Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 vs Michelin Primacy 4: Both of these tires offer amazing handling with their asymmetric tread design and a decent stiffness at the center rib of the tire. No wonder it was a close competition, when both tires were tested with 195/55/R16 sizes and the same car/weight.
16 inches being the most famous among SUVs drivers were chosen for both of them, and they were compared to find the traction values combined with comfort and fuel efficiency.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
Now, coming to performance, both popular tires did extremely well and it was close competition.
Table of Contents
Comparing Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 & Michelin Primacy 4
Vs
The Michelin Primacy 4 was the successor of Michelin Primacy 3. Unlike the Primacy 3, Michelin certainly improved the tread-wear life and overall performance of the latest Primacy 4. This summer touring tire fits almost every vehicle but especially are a great fit for SUVs and passengers. This tire wins the hearts of individuals who are looking for a tire that lasts them long in terms of treadwear and offers sufficient dry and wet traction with low rolling resistance.
On the other side, replacing the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 offers improved performance.
Overall millage is improved by 20 percent and the life of the tread is improved by 50. And when it comes to performance, the tire was able to give out amazing traction values.
The only thing where this tire lacked the most was the hydroplaning resistance.
Road Traction and Aquaplaning Performance Comparison:
To put things in order, we have marked one of the tire into 3 points. Consider them on both.
If you can see into the the point marked (1), it is clearly seen that, the Goodyear tire has more lines on them. They are called sipes and help in wet traciton. These lines help in removing/wiping water away. The dry grip of the tire is also affected by this. A simple rule is the more the contact of tire with the road, the more the dry grip. So too many tread blocks reduces the surface area of the tire with the road reducing overall grip on dry surface.
Speaking of grip of tires, the Michelin Primacy 4 seem to have a better grip on dry sruface, where the Goodyear EfficientGrip has a better wet road grip. Road grip here is measured by the braking distance.
Looking at (2) the outer part of the tire can be seen. The pattern technology here helps in handling of the tire. As during handling this part of the tire comes into play.
Goodyear tire here performs best with amazing dry and wet handling times. So in terms of overall handling, the Goodyear EfficientGrip is better than Michelin Primacy 4.
Similarly considering (3), we can see that, there are 4 total no of grooves on both tire. With (3) showing just one of them. These grooves make the tire efficient in wet conditions by helping water evacuate from the tire and increasing the float speeds.
In the hydroplaning performance, the Primacy 4 does an amazing job, where the EfficientGrip lacks alot.
Following is the performance summary of both tires:
| Goodyear Performance 2 | Michelin Primacy 4 | |
| Dry Braking | 35.1 meters | 34.9 meters |
| Dry handling | 101.2 seconds | 102.5 seconds |
| Wet Braking | 38.1 meters | 39.8 meters |
| Wet handling | 70.04 seconds | 70.9 seconds |
| Rolling Resistance | 7.28 kgt | 8 kgt |
| Aquaplaning | 78.47 km/h | 82.8 km/h |
| Noise | 61.4 dBs | 61.6 dBs |
Considering the tread pattern, the Goodyear Performance 2 came up with some amazing design. The small sipes seen everywhere ensure good wet traction. But this comes at the cost as the more the number of sipes, the less the contact with the road. This hurts the dry grip of the car, putting this tire below average when it comes to dry braking distances.
But same is not true for the dry handling times on laps.
Goodyear Performance 2 has better shoulder blocks than its predecessor the EfficientGrip Performance. This translates in to better dry handling. Infact, its one of the best.
The outer shoulders have sipes joining together forming a block, which is able to move in all directions when cornering. So the tire outperforms all other comparable tires when it comes to dry handling. And similarly the wet handling is one of the best as well.
But the tire did seem to struggle on the Aquaplaning. If it weren’t for the below-average-Aquaplaning. This tire would have been the best performance wise.
