Between Michelin tires and Firestone tires, which is the best to buy for your car? Actually, while there are a lot of factors to consider when buying car tires, both Michelin and Firestone produce a wide variety of tires that fits every driver’s need.
Comparing Firestone vs Michelin tires is a common tire comparison because these two brands are among the most popular tire brands globally.
Michelin tires are mostly regarded as the “best” tire to buy, but they are very expensive, and that’s where Firestone tires come in. Firestone has more budget-friendly tires than Michelin.
Firestone Tires
The company, Firestone Tires, was originally founded on August 3, 1900, by Harvey S. Firestone. Having been around for over a century, Firestone is one of America’s oldest tire manufacturing brands. It employs over 33,000 workers across its production plants in different countries.
Firestone produces different types of tires for different cars, and their tires are among the most durable options in the global tire market.
Interestingly, Firestone tires deliver excellent performance across tracks. Whether you own an SUV, Sedan, Van, motorbike, or a truck, you’d find a good Firestone tire for your vehicle.
As with other notable tire brands, Firestone produces special tires such as winter tires, summer tires, OEM tires, and all-season tires. You can drive Firestone tires on any road across continents because they are strong and deliver good traction on all road types.
Well, Firestone Tire is currently owned as a subsidiary by Bridgestone; the acquisition of Firestone by Bridgestone happened in 1988.
Hence, although an American tire brand, Firestone tires are made in Bridgestone’s manufacturing plants. Firestone tires are still manufactured with the original name – Firestone.
Michelin Tires
Ask around for the best tire to buy and the majority of answers you will get would be “Michelin.” The French multinational tire company, Michelin, is almost a household name in the US, and other countries too. Michelin was founded by André Michelin and Édouard Michelin in May 1889.
Just like Firestone, the Michelin brand has been in existence for more than a century. The company’s current headquarters is located in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Michelin is ranked as the second-largest tire manufacturer in the world – coming behind Bridgestone (Firestone’s parent company).
While Michelin tires are regarded as the overall best tires based on several factors, Firestone tires compete closely with Michelin tires in various aspects.
Also, Michelin makes various types of tires, including seasonal tires and all-terrain tires. The brand, Michelin, also produces OEM tires for some top carmakers.
Firestone Vs Michelin Tires
| Tire Brand | Firestone | Michelin |
| All-season tires | Yes | Yes |
| Seasonal tires | Yes | Yes |
| Wet performance score | 90% | 95% |
| Dry performance score | 92% | 94% |
| Tread Life Rating | Up to 70,000 | Up to 80,000 for special models |
| Road Noise | Low | Low |
| Overall performance | Good | Good |
1. Performance on Wet Roads
Most tires would drive well on dry pavements but would lose traction on wet tracks. Well, that’s not Firestone and Michelin tires. Michelin uses advanced compounds and patented techs to manufacture its tires; their tires deliver good traction on wet roads for smooth driving.
Firestone also used premium compounds in its tire production formula. The brand’s WeatherGrip series delivers the best performance on slippery roads. It delivers outstanding gripping performance and cornering.
2. Performance on Dry Roads
On dry roads, both Michelin and Firestone tires deliver good performance in terms of gripping and traction.
Also, the tires respond swiftly to braking – immediately you match the brakes. But, Michelin tires seem to slightly outperform Firestone tires in this aspect.
3. Durability
Looking for a tire that would last you for a longer time? Michelin is the brand to buy. Yes, Michelin tires last pretty longer; you’d find some drivers allege that their Michelin tires are well over 130k miles and still delivers good performance on different roads.
However, this does not imply that Firestone tires are not durable. Firestone tires are equally long-lasting; depending on your driving habits, you could use a set of Firestone tires for up to 100,000 miles or more.
4. Road Noise and Tread Pattern
Both Firestone and Michelin use unique tread patterns for their different tire models. These tread patterns are strategically crafted to help improve balancing and reduce road noise while driving.
Michelin tires aren’t too noisy, but Firestone tires seem to be quiet, thanks to the patented Firestone Noise Cancellation feature (5-pitch Noise Cancellation). If you detest road noise, you may want to go with Firestone.
5. Tire Varieties
Firestone produces all known tire types, including seasonal and all-season tires. Michelin does the same thing – they produce all kinds of tires.
So, regardless of your type of vehicle – and the type of tire you wish to buy – Michelin and Firestone have a model for you.
6. Pricing
The price factor remains one of the determining factors that narrow down people’s preferred choices when shopping for new tires. Michelin is a household name and it is considered a “Premium” tire brand; Michelin tires are very expensive across categories.
On the other hand, Firestone tires aren’t considered as premium tires even though they are being produced by a “Premium” tire brand, Bridgestone. Firestone tires are cheaper than Michelin tires, and of course, they are durable and can last for over a hundred thousand miles.
7. Warranty and Treadlife
The rated tread life of Firestone tires is 70,000 miles, but Firestone tires do last over 100,000 miles. Also, Firestone offers up to 4 years of warranty/tire replacement period.
Michelin doesn’t offer lengthy warranty coverage, but you can return the purchased tire within a specific number of days, usually 60 days.
Summary
Conclusively, in comparing Firestone vs Michelin tires, Michelin takes the overall wining. However, Michelin tires are very expensive, not everyone may have a big budget for new tires.
As an alternative, Firestone tires make a great buy for their price tags across categories. Both Firestone and Michelin tires are reliable and deliver good performance on wet and dry roads.
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