| Product: |
Michelin |
| Date: |
07/11/01 (4938 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Well known
Disadvantages: Lose their shape
Over the years, I reckon I have had most makes and brands attached to my car.
From this I have been able to be more picky and choosey when buying my new tyres.
I now know whats good, whats bad and what is worth avoiding.
Michelin boast being one of the 2 tyre suppliers to the Formula 1 world championship.
Yet it fails to pass its lessons leared from the track to the consumer.
As much praise as people want to heap on the French Tyre giant, Michelin have always failed to meet my expectations.
I have had these tyres twice. Once through coming with my new car and once through buying them as a replacement.
When we had our new Ford Escort, it came with Michellin XT all around. 175/70/13's were the size we had.
Soon we were experiencing problems with ride quality, particularly under braking or at high speeds.
After several trips to the dealer to find the cause, we were advised by a friend in the trade that Michelin are notorious for going out of shape. They wear unevenly and become unbalanced.
Aparently its the heat that does the damage. You would not expect that on our roads.
What they do give is excellent grip in the dry. I did not like them in the Wet and had an accident in my Fiesta that had Michelins on it. Much prefer Pirelli for the wet conditions.
The good points with michelin is that they are hard compund tyres. They will last and last you, if you can handle the ride quality.
They do have a wide range of tyres. Not limited to the common sizes but at the same time dont cater for the larger low profile customers. These are left to specialist manufacturers.
The ranges cater for different customers.
Pilot is the most common range. You have probably heard of them.
These are the majority of the tyres you see on cars that have Michelin.
They look a lot like a Formula 1 Rain Tyre with the angled grip and asymetrical design.
The XGT 4 tyre claims to be able to run for
200 miles even when it is flat!
The X One range is for drivers who demand more from their tyres. Have not used these so cant really comment.
Like I said, these tyres do tend to lose their shape but can also give you a wide choice if you need a branded tyre.
They are an average priced player in the market.
Summary:
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Last comments:
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- 10/07/03 I bought a car with Michelin MXV2's they 'felt' great in the dry but were deadly in the wet. They would just suddenly loose grip without warning on a corner or roundabout. The problem was cured in that particular instance by changing to Yokohama's which were miles better in both wet and dry conditions..OK so maybe they wore out a bit quicker - but hey - I'd prefer to be safe! |
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- 08/11/01 Oh, and agree that Pirellis are excllent in the wet. The Mercedes 190 has them. |
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- 08/11/01 Interesting. I use Michelins on the Espace, with no criticism. IMHO this could be because the car was designed for the appropriate Michelin tyre.
I also will stick to the Bridgestones on Heather's Accord Type R. |
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