Grip of tires
Dry braking better on Michelin Primacy 4. Considering the (1) point labelled on Goodyear tire, it is clearly seen that the tire has more number of sipes (or more blocks are there), whereas on Primacy 4 they are (2 times) less. This allows more contact patch with the road as hence increase the overall grip. Upon braking the Michelin primacy 4 is able to stop quickly with the braking distance of 1 meter shorter.
Michelin’s latest EverGrip technology also contributes to its grip, that provides great dry traction. Often when tires wear out or lose some of their treadwear, the lose their dry traction as well but Michelin Primacy 4 ensures to maintain it even at the loss of treadwear. Moreover, to ensure safety, the braking distance is reduced because of the strong rubber compound incorporated while manufacturing the Primacy 4. It shows good dry braking and provide a stable steering.
However when it comes to the wet braking it is seen better on the Goodyear EfficientGrip Pefromance 2. The sipes act as the vipers if you will for water. They are responsible for removing water away in front of the tire. With more no. of sipes on Goodyear, the Performance 2 tires are able to give almost 2 meters shorter braking distance, showing us that it has a better grip on wet asphalts.
Handling
Speaking of handling, the Goodyear Performance 2 exhibits remarkable handling capabilities, thanks to its amazing shoulders labelled by (2). Both the wet and the dry handling performance is better on this tire. On the other side, the Michelin Primacy 4 is also not far off here. And the difference is only slight. Their shoulders were still able to perform well on both surfaces.
Aquaplaning
The one thing the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 disappointed the most was its poor hydroplaning performance.
For tires that promise stability, this is a low score. While its wet handling is incredibly good, that only comes into account when the tires are directly in contact with the road. While there is still water between the surface of the tires and the asphalt of the road, the hydroplaning technique and performance of the tires is what matters.
And right away the culprit seems to be the first groove (from the right, can be seen above). If Goodyear has removed this groove and had made other grooves a little wider, the tire would have performed better not only on hydroplaning but other tests where the contact patch of the tire comes into play.
On the other hand, the aquaplaning is much better on Michelin Primacy 4, with almost 4.5 km/h more float speed is seen. Basically, the grooves on the Goodyear labelled as (3) have less depth, where Primacy 4 has more prominent grooves. This allows tire to better evacuate the water hence allowing for more float speeds.
Rolling Resistance
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 is one of the best when it comes to rolling resistance values. Not only the tire is much lighter in weight than the Primacy 4, the overall tread technology allows it to keep the rolling resistance low while having amazing wet and dry grip values.
In order to decrease rolling resistance of the tires, companies have to compromise a little on the overall road grip the tire offers. And generally, less grip is directly proportional to lower rolling resistance values. But the Goodyear here did an amazing job without compromising anything when it comes to traction performance.
Michelin Primacy 4 however still provides an ample values when it comes to rolling resistance. And given that they perform better in the dry grip performance section, it can be seen why it is having more rolling resistance values here.
Tread wear
The Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 has a long tread life. It can last 20% longer than the next best tested competitor i.e. has 20% more mileage. This means an additional 6800 miles or a full year of extra driving.
Owing to its high tread elasticity and great flexibility, the tread of the Goodyear EfficientGrip tires is durable even in high temperature and rough road conditions. It does not wear out in tough conditions, giving the tires a long life.
On the other hand, the Michelin Primacy 4 has an innovative feature that lets you know how worn out your tire is. Primacy 4 has a built-in tread wear indicator to let you know how much of the tread has worn out. The new rubber compound also ensures durability of the tire.
Although, on a very pricey side, Michelin Primacy 4 has a very impressive wear rate. It is hard wearing which makes this tire one of the safest options when looking for tires and ensures that they last long. Moreover, the treadwear indicator allows you to keep track of how much your tire has worn.
So which tire is better?
Well, both tires perform better than each other in different performance areas. And in the end, it all comes down to your choice.
What makes Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 better here?
- The dry handling is better.
- The overall wet traction is better.
- Rolling resistance and noise have low values.
- Is less pricey.
What makes Michelin Primacy 4 better?
- The dry road grip is better.
- Aquaplaning performance is better.
