DudeCivic
New Member
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- #1
New member here. I wanted to provide my experience with the Michelin Premier A/S vs the Firestone FT140 factory tire. I was looking for a quieter, more responsive tire. I got half of that and an extra negative. In short, the FT140 is definitely quieter and allows the car to obtain higher fuel mileage when compared to the Premier. I put about 600 mixed miles on the Premier's before going back to the tire store and getting my FT140's put back on.
FT140 positives: quieter, better fuel economy. Cons: Slightly greasy in the rain. Overall a well balanced tire.
Premier positives: More responsive steering, slightly better straight-line tracking, grippier in the rain. Also, this particular size carries a higher speed rating and the ride is firmer, which I liked. Cons: Notably noisier on all road surfaces, and the noise was at a higher pitch, especially across concrete. Also, when coming to a stop the tires made a noise like the edges had been feathered from a bad alignment for several thousand miles, kind of a knobby tire whir. The Firestones do not do this. Major con: fuel mileage dropped between 2 and 4 mpg consistently. All of the above observations were noticeable during the first tank of gas and were consistent until I took them off. I conducted several shorter known mileage/same conditions comparisons and the fuel economy was consistently lower.
My intent is not to bash Michelin. I'm usually a Michelin guy and in fact put the Premier's on our Ford Edge, with excellent results (quieter and better fuel economy than the factory Pirelli's). I also have Pilot Sports on my other "toy." I thought I would at least duplicate the road noise reduction in comparison with the FT140's. Even though the Premier's are rated as LRR, they are not as LRR as the FT140's, at least in my experience. This is not a tire I would recommend if noise levels and fuel economy are important.
FT140 positives: quieter, better fuel economy. Cons: Slightly greasy in the rain. Overall a well balanced tire.
Premier positives: More responsive steering, slightly better straight-line tracking, grippier in the rain. Also, this particular size carries a higher speed rating and the ride is firmer, which I liked. Cons: Notably noisier on all road surfaces, and the noise was at a higher pitch, especially across concrete. Also, when coming to a stop the tires made a noise like the edges had been feathered from a bad alignment for several thousand miles, kind of a knobby tire whir. The Firestones do not do this. Major con: fuel mileage dropped between 2 and 4 mpg consistently. All of the above observations were noticeable during the first tank of gas and were consistent until I took them off. I conducted several shorter known mileage/same conditions comparisons and the fuel economy was consistently lower.
My intent is not to bash Michelin. I'm usually a Michelin guy and in fact put the Premier's on our Ford Edge, with excellent results (quieter and better fuel economy than the factory Pirelli's). I also have Pilot Sports on my other "toy." I thought I would at least duplicate the road noise reduction in comparison with the FT140's. Even though the Premier's are rated as LRR, they are not as LRR as the FT140's, at least in my experience. This is not a tire I would recommend if noise levels and fuel economy are important.
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