I figured I would give my initial impressions of the Michelin MXV4 in hopes of helping other members who are looking to replace the stock Goodyear RSAs.

Background
Location: Boston, MA
Car: 2007 G35x Sedan - Daily Driver
Current Mileage: 33,845 - Highway
Driving Style: Normal (Non-spirited)
Tires Rotation: Every 7500 miles

The RSAs were replaced roughly 1000 miles ago () and I couldn't be any happier with my decision of getting the MXV4s. The tires were bought through TireRack at $171 per tire. After having the tires mounted, balanced, and installed and getting behind the wheel for the first time, the very first thing that I noticed was how light the steering wheel felt compared to when the RSAs were installed. The wife said the same exact thing so I know I'm not crazy. With the RSAs, the steering wheel felt very heavy and took a decent amount of effort to turn. I don't get this at all with the Michelins.

The overall ride has thus far been quite comfortable. Roads with bumps that I normally drive through every day aren't as bad as they use to be. The ride is definitely softer which for some of the more aggressive drivers may be a bad thing. The road noise is pretty much non existent with these tires, I definitely hear the exhaust note and the engine much more these days. It's rained a few times since I've had these tires and the performance in the rain seem pretty good. Going through puddles in the highway isn't a problem and the car stays put without swaying or hydroplaning. I can't wait to see how these tires perform in the winter, if they are as good as they perform now, Michelin will have a customer for life.

Would I recommend these tires? Yes, to those who have similar driving styles as I do. If you're an aggressive driver that likes going fast on exit ramps, and pushing your car to the limit then maybe you should consider a different set of tires. These tires are made for comfort minded people like me. Don't get me wrong, I like to hit the gas pedal and bring the car up to 90+mph every once in a while when there's a wide open road in front me, but I just don't drive like that every day. Even when I do take the car up to 90+ the car still feels solid and planted on the ground. Overall, I'm very happy with these tires and would definitely buy another set to replace these when that time comes.

-Erik

 

Nice review, but nearly all new tires ride well when they have only a couple of K on them. The real test will come when they have 30K or more...

 

I agree with you completely. I hope to revive this thread later on when I have atleast 5-10k miles on it. But, my overall objective was to give people my initial thoughts on these tires.

 

After reading the reviews, I decided to get the same set of tires to replace my Eagle GT's that are at 3/32 right now all around and started to hydroplane. It was between these and Yoko Envigors, MXV4 won out due to better ride quality and wet/snow/ice performance reviews.

 

on my two drivers I have Kumho Platinum and the Yoko Envigor. they both rider very softly and wear like iron...great deal for the price.

 

Yeah, Yokos were high on my list but I went with better winter traction and threadwear of MXV4s. Btw, the $70 Michelin rebate MC is back on tirerack as of 10/31, and the price per tire dropped from $166 to $162 (OEM 17s)... I ordered 2 days too soon

 

how do you like them so far?

 

First impressions: MXV4s are definitely touring tires - by their appearance and ride, they are very different from UHP All Season GY Eagle GTs they replaced. To be fair, I was impressed with GT's ride when they were new as well, but 15K into them the bloom was off the rose as the too-quick treadwear became apparent, ride turned more bumpy and the noise level was less than acceptable. They lasted only 36K miles which is less than I expected, but for $110 per tire paid originally I suppose I got my money's worth out of them. I expect MXV4s to perform better that Eagle GTs, ride comfort, treadwear and noise wise - not to mention see a slight bump in MPG.

Likes: much more comfy and quiet ride, solid grip on the road in dry, great in the rain (rained yesterday), better steering response (agree with above impression that it feels ligher).
Dislikes: more body lean when cornering, G feels less "connected" to the road as ride is slightly floatier, lack of sidewall protection (Eagle GTs had a "lip" which would protect the tire - when curb parking will have to worry about sidewall damage). Sidewalls aren't low profile as well, and coupled with the rounded appearance MXV4 sidewall these tires make 17" stock rims look even smaller.

Most of the above is expected when going from a UHP A/S to Touring A/S tire. I still think MXV4 will grow on me, and I will not regret much getting them over Yokos or Michelin PS2+. Will post more impressions as I break them in.