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Head-to-head Updated

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 vs Michelin Primacy 4+ — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 10 road tests and 44 + 40 owner reviews. How we score

Primacy 4+ leads, 78–74 Narrow edge

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Michelin Primacy 4+
Tire BMichelin

Primacy 4+

Summer

± 4

Tests 85 · 10 tests Owners 71 · 40 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (abrasion)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 74

    Dry

    Primacy 4+ +4
    78
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests≈ 72 (est.)82
    Reviews found online7871

    ContiMaxContact MC5: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.9 = 74

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 71 = 78

    No road tests of dry for ContiMaxContact MC5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 76

    Wet

    Primacy 4+ +3
    79
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests≈ 74 (est.)82
    Reviews found online7875

    ContiMaxContact MC5: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 77.5 = 76

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 82.1 + 40% × 74.6 = 79

    No road tests of wet for ContiMaxContact MC5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Comfort

    ContiMaxContact MC5 +3
    71
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)73
    Reviews found online7669

    ContiMaxContact MC5: 40% × 70.3 (est.) + 60% × 76.4 = 74

    Primacy 4+: 40% × 72.9 + 60% × 69.3 = 71

    No road tests of comfort for ContiMaxContact MC5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.21).

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests–76
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 76.2 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 72

    No owner ratings of noise for Primacy 4+. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 69

    Treadwear

    Primacy 4+ +16
    85
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 68 (est.)95
    Reviews found online7070

    ContiMaxContact MC5: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 94.9 + 40% × 69.6 = 85

    No road tests of treadwear for ContiMaxContact MC5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 76

    Handling (owners)

    ContiMaxContact MC5 +9
    67
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Primacy 4+
    Reviews found online7667
  7. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    78
    Why this score
    SourceContiMaxContact MC5Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–78
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental ContiMaxContact MC5Michelin Primacy 4+
Relative Score 74 78
Dry 74 78
Wet 76 79
Comfort 74 71
Noise – 72
Treadwear 69 85
Handling (owners) 76 67
Efficiency – 78

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

ContiMaxContact MC5

± 4

Primacy 4+

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A ContiMaxContact MC5

Pros

  • Exceptional cabin noise reduction and quiet operation
  • High level of ride comfort and bump absorption
  • Strong value-for-money proposition compared to premium performance rivals

Cons

  • Tread wear can be rapid when subjected to aggressive or spirited driving
  • Sidewalls are relatively soft, which may feel less progressive at the absolute limit
  • Reports of increased puncture susceptibility once tread depth decreases
All owner themes in the ContiMaxContact MC5 review

Tire B Primacy 4+

Pros

  • Strong wet and dry grip and braking confidence, often cited as a big improvement over Bridgestone, Dunlop and Nexen tyres, including on powerful cars and PHEVs that previously spun their tyres
  • Comfortable, compliant ride with soft sidewalls that suits softly sprung and family cars
  • Low and even tread wear, with several owners reporting little visible wear after 5,000–10,000 miles and one reporting about 60,000 km in hot climates

Cons

  • Road noise and drone, especially on rough asphalt, was described as severe by several owners (Skoda Yeti, Lexus), contradicting other reports of quiet running
  • Reduced grip and confidence in cold, damp conditions, with two UK owners saying the tyre behaves like a budget tyre
  • Premium pricing, with some owners questioning value when life fell short of expectations
All owner themes in the Primacy 4+ review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 B · Michelin Primacy 4+
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—66
Rim diameters—16″ – 21″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5

Michelin Primacy 4+

Narrow edge: Michelin Primacy 4+ — better treadwear, dry and wet. Pick the Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 if handling and comfort matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 85 vs 69 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 scores 76 vs 67 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 78 vs 74 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5 scores 74 vs 71 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental ContiMaxContact MC5
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Tire B · Michelin Primacy 4+
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ContiMaxContact MC5 or Primacy 4+?

Which is better in the wet, ContiMaxContact MC5 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 79 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, ContiMaxContact MC5 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 78 vs 74 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, ContiMaxContact MC5 or Primacy 4+?

Continental ContiMaxContact MC5, 74 vs 71 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, ContiMaxContact MC5 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 85 vs 69 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology