I'm looking at getting 215/60R15 sized replacements for my car, and was considering 2 sets of Michelins:

Michelin Pilot XGT H4 ($95 installed)
Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus ($125 installed)

I'd like to know what people's experience with them have been (constructive and substantiative comments, of course).

[Edited by Maxima95GLE on 01-26-2001 at 02:51 PM]

 

I've had the Pilot XGT H4s since last May and have been very pleased with their performance. The tires are quiet, have excellent wet traction and grab well around the corners. The Energy Plus use a harder compound so they probably don't handle as well (but I have no personal experience). Good luck!

 

such a rarity these days....

Anyhoo, I would get the Pilots, although both are great tires.....The MXV4s would last longer, but they lengthen braking distances too much....Plus, I doubt the MXV4s would last 30% longer than the Pilots.....

Michelins are my favorite tires.....I don't know why, but any set I have ever purchased have lasted longer and held up better than any other brand....

On top of that, they're French made.....WTF?

 

constructive? they are made of rubber

 

Hmmm...why pay more for Michelin? I think its the name.

I better shut up now or risk being flamed.

 

i dont like them-- no traction and they suck at stopping..... they r really hard and i have already popped 2 if them because i get no traction in the snow..... grr cant wait till spring when i get new tires and rims....... anyways the tires are too expensive for me now anyways --- to expensive for crap

 

I'd go with the Pilot's over the MXV4's, but....

I had it narrowed down to the Michelin Pilot XGT H4's or Pirelli P-6000 Sport Veloce.
When i went into my tire shop to check the prices he said that the Pirelli was a better tire, hands down (and he's a michelin dealer, weird). They were the same price ($145 Canadian installed - ~$95 US) so I went for them.
They are great tires and are very grippy. I can't really compare them to the michelins since I have never tested them, but when the michelin dealer said to go with the Pirellis, I couln't refuse.

 

I have Michelin MXV4's and I thought they were a great tire. The treadwear is 400, so they should last a long time. They were great in the rain and gripped well in the dry. I have Nitto's now, but I think the Michelins were better overall.
-hype

 

to mention that the Pirellis will wear out in half the time....

 

Go to tirerack.com and search using the size. You will be massive amounts of info that way. Reviews from tests, survies and etc... it's a good site.

IMHO the xgts are a older tech tire *I think*. Lotsa of newer tech tires out there. Michelins have always been a bit noisy for my tastes.

 

I have been looking into this very same thing. One thing to note is that Michelin keeps using similar model names when they change tires. For instance, the Pilot XGT 4H (current model) is very different than the older XGT 4H. They must have had 6 variations on the MXV4.
I had the original MXV4 (not Energy Plus) on my Stanza. Nice when new, but squealed like crazy when older. They also didn't wear very evenly, although I maintained the proper tire pressure. The MXV4 line is more off a touring tire. Based on everything I've read, right now I'd get the Pilot XGT 4H's (in exactly the size you're looking at).
BTW, which place is quoting $95 @ installed? Tire Rack is charging around $90 without shipping, and of course, without installation.

 

These quotes for the tires are from Price-Costco (or just Costco), a membership warehouse club that sells just about everything and food in bulk quantities (about $40 annual membership fee), and that includes mounting, warranty, and lifetime balance and rotations for the life of the tire. They also mentioned that if I don't like the tires (which I'll try out the Pilot XGT H4 first), I can have them swapped to the touring MXV4 Energy Plus w/o charge, as Costco will guarantee all of the products that they sell, and make sure that we're completely satisfied.

As a side note, I noticed that the Pilot XGT H4 and the MXV4 Energy Plus both have a treadwear rating of 400, so they should give relatively good wear. As they don't stock the Michelin tires in my size they have to be special ordered, but when I did check out the tread radials on a different size, one big thing I noticed was how stiff the treadwall was on the unmounted Pilot XGT H4--they seriously don't give--which would translate to a sportier (and bumpier) ride, whereas the unmounted MXV4 seems to a have treadwall that give when pushed on them, and hence a touring biased ride and probably much cushier and quieter.

Thanks for the feedback fellow Maxima owners. I figure I had better do the homework now as they'll be on my car for the next few years and will do all of the stopping, acceleration, and cornering duties. I'll let you know of what I think of the Pilot XGT H4, and if I don't like them, I'll see how Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus are.

