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Michelin Primacy 4 vs Toyo T1 AO — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Primacy 4 is ahead, 82–37

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Tire AMichelin

Primacy 4

Summer Premium Touring tires

Tests 93 · 23 tests Owners 79 · 185 reviews

“Review: Michelin Primacy 4 ST I own a 2023 N8 DCT and recently changed all four tyres from the stock CEATs after one of the tyres’ sidewall was punctured on hitting a rather deep pothole at high speed. Cost: INR 9,750 per tyre Existing tyre buyback: INR 1,000 per tyre (~15k kms) Review: I’ve been using the new tyres for a few weeks now and I’m happy with the upgrade. The difference is noticeable, but only if you pay attention. I’d say a non-savvy person won’t notice anything different unless you ask them to pay attention. At low speeds, the road noise is reduced and the vehicle is noticeably silent (almost dead silent if the roads are smooth and the engine is at low revs) and smoother. At high speeds, the noise level difference is not very noticeable due to the engine and wind noise, but the smoothness and grip is noticeably better. That said, I wouldn’t say the stock tyres are bad (in terms of both - noise and grip) as a lot of reviewers like to point out; definitely not a night and day difference for me. Lastly, I believe the fuel efficiency has improved due to the lower rolling resistance, but I don’t have enough data to claim this confidently. My verdict is to only upgrade if your current tyres are worn out. Personally, I don’t think spending close to 40k is worth it for the budget conscious. But if you have the money to spare, you will definitely be happy with the upgrade. Read more”

Tire BToyo

T1 AO

Summer High Performance tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 29 · 1 review

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 88

    Dry

    Primacy 4 +48
    40
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4T1 AO
    Professional tests (TWG score)90–
    Tyre Reviews owners8540
  2. 85

    Wet

    Primacy 4 +55
    30
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4T1 AO
    Professional tests (TWG score)88–
    Tyre Reviews owners8130
  3. 78

    Comfort

    Primacy 4 +58
    20
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4T1 AO
    Professional tests (TWG score)74–
    Tyre Reviews owners8320
  4. 82

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4T1 AO
    Professional tests (TWG score)82–
  5. 82

    Treadwear

    Primacy 4 +22
    60
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4T1 AO
    Tyre Reviews owners8260
  6. 77

    Handling

    Primacy 4 +57
    20
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4T1 AO
    Tyre Reviews owners7720
    DriverReviews owners86–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Primacy 4Toyo T1 AO
Relative Score 82 37
Dry 88 40
Wet 85 30
Comfort 78 20
Noise 82 –
Treadwear 82 60
Handling 77 20

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Neutral
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Important
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Primacy 4

T1 AO

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Primacy 4

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and longevity
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Consistent performance even as the tire wears

Cons

  • Vague steering feel and lack of road feedback
  • Soft sidewalls can feel 'mushy' or 'floaty' during spirited driving
  • High price point compared to competitors
All owner themes in the Primacy 4 review

Tire B T1 AO

Cons

  • Excessive road noise
  • Weak or soft sidewall construction

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Michelin Primacy 4

Positive

Community opinion on the Michelin Primacy 4 is largely positive, praising its exceptional wet braking capabilities, impressive longevity, low cabin noise, and smooth ride quality. While some users note limitations in heavy snow or rougher tarmac surfaces, it is widely recommended as a top-tier touring tire for daily driving compared to sportier alternatives like the Pilot Sport series.

r/AutomobileRO ·2 upvotes ·2025-09-22

“Am avut primacy 4 pe o electrica. Destul de dezamagit de faptul ca dupa ~ 28.000 km s-au tocit rau de au ajuns cam la 3 mm. Placute la condus, silentioase, dar nu cele mai aderente. Pilot sport 4 pe aceiasi electrica cu primacy 4. Huruie de te doare capul. Aderenta nu o simt neaparat wow fata de primacy 4. Nu le mai suport si abia astept sa le trec pe iarna, oricum asta fiind ultima incaltare cu ele. Pe o termica am primacy 5, si sunt cele mai ok din experienta mea. Cele mai silentioase si aderente din cele 3. Dupa 20.000 km uzura a scazut cam cu 1 mm. Recomandarea mea e sa alegi primacy 5 fara ezitare.”
r/nzev ·1 upvote ·2026-02-11

“Both our Polestar2 (new) and 2016 Leaf (Jap import) arrived with Primacy 4s on them. The FWD Polestar needed fronts replaced at ~35k km and being 245/45 R19s Primacy were too pricey so went with Kumho Ecsta PS71 equivalents for a lot cheaper and negligible difference in performance. The rears on the Polestar are still going strong at 45k km and look like at least 60k km will be likely. We also fitted Kumhos on our previous Leaf and were very satisfied with performance and life.”
r/nzev ·1 upvote ·2026-02-11

“When I bought my freshly imported 2014 Nissan Leaf in Sept 2020 it had 27,xxx km on the odometer and a full set of Michelin Primacy 4 that were sidewall dated from very late 2018, so likely only very low mileage on them. I put another 47,000km on them before replacing with a full set of Toyo Proxes C100 Plus in April 2024 which have also been great. The Michelin fronts were certainly very worn particularly the shoulders. I really rate Toyos so would encourage you to have a look. I’ve since put 21,000km on the Toyos and even after 12,500km, in May 2025 at their most recent WOF, the fronts still measured at 7mm and rears 8mm. P.S I paid $900 total for the 4 x Toyos inc. fitting, disposal etc.”
Top themes
#Wet braking and grip#Ride comfort and low noise#Tread wear and longevity#Comparison with Pilot Sport#Performance on EVs and hybrids

Based on 31 community posts

Tire B

Toyo T1 AO

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Primacy 4 B · Toyo T1 AO
CategorySummer Premium Touring tiresSummer High Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Primacy 4

Toyo T1 AO

Winner: Michelin Primacy 4 — better comfort, handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Primacy 4 scores 78 vs 20 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Primacy 4 scores 77 vs 20 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Primacy 4 scores 85 vs 30 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Primacy 4 scores 88 vs 40 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin Primacy 4
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Tire B · Toyo T1 AO
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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

82

Leads

Primacy 4

Amazon