Performance

It shines, especially when the sun doesn’t. The Michelin Premier A/S is outdone by the tiniest of margins by some other all-season radials over dry roads. However, the Premier A/S comes to the forefront when weather conditions are less than ideal, breaking smartly on wet roads, resisting hydroplaning with aplomb, and even providing sure footing over light snow. The “killer feature” however is a special tread design that maintains the same traction later in the tire’s life as it had when new. That performance is largely verified in testing, with a tire shaved down to 5/32″ of tread outperforming another, also well regarded all-season with its full tread when it came to breaking on a wet surface.

Comfort

Few complaints. While it isn’t the quietest tire on the road, the editors at TireRack.com say that in their testing, “The Michelin Premier A/S was also smooth-riding and relatively quiet, except when rolling over the cross-grooved concrete expressway section, where its tread pattern generated a hint of a distinctive tone discernable over the ambient noise from wind and surrounding traffic.” For their part, ConsumerReports.org gives it “Very Good” grades when it comes to ride comfort and noise. Users, reporting at TireRack.com, say that comfort performance — and especially ride quality — are excellent overall.

Durability

Tread grips as well when old as when new. It’s no secret that with most tires, grip and traction decline as a tire ages. The Michelin Premier A/S changes that equation by using a tread design that opens up and exposes new grooves as the tire wears, effectively maintaining like-new breaking performance and traction, especially on wet surfaces throughout the Premier A/S’s usable life. The tire carries a 60,000 mile treadwear warranty, and ConsumerReports.org says that based on its testing, that will be easily exceeded — and gives a treadwear estimate of 85,000 miles.

Specs

Type All-season
Speed rating V, H
Load range 83 to 103
Size range (inches) 15 to 18
UTQG rating 640 A A
Tread warranty 60,000