I can buy Michelin Primacy 4 and Michelin XM2+ for a similar price. The Primacy 4 provides better grip than the XM2+ but my number one concern is low noise. I understand both of these tyres use the same rubber compound, but the different tread patterns may result in different noise levels. Does anyone know if there's much difference in the noise level between these two tyres?

Thanks, I'll go with the Primacy 4.

I actually live in New Zealand, but we don't have any good forums to discuss tyres. My tyre size is 205/55R16, fitted to a 2014 Hyundai i30 hatchback. The price I'll pay is $203.10 per tyre for the Primacy 4 or $191.20 for the XM2+ (including fitting, balancing and old tyre disposal).

Most roads in New Zealand are constructed from coarse chip bitumen, which creates a lot of tyre noise. This is why I want the quietest tyre.

Well, I got the Primacy 4 tyres fitted and have travelled 600km on them. I've very disappointed with the noise level, as there's hardly any improvement over the Goodyear Optilife tyres that were fitted to my car previously. Of course, the Primacy 4 provides much better grip than the Goodyear Optilife, but most of my driving is confined to the city, so performance isn't my main priority.

I've since found some more reviews that say the Primacy 4 isn't as quiet as the Primacy 3 ST. Some say that Michelin's primary goal was to improve wet traction and it's not as quiet as the previous generation.

In my experience, the Yokohama ES32 is quieter than the Primacy 4.

I was also shocked to find the Primacy 4 only has 6mm of tread when brand new!