My BMW X3 (F25) has now passed 475,000 km (about 295,000 miles). Plenty of consumables have come and gone over that time. The summer tyres, though, have turned into something of a running joke.
I went to check the accumulated distance on the Michelin Primacy 4 fitted to it, expecting to finally see them worn out. They are past 130,000 km, roughly 81,000 miles, on one set. The Michelin Primacy 4 mileage I am getting is so far beyond what I expected that it deserves writing down.
50,000 km a year, of which 20,000 to 30,000 on summer tyres
The X3 covers around 50,000 km a year. Winters run on studless tyres, so the summer set only sees 20,000 to 30,000 km annually.
The current set is Michelin Primacy 4 in 235/55R18 VOL, fitted in October 2019. This is their sixth season, with over 130,000 km on the clock.
I honestly expected to wear them out during 2024. They refused to cooperate, so they went straight into the 2025 season as well.
What they replaced: Nankang ECO-2+
Before these, the car ran Nankang ECO-2+ in the factory 245/50R18 size. The plan back then was value plus fuel economy, but they disappointed on three counts:
- Tread was down after roughly 65,000 km (40,000 miles)
- Fuel economy never improved much, despite being sold as an eco tyre
- Noise plus grip were both merely acceptable
So I changed brand entirely.
Why I chose a non-OEM size
I went with Michelin Primacy 4 in 235/55R18 VOL, a Volvo-approved tyre, deliberately narrower than the factory 245 section.
The logic was simple: less width means less rolling resistance, which means better fuel economy.
What actually happened:
- No rubbing anywhere, no handling issues at all
- Overall diameter went up slightly, yet fuel economy improved
- Speedometer now reads about 3% high (103 km/h indicated at a true 100 km/h)
Six years on, not one problem. It was the right call.
Michelin Primacy 4 mileage: how the tread is holding up
I check the remaining tread every season. No uneven wear, no visible cracking, plus the wear rate itself is remarkably slow.
I measure it with a cheap digital depth gauge instead of eyeballing the wear bars. It reads to 0.01 mm, so a season-on-season change shows up long before the tread looks any different.
Grip has not noticeably fallen off. Neither has refinement. Six years in, they simply work.
Still a long way from the wear bars.
Not what 130,000 km of tread is supposed to look like.
Ageing is showing, but not enough to act on
The tyres were manufactured in 2018 and went on in October 2019, so they are into their sixth year. The rubber does feel a little harder than it used to.
Some of that is on me, though:
- I run about 2.7 to 2.8 bar (39 to 41 psi) for fuel economy, above the placard figure
- The car itself has 475,000 km on it, so everything feels a bit tired
Running above the placard pressure only works if you actually keep it topped up. A small cordless inflator lives in the boot for that, which takes about 30 seconds per tyre on the driveway.
I have no plans to replace them. Even a puncture would not force my hand, since the winter set is sitting right there. These tyres are going to 500,000 km with me. I may never buy another set of summer tyres for the F25.
Never had tyre dressing on it, so the sidewall looks dry. The condition underneath is fine.
The full set of numbers
| Car | 2014 BMW X3 (F25) |
|---|---|
| Total distance | approx. 475,000 km |
| Tyre | Michelin Primacy 4 (VOL) |
| Size | 235/55R18 (non-OEM) |
| Fitted | October 2019 |
| Seasons used | 6th season |
| Distance on tyres | approx. 130,000 km |
| Previous tyre | Nankang ECO-2+ (245/50R18) |
| Previous tyre life | approx. 65,000 km |
| Pressure | approx. 2.7 to 2.8 bar |
Nothing to complain about
The Primacy 4 scores well on every axis I care about: quiet, grippy, economical, durable. Add the wear rate to that list and it is the most complete tyre I have run.
Unless something else tempts me, I would buy them again without hesitating. Michelin Primacy 4 mileage like this is hard to argue with.
Tyre durability matters more the further you drive, and this set has outperformed anything I expected. They are staying on the car all the way past 500,000 km.
I would be curious what other high-mileage SUV owners are running.
This article is also available in Japanese.
