Michelin Energy MXV4 plus tire mileage

[oilhammer]

I will get 80k+ easily out of our Michelins on the B5. However ours was the last year for the 15 inchers (thankfully...longer lasting and better ride). That said, 80k is probably a little on the lower side for me, but I cannot complain as they are quiet, round, and in perfect balance.

Our B5 was cursed with Continentals, which I prompty had swapped at PDI with another B5 that had Michelins.

The 16 inch tires will not wear as well as 15, and likewise 17 not as well as 16, etc. Lower profile, wider tires have a much larger scrub area so they will never last as long as a taller, thinner tire. Laws of physics. I would expect 40 to 60k miles on the 16" B5 tires as pretty standard fare from what I have seen. My friend has an '05 with the 16", and he is well into his second set at 75k.

If you had two worn to wear bars, and two not, then the rotation schedule needs to be stepped up, or the tire inflation needs to be examined. They should all wear dead even.

Also, the 'alignment' requires a special fixture, VAG 1920 IIRC. It is a $700 tool that every VW/Audi dealer will have, and virtually NO "tire chain" will have, much less know how to use. It is IMPOSSIBLE to correctly align a B5 (and the bigger Audis) without this fixture. If you had your B5 aligned by someone that does not have this tool, your alignment is NOT correct. Period.

Yes, I have made the investment in this tool to properly align these cars, and I know how to use it and make the car's alignment correct.

 

[Smokerr]

Interesting that some are fine with and like the Contis and some really did not like them period.

I don't know how long our will last, but they have done fine, decent in snow even (though treacherous on ice).

I don’t think we can get the exact tire here anyway, but I am happy with them, and it gives me plenty of time to get opinions and reviews figure out what to replace them with.

I do like the sound of the Exalto A/X, but am concerned about the mileage situation. Some report no difference, some report a loss of a couple MPG. I would like to retain the MPG and we have to go to the dedicated winter tires anyway, so the ability to actually go all season (or even into the edges) is wasted. The rest sounds good though. Dilemma. I will keep seeing what everyone has to say.

Other factor is to start getting wheel size, that may be a factor, as well as the exact tire size (the 195/65-15s should do better than the 205/60 combination as well as the 16 and 17 inch options (or so I think right now!)

 

[TDI_NC]

I am doing some wondering out loud here. I only got 39000 miles out of my Michelin Energy MXV4 plus sized 205/55r/16 with the 91H rating. I have, "just for giggles", written to Michelin expressing my dismay about the life of the tires considering I have religiously had the tires rotated and even an alignment done (I do have this documented). I figure at worst they will tell me to flip off and at best they will send me some sort of coupon or a partial rimbursement, or so I hope. I have time and the car sits in the garage at home, so I can even wait for a month or two, if I get some sort of response.

I got exactly what you got out of my stock Michelins, 39000 miles. My BFGoodrich Traction TAs won't do any better than that either, but this time I know I need an alignment; the suspension knock and uneven tire wear caused by it since almost day one of ownership on this car are getting progessively worse... Santa is bringing new suspension and tires.

 

[leicaman]

Well I THINK I have it narrowed down to two tires, both gy tires. Eagle Response Edge and the Assurance Tripletred. Do any of you B5.5 passat TDI'rs have this tire on your car. If so how is the noise on any of them and how is the wear. The Yokohama AVID TRZ is still there in the running, but fading depending upon what I learn.

 

[oilhammer]

The Triple Treads like many Goodyear tires will go square on your car LONG before they are worn out. So if you want to spend the last 25k with a ride that simulates a cobblestone street you'll love them.

I would only recommend the Michelins your car came with, or the newer S8s the new Volkswagens come with. Both the S8 and the Primacy (part of the MXV4 Energy series) will give the nice quiet ride, but likely with a little longer lasting tread. Both have a higher treadwear rating, the Primacy signifigantly so. Stay away from the Pilot line as those are total performance with very poor treadwear.

And the Triple Tread is not even available in the correct rating for your car anyways. There is an Eagle available, which is the other alternate OE tire that lasts about as long as your Michelins, but with the aforementioned squareness for the latter half of its life.

I see some wretchedly square tires on a LOT of cars, Goodyears and Continentals top that list by a wide margin, with the slipped-belt-syndrome being the other Continental/General downfall. You could spin up 20 used Contis on the machine, and find 6 or 7 that are egg-shaped, half of those capable of shaking the car like crazy. It would take a pool of about 300 Michelins to find a similar batch of bad tires.

 

[leicaman]

Still thinking.

