Yokohama AVS dB v550 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
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 + 6 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Primacy 3 and AVS dB v550 are level at 70.
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Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 66 · 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 70 · 6 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Primacy 3 | AVS dB v550 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests | 74 | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 70 | 73 |
Primacy 3: 60% × 74.3 + 40% × 69.6 = 72
AVS dB v550: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.1 = 71
No road tests of dry for AVS dB v550. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Primacy 3 | AVS dB v550 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests | 72 | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 72 | 73 |
Primacy 3: 60% × 71.9 + 40% × 71.8 = 72
AVS dB v550: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 72
No road tests of wet for AVS dB v550. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).
| Source | Primacy 3 | AVS dB v550 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 69 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 74 |
Primacy 3: 40% × 68.9 (est.) + 60% × 67.7 = 68
AVS dB v550: 40% × 70 (est.) + 60% × 74.1 = 72
No road tests of comfort for Primacy 3 or AVS dB v550. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Primacy 3 | AVS dB v550 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 73 | ≈ 65 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 57 | 61 |
Primacy 3: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 57.2 = 67
AVS dB v550: 60% × 64.5 (est.) + 40% × 60.8 = 63
No road tests of treadwear for AVS dB v550. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Primacy 3 | AVS dB v550 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 68 | 72 |
| Category | Michelin Primacy 3 | Yokohama AVS dB v550 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 70 | 70 |
| Dry | 72 | 71 |
| Wet | 72 | 72 |
| Comfort | 68 | 72 |
| Treadwear | 67 | 63 |
| Handling (owners) | 68 | 72 |
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.
Primacy 3
AVS dB v550
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.
“The Primacy3 ZP were installed today. Of course, they need a break-in period, but from some highway and city traffic, I'm already sold that these are the best replacement run-flat tires for our 18" size. The car now glides where it previously "sandpapered" its way down the road with the original harsh and noisy Pirellis. Bumps feel far more isolated. The reviews for DriveGuard have been mediocre, not great. These are far better to my senses. The 225/50-18 size is hard to find. Tire Rack carries the Primacy3 ZP, but not in that size. Another tire store in my area confused them with the non-runflat which Michelin has named the same...just Primacy3. Then, realized they couldn't get the ZP version. Very odd wholesale distribution pattern. Discount Tire was able to order them. First day, but very, very pleased. EDIT: My wife even noticed and she never notices anything about cars. She said the car felt smoother to her as a passenger!”
“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.”
“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?”
Based on 23 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Michelin Primacy 3 | B · Yokohama AVS dB v550 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 42 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 20″ | — |
Michelin Primacy 3
Yokohama AVS dB v550
Too close to call: Michelin Primacy 3 and Yokohama AVS dB v550 are within 2 points overall. Michelin Primacy 3 is stronger on treadwear. Yokohama AVS dB v550 is stronger on comfort. Yokohama AVS dB v550 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 67 vs 63 on treadwear.
Yokohama AVS dB v550 scores 72 vs 68 on comfort.
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Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 71 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Yokohama AVS dB v550, 72 vs 68 on our comfort score.
Michelin Primacy 3, 67 vs 63 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
