Those who love off-roading will like something that can handle the different terrains while those driving on the road may prefer to improve how the car can handle the wet and dry surface. Performance oriented vehicles match well with performance oriented tires such as Michelin Primacy MXM4 Vs Pilot Sport All Season 4. These tires are highly rated for how they stay reliable and responsive even on slippery roads but they don’t behave exactly the same so let’s see which will be the more promising here.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- Which Road Tire to Choose
- What are Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4
- What are the Features of Michelin Primacy MXM4
- What are the Features of Pilot Sport All Season 4
- How are the Dry Performance of Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4
- How are the Wet Performance of Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4
- Michelin Primacy MXM4 Vs Pilot Sport All Season 4
Performance Tires and All Season Tires
Tire may not be a part of the vehicle that makes it one but it needs to be there for you to use it for a long time. Just like they can run without proper lubrication, it only matters of time before the engine gives up and you can’t drive it anymore. Tire is extremely important for the car to get proper traction, navigate as needed and provide the adequate grip to the surface you are currently driving on. It affects the performance and overall reliability of our vehicles.
When it comes to tires, it can be easily separated into road and off-road tires based on the purpose or typical terrain. Of course we have all-terrain that can handle both surfaces but, they are also a mix of use and performance. For those who are only driving on the road, the typical options are all-season and performance tires. Both are similar but different and if you wonder which to go for, here are some basics about the two types of popular options.
All-season tires as the name suggests are very similar to the name. As you can expect they are the jack of all trades but master of none and most cars especially those sold in the US including trucks are coming with a set of an all-season tire. They have moderate tread depth for a reliable traction and proper grip on different situations. Another great thing is probably because they are made in a wide range of sizes available which makes it convenient to look for the matching set.
On the other hand, performance tires or also called summer tires are usually wider in contact patch. They are known as sticky because people want the tire to stick better to the road or surface to enhance performance. Different from typical all-season, moreover an all-terrain, their tread depths are fairly shallow along with shorter side walls but use a stiffer material. Being called a summer tire makes them not a wise option to use during winter on icy or slippery roads but this is also closely related to the design and pattern itself.
Just like with most things, we are choosing based on the application because there is no single choice that can handle all the applications and are great on all aspects. If you want versatile tires that can be used all year long, a set of all-season tires should do the job but if you want an increased performance or drive fast but also in control, a set of performance tires is the one to go.
About Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4
If your old tires have shown to wear out or are no longer reliable, it is probably a good time to start looking for the new set. For those who are only driving on the road or don’t go off-roading, all-season and summer tires can be good options but if you go off-road sometimes, all-season tires can be more reliable. The summer tires are perfect for performance oriented application or sports car owners who want to push the vehicle into their maximum ability.
Just like all-season or most car tire types, performance or summer tires are offered by almost any tire companies in the market. They are very popular for the ability to improve traction but not as versatile and when it comes to performance tires, Michelin is always in our top list of reliable choices. This company is among the best with their wide range of collection and while sometimes it can be quite confusing for buyers, not all of their tires are going to deliver the same experience.
Some of the popular variants from this company are Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4 which are both performance oriented but not identical at all. As you can expect these are quite the premium options and many seem to love the two for their ability to provide reliability. The MXM4 for example is promising an ultimate grip regardless of the surface and surprisingly Michelin also promises a reliable experience during winter season from this tire which elevates the value in general.
For Pilot Sport All Season, this tire is designed for precise control but also versatility. It is probably more of a hybrid between a performance and all-season focusing on braking and handling on both conditions. It promises drivers with quiet experience and overall it is behaving a lot like a performance tire but without neglecting the comfort. In comparison between Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4, the latter is actually an overall better performing option with a slight but noticeable difference. Read also: Michelin Primacy MXM4 Vs CrossClimate 2.