Once the decision is made I will be the final judge of how well things work out. I have driven Michelin tires before and I have driven Goodyears before, to be frank, with neither have I gotten the rated mileage with them. My main goal is to get at least a solid 50000 miles out of the tires, instead of the 39k I have gotten out of my Michelin tires. As long as the tires handle decently and hold their balance reasonably well, I am set. I have and my brother has had good luck with Goodyear and their warranty coverages. I think the real key is watching the rotation schedule and the tire inflation pressures like a hawk. The worst tire I have experienced are the Firestones. They came with my Saturn and they caused a steering wheel wobble at speed even despite re-balancing. I have bought Uniroyal and Kuhmo tires for that car and things are unremarkable, which means they do the job. Those two brands haven't caused any grief for that car.

Oilhammer, I know you are a true Michelin enthusiast and I respect your opinion highly. I guess who I really should be mad at is VW who dumped the 15 inch size for a less economical 16 inch size. I guess that is the price I am paying for the 16s. I am tickled pink I didn't buy the 17 inch size however . Monday, I will get a price on the S8s tires, so I can have a true comparison. I will drive my wife nuts (but don't all us with TDI's) with all the spreadsheets, independent test reports and the like. But when the dust clears, I will be happy with my choice, because I will have rationalized the entire purchase.

 

[VWTDIBeetle]

I have driven Goodyears before, to be frank, with neither have I gotten the rated mileage with them. My main goal is to get at least a solid 50000 miles out of the tires, instead of the 39k I have gotten out of my Michelin tires..

I does not matter how expensive a tire is, if you drive hard and/or have an alignment problem, no tire will give your expected mileage.

Michelin is a great tire and all the rest are just tires.

 

[Dick_Larimore]

I had Michelin tires on my 2004 Jetta that I sold at 30K miles. These tires would not have lasted past 40K before replacement. The two 2005 Passat TDIs that I have are at 30K miles with the OEM Continentals. Neither vehicle will make it to 40K miles without replacement. These mileages are on vehicles that had winter snow tires installed.


I have always kept the tires inflated properly and alignment has never been a problem. All the tires have worn evenly. They just don't last a long time. Perhaps the type of road that a tire is driven on has much to do with how long they last. In any event, I will not buy Michelin again given the high purchase price versus the longevity of the tire. I will not buy Continental tires again because they are way too noisy at highway speeds.

 

[raybo]

You might lose 1 MPG with the Exalto A/S - maybe. After accounting for size difference between worn and new tires, the actual MPG dif is not as bad as it first seems. 11/32 * 2 = 22/32 or 2/3 of an inch. Even with only a half-inch of diameter increase on the new tires, that is 2%, or approx 1 MPG just because of the new tire size.

This new tire size effect has been discussed in many of the tire threads, by me and others.

Ray

 

[Smokerr]

I had Michelin tires on my 2004 Jetta that I sold at 30K miles. These tires would not have lasted past 40K before replacement. The two 2005 Passat TDIs that I have are at 30K miles with the OEM Continentals. Neither vehicle will make it to 40K miles without replacement. These mileages are on vehicles that had winter snow tires installed.


I have always kept the tires inflated properly and alignment has never been a problem. All the tires have worn evenly. They just don't last a long time. Perhaps the type of road that a tire is driven on has much to do with how long they last. In any event, I will not buy Michelin again given the high purchase price versus the longevity of the tire. I will not buy Continental tires again because they are way too noisy at highway speeds.

Hmmm. Maybe having run trucks all my life I am different.

I am fine with 40k on an OEM tire. I would be less so if there were handling or other issues, but the Contis seem like a good mid range ( or a bit better) tire. A tad noisy maybe, but certainly quieter than the truck ever was. No issues in wet conditions. Maybe sedan drivers expect, more, certainly for a wagon (and how I drive) they are fine. I have made a few solo trips where I flogged them hard, and they held the road nicely.

Get a good tire and go 80K, hmm, that seems wild. Also you sure want to get the right tire. At least with the OEM Contis you have some basis for judging others peoples feelings, and not be stuck with a bad tire (or have a good idea of what you are getting and go for uber performance knowing they will not last as long).

Cost wise they just don't seem all that bad. The pickup tires were $120 each last go around.

With the cost of install and balance being a significant cost of the tire, good to be able to pick the right one.

 

[Jerry]

I got over 70K on the Michelin's on a NB. The wear was very even and they probably had another 5-10 K left. However, the traction on snow was terrible. Then I bought cheap snows and all was happy, traction for winter and the Michelins for the rest of the year.

My Passat has OEM Conti's and it looks like they will last 40-50K. Better in snow than the Michelins, but still not close to a true snow tire.

