Here is my report on Michelin Primacy MXM4 ZP 225/45R17 90V, which I had installed last week. The summary is that I like the tire very much, the performance in the rain is fantastic, noise level is ok, tracking through road ruts is excellent, impact noise over tiny ripples and pot holes is very good. So far I am very pleased.
Read on for more detail, which will be boring to most people.
Background: I have a 2009 328i, which came stock with Continental ContiProContact SSR. I live near Toronto, Canada, run Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 in the winter, and have 62,000 km / 40,000 miles on the car. I am very sensitive to tire noise and NVH. I rotate tires myself to try to prevent feathering and the noise associated with it, with limited success at best. I do no track my car.
Disclaimer: Comparisons from a worn tire to a new tire of any brand is tricky. For example, if you replaced worn tires with the exact same model, you would likely state that the new tires are smoother, quieter, great in the rain. I last ran the stock Contis last fall, prior to running winters, so comparing the stock Contis to the new Michelins need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Findings: After running the car for perhaps 500 km, I encountered a good rain with temperatures at 5 Cel (40 Faren?); traction in the rain is simply fantastic. These tires do not appear to be as quiet nor smooth running on perfect pavement as the stock Contis. The increase in noise is slight. I may need to play around with the air pressure a bit, as I typically run 2 psi more than advised on the door sill. Perhaps the shop could have done a bit better job balancing - I will need to further investigate. The new tires are better at absorbing slight ripples and hard hits from pot holes. The car is completely unaffected by parallel grooves on roads. Steering behaviour remains telepathic. I am still able to hold the steering wheel in one place, with little or no need for steering correction. Steering response is great, it may be very slightly less than the Contis.
Oscar