Michelin Energy XM2 Reviews - Page 3

Hi guys, I live/drive in Guatemala City, Central America. We have TERRIBLE roads here, all varieties of roads, concrete (very few), asphalt/tarmac, "cratery" roads (lots of harsh hits on contact patch, sidewalls when trying to avoid holes, etc.), muddy roads,
flooded roads, hydroplaning roads, stony paths, etc., etc., etc... and the "fun" part is that you find them anywhere in the cities or rural. Having said that and being fair to ANY tire brand, after 33,000 kms (20k miles) of spirited roads and spirited driving style on my 2009 Honda Accord V6 sedan I have to congratulate my 225/50 R17 Michelin Energy XM2 tires, very good wear (lots of harsh hits on contact patch, sidewalls when trying to avoid holes, etc.), very good grip, good handling, BUT noisy and too much feedback. Yesterday I had my first tire flat due to a very sharp pothole, it flattened after driving 20 miles, while parked, I took it for repair (very normal AND CHEAP to repair a tire here in my country) but I got bad news... the sidewall was punctured like knife so I replaced it with a Dunlop SP Sport LM704 which I put it in the front along with the spare tire (brand new 225/50 R17 Michelin Energy XM2 with brand new original rim from factory), took the "old" front tire for spare tire now... "problem solved". Just for you to know, a new 225/50 R17 Michelin Energy XM2 tire cost here US$130 versus a new Dunlop SP Sport LM704 cost US$90... by the way a tire repair here is US$6 aprox.

Drive safely.

Fitted a pair to replace the stock Energy Saver when the front right sidewall was gashed by a kerb. I can be a bit of a lil' hoonigan sometimes, especially when turning right at junctions (we drive on the left here) and pulling out from side roads or at roundabouts. These are better under heavy acceleration, much more difficult to induce wheelspin on them than with the Savers (given the 270Nm of torque the engine can muster) and importantly the kerb protection is quite good compared to other tires I have tried. Cornering does not seem to be a strong point, press on and you will feel significant understeer and it seems quite hard to tell when the tires are approaching their limit. However noise and wear are my priorities and these tires seem to deliver on both fronts, especially when you can enjoy blissful silence at expressway speeds. I would fit them again to my next car, but they're kind of expensive here.

Outstanding tread wear. Unfortunally, the good characteristcs will not least so far. This tire will lost the good grip after 20.000 km. So, will you change your Michelins that seem to be brand new ones, except, of course, for those who drive? I would not buy it again. You can even keep these tires up to 75.000 km, but no pleasure at all. It will drive like an horrible 145/80r13 Fiat 147 tire after the first 20 or 25k, totally understeering and enormous breaking distance, a bit dangerous.
However, I have to say that road feedback and the good confort will least till the end. The rolling noise is quiet low. Its also a fuel economy tire, better grip under acceleration.
If you only drive slowly and have a such a car as a minivan or so (with an outstanding ABS system, of course, since these tires wont allow you to break fast!), I think these tires can be a good choice for you.
But if you dont want to drive like a grandma from the 20k to the 60k, i think it will be a very disappointing product.