AASHTO’s Pavement ME Design software implements the new mechanistic empirical pavement design and analysis method. Agencies adopting Pavement ME Design require appropriate input values corresponding to local material specifications, traffic loading and environmental conditions. Based on the quality of the input data, there are three levels (Levels 1 to 3) of local materials data that can be used in the Pavement ME program. For the most reliable design and analysis, Level 1 data is recommended. The Level 1 materials data can only be obtained from laboratory tests. On the other hand, Level 3 materials data can be obtained from default or typical values and are considered the least reliable. In order to adopt the Pavement ME Design procedure, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) engaged the Pavement Research Group at the University of Manitoba to develop Level 1 asphalt materials inputs through a comprehensive material characterization program. Testing of asphalt mixes for Level 1 inputs such as the dynamic modulus, creep compliance, indirect tensile (IDT) strength and Poisson’s ratio are being conducted on material samples collected from different project sites in Manitoba. This paper presents a comparison of Pavement ME Design predicted distresses using Manitoba Level 3 and Manitoba Level 1 asphalt mix properties. The information presented in this paper is expected to assist Manitoba and other agencies to assess the significance of the advanced testing program, to make an informed decision regarding the use of the test results and to determine the requirements for future testing.