Michelin Primacy MXM4 Features
Before checking what they can offer, let’s see the features and what can support the performance of Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4. Starting with the MXM4, this tire seems to be eco-focused with low rolling resistance hence it may save fuel consumption as well. It is also the first Michelin tire that uses sunflower-enriched Helio compound as an all-season tire. This compound is claimed to provide traction at low-temperature and improve the braking as well as handling on wet surfaces.
As you can see, the Primacy MXM4 is featured with an asymmetric tread pattern with European handling profile or rounder shoulders to provide the progressive and predictable cornering response. There are circumferential grooves meant to evacuate water from the footprint and prevent hydroplaning while its variable thickness sipes will give the tire additional biting edges for wet and winter traction. On the construction this tire includes twin steel belts reinforced with BAZ spiral wrapped polyamide cord for stability and enhancing the treadwear.
Pilot Sport All Season 4 Features
For the Pilot Sport All Season 4, this tire is claimed to be made with an innovative asymmetric pattern along with large reinforced outboard shoulder blocks to help the driver get that lateral grip. It has this technology called Dynamic Response which evens out the forces exerted on the contact patch as you are cornering hard, as well as improving the tread wear and handling characteristics. This tire is featured with wide circumferential channels similar to MXM4 to provide hydroplaning resistance.
On the compound, the Pilot Sport is made with Extreme Silica with dynamic biting edges from the unique 360 Degree Variable Sipes. It is said to improve winter performance too by providing more grip into the surface. Similar to MXM4, the tire is made of Helio compound so it is also providing low resistance for less fuel consumption. As for the construction, it has the typical two ply polyester casing and two high strength steel belts reinforced by single nylon cap fly.
Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4 on Dry Road
Now let’s move to the most important part or what the Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4 can offer starting from their performance on the dry road. Both tires are actually working really good and we don’t have any complaint about how they behave but, in comparison they are not the same as well because the latter feels slightly firmer on grip. It is not by a huge gap but you can feel it stick to the tarmac more effectively right when the vehicle starts to move forward.
We do think they are among the best performance tires in the market for how responsive it is. Cornering feels great with both of them that even if you are doing a sharp turn they will quickly brake and let you sharply navigate forward. Since Pilot Sport All Season sounds like it focuses more on the A/S side, we are actually surprised to see how good it is on dry tarmac, even slightly more confident than MXM4.
Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4 on Wet Road
Moving to wet roads and driving under the rain, these Michelin Primacy MXM4 and Pilot Sport All Season 4 are just as impressive as how they are on dry tarmac. The grip is almost exactly the same when the road is dry especially when you try braking or cornering as they never lose grip but, again we feel the latter performs slightly firmer, probably there is something about its tread pattern or biting edges that makes this tire to be so confident almost in any conditions.
Snow is where even the best performance tire will fall behind but this is not by a huge margin for Pilot Sport All Season 4 and here we understand why it is called an A/S despite being a great performance tire. This tire is still excellent at providing traction even though it can be a little bit slippery while the MXM4 is losing almost half of its confidence when the road is icy cold.
Michelin Primacy MXM4 vs Pilot Sport All Season 4
These tires are among the best in the current Michelin collection of performance oriented tires. The comparison tells us that Pilot Sport is still an amazing option for both performance and convenience or versatility. It is even more grippy and firmly sticks to the road compared to the MXM4 when cornering and braking but also very responsive to the steering. In addition, the Pilot Sport is also still very reliable even on snowy roads which is impressive for a performance tire.
| Michelin Primacy MXM4 | Pilot Sport All Season 4 |
|---|---|
| - Good on dry road | - Great on dry road |
| - Good on wet road | - Better on wet road |
| - Not as reliable on snow | - Reliable for snow |
| - Slightly more expensive | - Slightly more affordable |
| - Longer warranty | - Shorter warranty |
Conclusion
You can go amazing with any of these tires depending on which seems to fit in your application the most. Personally we will recommend the Pilot Sport All Season 4 because this tire is not only improved on performance but also versatile and stays similar across all driving conditions.
