Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 2 + 0 road tests and 195 + 561 owner reviews. How we score
Primacy 3 is ahead, 71–55
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Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 67 · 195 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 20 in 2017 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (wear)
“I have just put a new set of Michelin Primacy 3 T0 Acoustics on and they have been faultless. Lots of grip, very quiet etc. They were also good last year in the snow and were from blackcircles for about £240 a tyre.”
Tests – · none yet Owners 48 · 561 reviews
“Issues with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires Anybody having premature wear on their tires? In South Texas these tires are notorious for having flaking/peeling/chunking issues on the tread. Had to replace mine after 26k, but noticed the issues much earlier than that. Not a warrantable condition but Continental did give proration based on tread depth. Used the credit towards some new Michelins. Read more”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Primacy 3 | CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests | 74 | ≈ 62 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 70 | 55 |
Primacy 3: 60% × 74.2 + 40% × 70 = 73
CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 54.7 = 59
No road tests of dry for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Primacy 3 | CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests | 72 | ≈ 63 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 72 | 57 |
Primacy 3: 60% × 71.9 + 40% × 71.9 = 72
CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 63.2 (est.) + 40% × 57.1 = 61
No road tests of wet for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Primacy 3 | CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | – | 57 |
CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 62
No road tests of snow for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
| Source | Primacy 3 | CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 69 (est.) | ≈ 67 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 58 |
Primacy 3: 40% × 68.9 (est.) + 60% × 67.8 = 68
CrossContact LX Sport: 40% × 67.1 (est.) + 60% × 58 = 62
No road tests of comfort for Primacy 3 or CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Primacy 3 | CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | ≈ 67 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | – | 61 |
CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 64
No road tests of noise for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Primacy 3 | CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 73 | ≈ 51 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 57 | 23 |
Primacy 3: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 56.9 = 67
CrossContact LX Sport: 60% × 51 (est.) + 40% × 22.6 = 40
No road tests of treadwear for CrossContact LX Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Primacy 3 | CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 68 | 46 |
| Category | Michelin Primacy 3 | Continental CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 55 |
| Dry | 73 | 59 |
| Wet | 72 | 61 |
| Snow | – | 62 |
| Comfort | 68 | 62 |
| Noise | – | 64 |
| Treadwear | 67 | 40 |
| Handling (owners) | 68 | 46 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Primacy 3
CrossContact LX Sport
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Community members generally view the Michelin Primacy 3 as a quiet, smooth, and capable grand touring tire, with several users highlighting the run-flat (ZP) version as superior in comfort to competing run-flats. However, some drivers report fast tread wear, a harsh ride compared to standard non-run-flat alternatives, and note that the model is older and increasingly replaced by newer generations like the Primacy 4.
“So I have decided there is no way I am paying for the Bridgestone Ecopias at over £200 a tyre, and as such, I have come across the Michelin Primacy 3 on Costco, which I can get fitted for approx £93 a tyre (I only need two on the rear) They seem to have good reviews. My actual tyre size for my i3S should be 195/50 R20, but getting 195/55 R20 instead should only add up to another inch or so in height, so I'm reckoning I should be okay. What are people's thoughts?”
“As Slacktide said Primacy 3 is a grand touring summer tire that has been replaced by the Primacy 4 (some three years ago). It's been quite popular in Europe and tire availability/choice in NA/Europe differ greatly. I'd still recommend both Primacy 3 & 4 if you're looking for a smooth riding summer tire. The Pilot Sport 2 (PS2) has been a great ultra high performance tire some 15 years ago and I had these at that time, but it has been replaced by the PS3, PS4 and the even sportier Pilot SuperSport (PSS) and PS4S. If you want something more performance than the Primacy, I'd consider the PS4. I'm currently running the PS4 on my 911 (205 & 245 16 without Porsche spec) and the PSS both on my Cooper (205/45 R17 BMW/Mini spec) and my GTI (225/40 R18 HN spec). So some kind of a 'Michelin fan' too.”
“Continental DWS06 Plus non-runflats, going on my car next week. Have had OEM Michelin Primacy 3's and they are like driving on bricks. I also ordered an OEM donut spare and jack kit for the trunk. Jack kit goes in lower compartment, spare kept under the horizontal floor net (Coupe).”
Based on 23 community posts
Community opinion on the Continental Cross Contact LX Sport is mixed, with some drivers praising its comfort, balance of control, and low road noise. However, many owners express dissatisfaction with rapid tread wear, flaking or chunking, poor wet traction, and shallow initial tread depth. Several users consider replacing them early with options like Michelin CrossClimate or Defender models.
“A broken screw went partially into the tire tread, cutting one of the metal wires / belts in the casing. The tire is not losing air. I am concerned the damaged wire belt could lead to a tire failure. The open divot, deeper than the tire tread, also concerns me since it can get packed with debris, damage the other intact wire, or open the hole even more or further puncturing it. Tire is 2 years old with 17k miles so it's in great shape. Continental Cross Contact LX Sport 245/50 R20. This is on my wife's Pilot so I want her to have a reliable tire with no possibility of having a failure due to this damage, if that is likely here. What do you guys think?”
“You don’t want to be too cheap with harder rubber material because they lack stability. I just replaced mine with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport T1 from America Tires with the best balance between comfort and control. Slightly cheaper than Tesla Service Center. You can try the Hankook Evo ION designed specifically for EV but you only have half the warranty mileage due to staggered tires configuration on the MX.”
“Gouge on sidewall It’s a continental cross contact LX sport 235/65 R18. Got them last year but hit a sharp curb the other day. Not sure if I’m seeing any cords, there’s some white streaks deep in the gouge but it all seems in tact. Just need to drive this car for 3 more days, is it safe?”
Based on 26 community posts
| Attribute | A · Michelin Primacy 3 | B · Continental CrossContact LX Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 42 | 39 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 20″ | 16″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | — | 9/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 480 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 51 psi |
| Sizes in common | 3 | 3 |
Michelin Primacy 3
Continental CrossContact LX Sport
Winner: Michelin Primacy 3 — better treadwear, handling and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 67 vs 40 on treadwear.
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 68 vs 46 on handling.
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 73 vs 59 on dry.
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 72 vs 61 on wet.
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Michelin Primacy 3, 72 vs 61 on our wet score.
Michelin Primacy 3, 73 vs 59 on our dry score.
Michelin Primacy 3, 68 vs 62 on our comfort score.
Michelin Primacy 3, 67 vs 40 on our treadwear score.
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
