continentals started out pretty good in terms of noise and balance. But it degraded fairly quickly as by the first 15k km, I had to rebalance the tyres 3 times, and was somewhat worn fairly quickly. The CC-1’s lasted me about 35k km, about less than 24 months.
Hopefully the LC’s last longer. I must say again, it’s really very quite and so far am very satisfied for my 10-day old tyres. Handling in wet and dry, is nothing to shout about as I don’t ‘thrash’ my car around corners, so it does fairly what you expect of tyres that are not factory fitted (aka cheap economical tyres).
October 3, 2009 @ 1:52 am
Yokohama DNA db Decibel is another alternative for me. Made In Japan. Comfort and quite. Anyway, I do believe Michelin could give more mileage compare with other brand of tyre
October 3, 2009 @ 2:32 am
yey NCT5!! go go NCT5.. hahahah.. the onli tyres i could use…
oh.. should I change car because of limited tyre choices?
October 3, 2009 @ 10:08 am
Yeah,just look around this LC tires last week. Got 1 small guide blue book about all Michelin tires.’Tyre PAc’ dont sell this online?
October 3, 2009 @ 5:48 pm
I recently purchased Primacy LC 205/65/15 for my MPV. Very comfortable and not too noisy. It cost me RM1210(RM300 a piece + RM10 for using credit card =p)
October 3, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
hey,my dad just change his car’s tyres to the 19inch Primacy for his Alphard.the pomen said it’s the best.my dad’s driver tested it and he said it’s good too.wat’s so special??
October 5, 2009 @ 10:42 am
Bridgestone AR10, for an entry level product can give such satisfactory performance, the higher end models will be better.
Michelin is fine, just a little bit on the hard side maybe because of the Energy design for roundness.
October 5, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
I’ve just changed all 4 of my tires (195/55/15) to this Primacy LC on my Waja.
It’s about a week now I’m on these rubbers. Ride is much quieter and supple than my previous set of Conti CC-1; Rolling resistance is also less, meaning the car willingly glides along even after u’ve lifted ur foot off the accelerator.
Could be due to the full silica compound and Michelin’s Green X technology.
Grip is reassuring & this tire does deliver just as it is advertised. No qualms bout that.
Do not expect wet grip and sharp handling to be as superior to UHP tires, as these are made for passenger sedans with drivers looking for quiet and comfortable ride.
If decent driving and comfort is what you’re looking for, these Primacy LC’s definitely wouldn’t disappoint. It might even be next upcoming best-selling passenger car tire.
Highly Recommended!
October 5, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
I am using 205/65/R15 on my camry. I have to agree on the rolling resistance of the tires. Quite and comfy.
October 6, 2009 @ 1:07 pm
I have been using Yokohama Aspec dB, Bridgestone Turanza GR80, Michelin MXV8, Michelin XM1, Continental CC, Bridgestone MY01 and Goodyear NCT5 on my Alfa & Renault.. If you want quiet & comfort, Michelin is my personal choice. GR80 is also good but not all shop have it. Look forward to Premacy LC. So far, my 1st choice is XM1, 2nd is MXV8, 3rd is GR80. MXV8 is actually quieter than XM1 but the sidewall prone to tear, so not cheap to change la, maybe due to big potholes.
XM1 can lasts about 60,000km before I changed. The grooves still ok but for safety, better change. MXV8 lasts only about 40,000km. GR80 quite the same as XM1. My driving style is mostly comfort biased, and highways.
IMHO, if you wanna quiet & comfort as top priority, and can afford spend a little extra, Michelin Premacy & Energy and Bridgestone Turanza tires is the way to go. Other makes also good but Michelin & Bridgestone seems have a little extra over the others.
October 23, 2009 @ 10:39 pm
when i change my toyota camry 2.2 gx tyre,s from michelin energy that also called green x to michelin primecy.It only can run at 194km not like michelin energy green x it maka my camry be faster,silent from tyre sound and very comfort…