Opinions please, Hybrid vs Efficient ICE Car. Is it worth the investment?

I think you've got a keeper. Those are good numbers, considering the 17", the highway driving.

I would leave the tires where they are: the 17" have diminishing returns at higher pressures. I think they'd actually wear better at higher pressures, but the ride is harsh, and the extra jarring has got to impact wheel bearings and suspension components. 35~36 is a good sweet spot, slightly higher than spec, but not too much.

 

what tyres are you running?

 

Those tires have significantly bigger OD than the usual 215/45R17. Unless a typo?

If correct, it would result in car underestimating distance travelled, by maybe 2~3% (just guesstimating, on a phone right now).

It would also sorta shift "gearing", maybe??

 

I had a set of Venezia Crusade HP tires on my Mazda 3. Looks like about the equivalent to the tires you have. After about 20,000 miles on them, I was getting ready to rotate them and found that the 2 tires on the front had the cords showing through on the outside edges! Absolutely the worst tires imaginable! I would watch those tires carefully and the first excuse you can find to replace them...do it!

 

Your mpg is not bad though. This is a sort-of "sleeping with the enemy" time: I would just use them, keep an eye on the tread wear, read up on replacement prospects.

 

48.8 is especially good on a model with the 16" tires like that 2010 Model V - those tires handle better at the expense of a couple of miles per gallon

EDIT: I mean 17" tires

 

Wider tires reduce actual MPG. I don't know all the reasons besides increased air drag from the larger cross section.

Taller tires reduce apparent MPG by throwing off both the speedometer (you are moving at higher speed that the gauge shows, and higher speed inherently reduce MPG) and the odometer (you get credit for fewer miles than actually traveled). You must make adjustments for these to correctly figure the real MPG.

 

no, that's what fuzzy is saying. apparent, not actual. a larger rolling radius means your odometer calibration will be off.
one revolution takes you farther, but is still counted as one revolution and multiplied by the oem diameter.

 

sorry, i can't help with the rest.

 

Same here. I've tracked about half of my 128k miles (mostly the first few years of ownership) and the lifetime average in my 2010 with 15" tires of varying brands is 45 mpg. Rural NH & VT highways are hilly and we get 6 months of winter tire use as well. When I have a lot of time off the highway (like the back way to Maine, all 40-50mph back roads) I see 50+. But generally it's low 40's all winter, high 40's all summer.

I'm currently running Michelin Defenders and when those need replacing I'll probably go with the Continental TrueContact.