[Edited by Maxima95GLE on 01-27-2001 at 03:26 AM]

 

they have a long wear gaurantee.

 

I have the Michelins (xgt4)on my stock 5 spokes and they are great tires. Good grip never squeal. My wife has the 6000's on her eclipse and they hold the road very well.
The MXV4 is not a performance oriented tire, it is for touring and is perfect for heavy mercedes cars. Go with the Michelin Pilots. 95 is a good price wish I had a Cost co around here. Maybe Sams does.

 

Great to hear that I can get the Pilots from Costco. They always do a very good install: good balance & lug nuts tightened with a torque wrench.

 

go with the pilots. i have a set of michelin pilot sx mxx3's and they are great (when hot). as for the mxv4 nah, they are more of a touring tire, they will ride quiet and give you a little more treadwear over the pilots. however the pilot semms to be their sport line so in the interests of handling go with them.
pilot SPORT
pilot SX
pilot XGT Z4,V4,H4

 

Pilot Sports is OEM on my M roadster, ///mad sticky, very good.
XGT Z4 all-season ZR rated on my GS, good all around, dry, wet, snow, don't expect it to be the great in any, but it handles all.

 

After trying them as stock replacements, these are my final thoughts on these two Michelin tires (215/60HR15 size):
-----------------------------------------------------
PILOT XGT H4 (H-speed rated, $95 installed)

Treadwear rating: 400, compound feels stiff, should last about 60K miles

Construction: very stiff treadwalls on unmounted tire—don’t “give” when pushed; treadwall: two steel belts reinforced with nylon

Traction/Cornering stability: Excellent grip (dry or wet), very good hydroplaning resistance (esp. here in rainy Seattle), very good stability and response going into corners, much less body lean into corners than stock tires, tires never squealed during moderately aggressive cornering—but never tried at the limit cornering, so they may. Tires felt very confidence-inspiring during rain or shine.

Ride comfort/noise: on smooth roads, firm, compliant ride and almost as quiet as stock tires; however, once on rough roads, the tire’s high-performance taint shows its short-comings—harsh over road expansion joints and cracks, your car will starting squeaking in places you never had before; in non-smooth freeways (i.e. older freeways), these tires were about 30% noisier than stock—I noticed I had to crank up the volume more than the stock tires to hear the stereo clearly due to the roadnoise, which can be tiresome if you're take long road-trips

Comments: excellent high-performance tire with excellent grip and handling characteristics, but with the poor rough road characteristics as a trade-off; if I was purely on a performance mode or drove on smooth roads most of the time, I’d be happy with these tires.
---------------------------------------------------
MXV4 ENERGY PLUS (latest iteration of MXV4 series, H-speed rated, $127 installed)

Treadwear rating: 400, compound is softer (could be due to smaller treadblocks), should last about 60K miles

Construction: stiff treadwalls on unmounted tire—some “give” when pushed on; treadwall: two steel belts reinforced with nylon, and two sets of separate shoulder reinforcements

Traction/Cornering stability: Very good straight-line grip (dry or wet), very good hydroplaning resistance (esp. here in rainy Seattle), slightly better stability and less body lean going into corners than stock tires, tires never squealed during moderately aggressive cornering—but never tried at the limit cornering, so they may. Good steering response.

Ride comfort/noise: on smooth roads, about 20% quieter than stock tires; on rough roads, absorbs expansion joints well, and noise levels are also kept about 20% lower than stock tires--barely adjusted the radio volume going from city driving to highway driving. Ride is compliant and not floaty. Very smooth ride and those squeaks and rattles that appeared w/ the XGT H4’s disappeared once these were installed.

Comments: excellent touring tire with less straight-line grip to XGT H4 (but better overall grip over stock tires); however, with slight improvement of cornering stability over stock tires. Excellent refined, quiet ride over smooth and rough roads alike with a 20% drop in noise levels over stock. Handles road irregularities with ease. Highly recommended for those that want an overall improvement over stock tires, looking for a comfortable, quiet ride, and don’t autocross. Cost can be a limiting factor.
---------------------------------------------------------
I’ve checked out the consumer ratings on tirerack.com on these tires, and I must admit, just like the taint of owners on ratings of the Maxima, the owners of the tires are also tainted. You need to take the website’s consumer ratings with a grain of salt—for instance, how can the XGT H4 be rated so close in ride and noise comfort (7.7, 7) to the MXV4 Energy Plus (7.9, 7.3)? With my experience, there is no comparison, so look at those websites with some skepticism with who may be rating the products and any biases that may result (even with my comments on this post).

I thought that Costco is a great place to buy tires. Good service and impeccable guarantee. Try them for a month, and if you don’t like them, trade them for something else. And all that you do is pay the difference in price between the tires. Included in the pricing is mounting, old tire disposal, and lifetime rotation and balance.

Lastly, my thoughts on spending money in tires. My Michelins MXV4 Energy Plus ended up costing me about $560 mounted with tax, which seems a little steep. Regardless of the tires that you purchase, whether they be Michelins, Dunlops, Bridgestones, Goodyear, etc., be sure to spend money on quality tires you’ll be happy with, as you’ll be driving on them for at least 30K miles (or in my case, close to 60K). Why spend $10-28K on a car, and skimp on the only things that keep your car in contact with the ground?

Thanks for all of your input on these tires. Happy driving.

 

I have a set on the car now and love them. I got 50K out of the first set but need to replace them since, not too long ago I slid a good bit when ramming a dear. Thus leaving four nice flat spots on the tires. I also have a 95 SE. I will be adding a H&R spring set with Tokico shocks in the coming weeks. These tires will be mounted on the stock SE wheels and will do great for the suspension that I am installing. These tires handle great and corner like a mother, they don't squeal and give like the MXV4's, my buddy has those on his Accord, nice highway tire though. Let me know what you think. Good Luck. You got a good price, the best I could do is $428 installed in VA. I can't wait for the local Costco to order them. I might replace these wheels with the 97 SE wheels, but the 95 SE wheels look good on a slightly lowered Black SE, look at PiotC70(I think that is his handle) car. That is exactly what my car will look like. Again good luck with your purchase, you will love the ride and results.
JCR

 

Since the stock potenzas on my new max have been my pet peeve and now that has been corrected by Nissan, I'll cast my vote for Michelin. Nissan replaced my Protendas with my choice of Michelin Pilot HX MXM series tires. I opted for the HX because I wanted a flawless highway ride and to retain the performance and handling aspects of my SE's suspension upgrades and 17" rims. I cannot express the difference in the ride, improved confidence in handling, and overall feeling of quality that I now have in this car. The BS's were a sham and should never be put on that car. In running the BS's, the car was jittery, much vibration passed through the wheel and pedals, and it felt skiddish when pushed to higher speeds.

this is my 3rd set of Michelins. I run the MXM4 Energy Plus on my Lexus LS 400, and our previous car was a Mazda 929S on which I ran the previous generation Energy series. These tires deliver top quality ride, wear, and handling and I am convinced they are the best tire built anywhere for this type of application.

 

YOu got to consider what you want? Do you want more performance (Pilot) or comfy tires (Energy MXV4)? ALso the Energy MXV4 tires are designed for less rolling resistance for improved gas mileage.

Personally, on my dad's Corolla, he went from the OE XGT4's to X-One (the XGT4 replacement)and put Muchelins on the Caravan versus the OE Goodyear Invicta GA. I, right now have BFG Comp T/A HR4 (Michelin owns BFGoodrich tire), but I'm going for the Dunlop SP5000 for my next set due to a nail in the shoulder blocks.

tan

 

YOu got to consider what you want? Do you want more performance (Pilot) or comfy tires (Energy MXV4)? ALso the Energy MXV4 tires are designed for less rolling resistance for improved gas mileage.

Personally, on my dad's Corolla, he went from the OE XGT4's to X-One (the XGT4 replacement)and put Muchelins on the Caravan versus the OE Goodyear Invicta GA. I, right now have BFG Comp T/A HR4 (Michelin owns BFGoodrich tire), but I'm going for the Dunlop SP5000 for my next set due to a nail in the shoulder blocks.

I'm totally against Dunlop D60 A2, horrible tires.

tan