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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Primacy 4+ vs Yokohama S.drive — 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 10 + 1 road tests and 40 + 76 owner reviews. How we score

Primacy 4+ is ahead, 78–64

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Michelin Primacy 4+
Tire AMichelin

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)

Yokohama S.drive
Tire BYokohama

S.drive

Summer

± 7

Tests – · 1 test Owners 57 · 76 reviews

Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Category by category

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

  1. 78

    Dry

    Primacy 4+ +12
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests82≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7165

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

    S.drive: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.5 = 66

    No road tests of dry for S.drive. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 79

    Wet

    Primacy 4+ +17
    62
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests82≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7559

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

    S.drive: 60% × 64.1 (est.) + 40% × 58.7 = 62

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

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    50
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online–36

    S.drive: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 36.3 = 50

    No road tests of snow for S.drive. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 71

    Comfort

    Primacy 4+ +12
    59
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6955

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

    S.drive: 40% × 65.8 (est.) + 60% × 54.5 = 59

    No road tests of comfort for S.drive. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 72

    Noise

    Primacy 4+ +9
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests76≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)59

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

    S.drive: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 59.1 = 63

    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.

    No road tests of noise for S.drive. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 85

    Treadwear

    Primacy 4+ +20
    65
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 1 tests9570
    Reviews found online7058

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

    S.drive: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 58.4 = 65

  7. 66

    Handling (owners)

    Primacy 4+ +3
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Reviews found online6663
  8. 78

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePrimacy 4+S.drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests78–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Primacy 4+Yokohama S.drive
Relative Score 78 64
Dry 78 66
Wet 79 62
Snow – 50
Comfort 71 59
Noise 72 63
Treadwear 85 65
Handling (owners) 66 63
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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
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
± 4

Primacy 4+

± 7

S.drive

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryPrimacy 4+S.driveΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #4/8 2025 EV Tyre Test #18/22 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B S.drive

Pros

  • Excellent dry grip and responsive handling
  • Progressive and predictable breakaway behavior in corners
  • Good overall tread longevity for a performance tire

Cons

  • Below-average or unsettling wet-weather traction
  • Noticeable road noise and tire roar on highways
  • Stiff, hard ride quality that can reduce comfort on rough roads
All owner themes in the S.drive review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Primacy 4+ B · Yokohama S.drive
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available661
Rim diameters16″ – 21″17″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—300 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Primacy 4+

Yokohama S.drive

Winner: Michelin Primacy 4+ — better treadwear, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 85 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 79 vs 62 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 78 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 71 vs 59 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Primacy 4+
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Tire B · Yokohama S.drive
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Primacy 4+ or S.drive?

Which is better in the wet, Primacy 4+ or S.drive?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 79 vs 62 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Primacy 4+ or S.drive?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 78 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Primacy 4+ or S.drive?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 72 vs 63 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Primacy 4+ or S.drive?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 71 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Primacy 4+ or S.drive?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 85 vs 65 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