Michelin Primacy HP

For what this tire was designed to do, it absolutely sucked balls. Had these on my 640i Gran Coupe since brand new (runflats mind you), they are some of the worst tires I’ve ever experienced. Even with “just” 320hp matched with 275/35 R19 tires at the back, it would constantly wheelspin even in 3rd and even 4th in dry weather. Sidewall feels overly firm, makes the ride feel very uncomfortable (runflat could be to blame), cornering felt like driving on wooden tires as the tires told you everything except how much grip you have left, then snap at you almost instantly when you breathe on the throttle. Then we get to the wet, where under 1/3 throttle the traction control would already start spazzing out.

Swapped to Michelin PS5s after these (a supposedly high performance car) and they helped turn this car into an amazing GT car that rides very well. Even under full throttle in sport+ the car would not wheelspin and slide (even in the wet at times). Fuel economy was also just as good as well at 7.9L/100km at best under 70% highway and 30% urban driving. Best part? Road noise is almost 80% gone and ride is so soft I thought the dampers were failing at first.

In conclusion: AVOID Primacy HP unless absolutely necessary.

I am currently on my 3rd set of these OE Primacy HP tires and have tried several other tires (Conti ECS, Michelin PS4S, Hankook RS4, Bridgestone RE-71RS, and Pirelli P0AS+2) on the BRZ. These are the most fun, comfortable, and quietest tires I've had on the car. The quick steering response and linearity makes the car feel lighter on its feet than any of the other tires I have tried. The instant response to direction changes and ability to hold a reasonable rear slip angle without losing lots of speed makes this tire great fun on street or an autocross course. These were the perfect tire for a recent trip to tail of the dragon where I greatly appreciated their millimeter precise ability to place the car and enjoyed feeling the balance of the car at reasonable speeds, then on the 550 mile trip home they are comfortable and quiet. Wet grip is good for the first 10-15k miles, but degrades with wear more than some other tires. I put 31k miles on my first set of Primacy HP, then 23.5k miles on the second with wear accelerated by a season of autocross events, and now have 3500 miles on my 3rd set. I'm glad to be back on a set of Primacy HP after trying a few other tires that don't suit this car as well for street driving.

These were the OEM tire on my Scion FR-S. And I hate them. I genuinely think they ruin the car. The limits of grip are low - which is what the engineers of the car claim was the point of choosing this tire - but the handling characteristics on these tires makes the whole car unpredictable and difficult to drive, especially approaching the limits of the tires. Oversteer can happen suddenly, and dangerously when driving spiritedly. The car will snap from understeer to oversteer due to the limit characteristics.
The best thing you can do with these tires is take them to a drift event at your local track and destroy them as quickly and smokily as possible. And it will take a very long time, because they have a *very* long life. Hopefully you can learn some drifitng in the process though.
Ride comfort isn't all that good either.
But I think they are dangerous in the wet.
And this car feels better on winter tires than on these eco-crap-tastic tires.

The current high price of the Primacy HP forced me to choose another tire as a replacement. During my research, I saw a comparison of the Yokahama A052 and AD09 that suggested the stiffer sidewall of the AD09 inspired confidence. I believe the best feature of the Primacy HP is its confidence inspiring stiff sidewall.

Just like the A052 compared to the AD09, my new Yokohama V701s have much higher grip but softer sidewalls than the Primacies. The Primacies always let me feel when they were losing grip and I could control the understeer/oversteer balance with the throttle. A mid-corner dip or bump was easily handled. In contrast, the new tires have higher cornering limits but a mid-corner dip or bump gives an abrupt shift in the understeer/oversteer balance that is a little unsettling.

I normally drive sedately in the wet but when I first bought the car I did confirm it is easy to break the Primacies free and drift in the wet.

The Primacies are no noisier than my new tires on a smooth surface. However, I now know that it was not the stiff suspension of the GT86 that had me avoiding potholes and rough patches, it was the stiff sidewalls of the Primacies.

In conclusion, do not assume the Primacies have a soft sidewall because they are in the Premium Touring category. I replaced them with an Ultra High Performance tire and ended up with a softer ride. Perhaps I should have bought the AD09?