Review: Michelin Premier all-season tires

Michelin's Premier A/S All-Season tires are an ideal all-season option for performance or touring-focused long distance driving. Getting these on my daily-drive enabled me to get the grip, comfort and control that made driving my car far more enjoyable.

Now that the temperature is consistently dipping below 7 degrees Celsius, drivers need to really consider getting the right tires for their vehicle for the season. While all-season tires are meant to keep you safe in occasional, transitional weather conditions, you need winter tires to safely ride through our Canadian winters. All-season tires are less flexible and less effective when the temperature drops and especially when precipitation is added to the mix.

I have a 1996 VW Cabrio which was running on all-season Toyo tires which I originally chose more for their looks as well as low-profile a few years ago. I recently switched these for the touring tuned Premier A/S tires. 

Although slightly taller and thicker than the previous set of tires, I liked the more robust and beefier look and feel of the Michelin Premier A/S Tires. Aside from the luxury touring look and feel, I was looking forward to benefiting from the safety and all-season features.

What makes the Premier A/S is Michelin's Grand Touring All-Season tire special is that it is developed for the drivers of coupes, sedans and minivans, “looking for tires that deliver category-leading wet grip when new and when worn. And even when worn, Premier A/S tires are designed to stop shorter on wet roads than leading competitors' brand-new tires, as well as provide all-season traction on wintry roads, even in light snow.”

These are not substitutes for proper winter tires, but they offer both performance and grip, stopping power and driving control in most conditions.

Michelin's Premier A/S tires use an extreme silica and sunflower oil enhanced tread compound to increase traction in wet and cold temperatures. This compound is molded into a symmetric tread design featuring a continuous center rib flanked by notched intermediate ribs and linked shoulder blocks to deliver straight-line tracking and responsive dry-road handling.

Michelin EverGrip Technology adds Expanding Rain Grooves around the tire's circumference and Emerging Grooves across the shoulders. As the tire wears, the Expanding Rain Grooves widen while Emerging Grooves open across each shoulder block to help retain more traction in wet and wintry conditions.

On the road, I quickly picked up on the increased feeling of stability and improved shock absorption in various city and highway driving conditions.

On a particularly cold and rainy day, I noticed better overall traction, especially in some street where I had some problems stopping due to black ice.

Wet performance from the Michelin Premier A/S Tires is vastly improved from my previous all-season tires, I also did notice that there’s less tire noise (something you value in a convertible which tends to be noisier or less insulated than a hard-top vehicle).  

I found the Michelin Premier all-season tires a good mix of performance plus safety and grip and am looking to get my other car outfitted with these as soon as the time comes to replace their all-season tires.