Low resistance tire in the rain

Tires have to literally pump water out of the way to get to the ground. That pumping action is a major source of increased rolling resistance. This is true of every tire type.

 

Yup, rain, snow and gravel are mpg vampires. I try to ride just to the right of the lane keeping the tires up out of the tracks where there's Less water to ride on. Unless the lane is perfectly flat...

 

Low rolling resistance tires = Lousy in the bad weather tires. It's a give and a take.

 

I traded my OEM Ecopias tires for Michelin Defenders. I took an MPG hit, but get GREATLY improved wet handling. I'm fine with the trade-off after last winter.

 

Costco...that there is your problem. Costco sells the Defender XT. They are made specifically for Costco to sell at their price point (and quality) so you think you're getting a better deal than any other store that sells Michelin Defender tires. Most tires sold at the large chains, Wal-mart, Costco, Sears, etc are made specifically for them. They are cheaper in price and quality. That's why your mileage was so different.

 

Next time you're at a sporting goods store pick up a baseball and then pick up a billiard ball and compare the two.

Low friction is just what it means, like soap or ice.
Like a previous poster said.....give and take.

Good news is that unless you drive like a moron, or don't rotate your tires regularly they will last longer than softer tires.

 

Just go to another dealer and buy a Michelin. Or take the stock number from Costco and call other dealers and ask for that specific tire. They'll tell you the same thing. They'll sell you a Michelin Defender. Just not a Michelin Defender XT. Personally I'm not a big fan of Michelin's. They wear like iron but in my opinion are not great in the rain. I've always had good luck with Bridestones. But I know others who swear by Michelin's. To each there own.

 

I put Michelin Defenders on my 2012 Prius last summer. No hit at all from the OEM tires I was replacing. Those were the same as the LRR Defenders Tire Rack lists with some "Green Energy" formulation.

I hate the Dunlops that are on my new Prime enough to trash them for Michelin Premier A/S day after tomorrow. I expect about a 2 MPG hit but they are top rated in class and much better in snow than the Defenders. The Dunlops are worst in class in the Tire Rack comparisons and on the bottom by quite a bit. All the reviews of other owners hate them as well (dry/wet/snow/ice/tire lifetime).

 

Interesting, the Defender vs Defender XT. So the latter has slightly different tread, and is only available at Costco, and few other big-box tire retailers. I've got a set of new ones (XT variant I assume, Costco purchased) in the garage, on my son's OEM rims. He's got snow tires on at present. Hope it works out.They say "Green-X" on the sidewall, fwiw.

Here's some discussion:

Michelin Defender ? | Tires & Wheels | Bob Is The Oil Guy

 

It is a trade off between rolling resistance, traction, and wear.
Or it used to be, new rubber compounds are improving the amount of trade off needed.

 

Doubtful. Defenders are not a LRR tire; hence the hit to the gas mileage. This has been documented time and time again on Prius Chat when people have replaced their OEM LRR tires with Defenders. Not to say they aren't a good tire otherwise.

 

Comeon man. It hardly ever rains here. Be patient. The sun will shine and the roads will dry out. It's not like you're in the northeast where they're buried under snow 6 months out of the year and they have to consult a ground hog to determine when it will end.

 

The Defenders listed at Tire Rack are with the LRR tire listings. See Michelin Defender . It sounds like the ones giving a big gas mileage hit were the XT version that Cotsco has. I only used mine for a couple of thousand miles but in summer, fall, and winter driving got the same mileage I had been getting with the OEM tires they replaced.

 

I don't know where Tire Rack is getting its information about the Defender being a LRR tire. Michelin's best fuel savings tire is the Energy Saver. There was a chart, no longer on the Michelin website, that rated the Energy Saver a 10 in fuel efficiency, the Primacy (or similar name tire) a 9, and the Defender an 8. Maybe the design of the Defender has changed from 1 or 2 years ago, and Michelin's website isn't of much help, but, if you do a search of this tire on Prius Chat, I think the general consensus is the Defender does not give great gas mileage and that it is not a LRR tire.

 

I tried getting a set of Michelin Energy Savers at the end of last Spring, and found that they were not available in my size (16"), and so I went with an alternative (…see threads passim for my solution) At the moment, the winter steelies (shod with Bridgestone Blizzaks) are on and doing a splendid job with the snow and ice)

 

The last tires I bought on my 2009 Prius were Yokohamas, and I loved them. Great performance, and my mpg increased by a couple of miles over the goodyears I bought through the dealer before that. I had about 65,000 miles on them when I traded in and they still had plenty of tread. I suspect that is what I will put on the Prime when the factory installed ones wear out.

 

Here's a couple of snaps from the Costco purchased Defender XT's out in the garage. Going back on a Civic come spring. Again, FWIW they say Green-X: