Final Purchase Decision Tires

My suggestion would be to forget about stretching the tank and get the best LRR tire that will handle your expected driving conditions. To put your gas mileage over safety will be very unproductive and possible be dangerous. Assuming gas prices at $2.75 around the Seattle area the difference between 50 mpg and 45 mpg is about $10 a month. Give up one Starbucks coffee or one fast food lunch per week and stay safe.

 

see if they make the michelin energy savers in your size. they had gen 3 when i purchased, but not sure about gen 2.

 

I'll have to leave it to more knowledgeable people to help with that. There is also help available at places like Discount Tire/America's Tire and Tirerack.com.

I wouldn't recommend the the Pirelli Cintarauto P7 A/S for your conditions. I've had them on our Prius for the last 25k miles and I won't hesitate to buy them again but I bought them knowing they would be primarily on dry roads. They only see wet pavement occasionally and that's usually while driving conservatively on interstate highways. While they are all-season, they're not particularly recommended for the constant wet weather you'll be seeing.

 

Michelin defender, quiet, long lasting, not a replacement for something better, it's the best

 

great price! i love mine, all the best!

 

Yes, you generally need to go 2-3 PSI higher than the door placard.

You need to evaluate after 2000 miles to ensure you get even wear across the whole tread.

I recently dropped mine to 39/37 from 42/40 after the tires showed signs of over-inflation at the higher pressure.

I did not find any difference in MPG after dropping from 42/40 to 39/37.

There was an improvement in MPG going up from 35/33.

Just my data points, YMMV.

 

I have a Gen II shod with Michelin Energy Savers, though I do have the 16 inch tyres (Touring equivalent model) - I'd wager they should be available for the 15 inch wheels too - kind of their target clients, methinks.


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i also have 15", but gen 3 went to 195. iirc, people have put them on gen 2 wheels, as we see in post #7.

 

I've got mine pumped up to 40/38 at the moment. This does help with my MPG and produces a smooth enough quiet ride on a good surface without being too hard over the odd bump. The nicest bit is the vehicle develops an enthusiastic penchant for long gliding distances when the conditions present themselves.

This tyre seems to handle the relatively perpetual damp of the UK pretty well too.


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