With snows plus traction control and ESP, both those cars handle winter conditions very well. Course, nothing will give the NB any clearance.

Snow tires are the only good answer for snowy roads.

 

[VWTDIBeetle]

I got over 70K on the Michelin's on a NB. The wear was very even and they probably had another 5-10 K left. However, the traction on snow was terrible. Snow tires are the only good answer for snowy roads.

I drove 470 miles with my Michelin's on a NB in a snowstorm yesterday.
I watched my speed and kept my distance with no problems.
I have 20k on them now.
When they get over 50k they become like any other summer tire in the snow., very slippery.

Its not the Michelin brand that is bad in snow its summer tires that are.
I also bought 4 Michelin Arctic Alpines several years back and ran them for 3 winters. I had great traction in snow but they wasted fuel in summer use.

 

[LUV_MY_V_DUB]

STOP- Do NOT buy Goodyear Assurance Tripletreds

Well the biggest mistake I ever made was buying 2 sets of tripletreds for our two cars. The Passat mileage had dropped about 3 solid MPG's since the replacement of my Michelins at 60,000 miles. This mileage loss has continued for the past 30,000 miles. The tripletreds are never in balance, they seem to flatspot when sitting overnight and are noisy like an old snow tire. I've religously rotated them. The story is even worse with out Honda CRV where everthing is further exagerated because the car is not as solid and well insulated. Both cars are rumbling vibrating junkers. I miss the smooth and quiet- and especially I miss MY 3 MPG's these tires are costing me every tank!

Well I THINK I have it narrowed down to two tires, both gy tires. Eagle Response Edge and the Assurance Tripletred. Do any of you B5.5 passat TDI'rs have this tire on your car. If so how is the noise on any of them and how is the wear. The Yokohama AVID TRZ is still there in the running, but fading depending upon what I learn.

 

[oilhammer]

Well the biggest mistake I ever made was buying 2 sets of tripletreds for our two cars. The Passat mileage had dropped about 3 solid MPG's since the replacement of my Michelins at 60,000 miles. This mileage loss has continued for the past 30,000 miles. The tripletreds are never in balance, they seem to flatspot when sitting overnight and are noisy like an old snow tire. I've religously rotated them. The story is even worse with out Honda CRV where everthing is further exagerated because the car is not as solid and well insulated. Both cars are rumbling vibrating junkers. I miss the smooth and quiet- and especially I miss MY 3 MPG's these tires are costing me every tank!

That is EXACTLY what I see with them too. Unround, noisy, pieces of crap.

 

[richmondvatdi]

Would buy Energy MXV4 + again in a minute!

My OEM Michelin MXV4+ tires lasted about 70,000 miles (all highway). Replaced them with Sumito summer tires. With the Michelins, I ran between 49-51 MPG. When I switched to the Sumitomos, my mileage instantly dropped to 43-45 MPG. If you run the numbers, a 10% increase in fuel economy (at $3.25 a gallon!) is easily worth a 10% drop in treadwear IMHO. I have been searching for the Energy MXV4+ tires but they seem to have been discontinued. I'm thinking about trying the MXV4 S8's, but don't know if they are equivalent to the +. Anyone?

 

[Sprocket]

With the Michelins, I ran between 49-51 MPG. When I switched to the Sumitomos, my mileage instantly dropped to 43-45 MPG.

I'm assuming you have a older model Passat with the 1.9L and not the 2.0L?

I ended up purchasing Michelin's Primacy MKV4 tires today @ Costco for $591.00. They had the lowest price out of the 3 places I would normally consider buying tires from. They are much quieter than the stock Conti's. They did make it to 64k miles...we'll see how long the Michelin last.

 

[Alchemy]

Gary,

I blew out two of the OEM Michelin's at 45k when I hit a piece of metal on hwy 57 (about in the same spot where you schmucked the deer). I put on a set of Goodyear Assurance Triple Treads and I have 30k on them now, without any issues. Just make sure that they are rotated every 5-7k to keep the wear even.

I've been happy with them, and would probably buy again, but we will see what happens in tire developments over the next 50k+.

Hope all is well with you.

Steve

 

[richmondvatdi]

I'm assuming you have a older model Passat with the 1.9L and not the 2.0L?

I ended up purchasing Michelin's Primacy MKV4 tires today @ Costco for $591.00. They had the lowest price out of the 3 places I would normally consider buying tires from. They are much quieter than the stock Conti's. They did make it to 64k miles...we'll see how long the Michelin last.

Sorry. Forgot to mention. I've got an '03 GL Wagon 5-speed.