The local Toyota Service says that Tires Michelin Defender is a replacement for Michelin Energy Saver and has the same low rolling resistance. Is that true?
No. Just go to Michelin website, and you'll see both tires. They're blowing smoke. Main page, for your car: Truck Tires, Car Tires and more – Michelin Tires Comparison page, Defender and Energy Saver attributes: Truck Tires, Car Tires and more – Michelin Tires
both good tires. some people have better luck with one than another, for whatever reasons. definitely different characteristics though
Thanks. I did that and the Energy Saver claims 20% better mileage. I still have to talk to the Service Manager about is employees putting out bad information.
I don't think 20%. Maybe you were looking at Michelin's one-to-ten scale ratings, for fuel efficiency? Those are their rating system, and I think all you can take away from it is that they claim the Energy Saver A/S is better, for rolling resistance. I think they're true about that, but it would be single digits I think, maybe 5% at most? The Defender is a good all-round tire (no pun intended, lol), fwiw.
Recent purchasers have Energy Saver A/S from a factory in Scotland, which is totally different than the ones with a good reputation.
Sounds like they're taking a page from Bridgestone with their many versions of Ecopia EP422. Geez, I've got the attention span of a mature cucumber: see I was the first responder in the thread you linked...
unfortunately, the energy savers seem to be hit or miss. first, finding them in stock, then, having good success. some report fair mileage only. some report poor tread wear. some report noise increasing as tires wear. i have had good success after 7 or 8,000 miles, but not enough mileage for good data
I bought (Bridgestone Ecopia) EP20 twice, as replacement tires on our Civic hybrid. The come in one size only (195/65R15), tread pattern never varied, and every time I put them on, brand new, mpg didn't skip a beat: excellent from the get-go. This reminds me a bit of one time, I was trying to buy a couple of pairs of Levis jeans, and I could not find two pairs, supposedly the same size, that fit the same. Manufacturing quality going downhill.
Ok, here is a relevant data point: Michelin Energy Saver A/S installed by Costco in December of 2014 at 39,000 miles. We are currently at 84,000+ miles, so the difference is 45,000 miles. I run them at 40 psi , and typical use is 2 persons in mixed suburban and trip driving. Current tread depth is 7.5-8.5/32” measured at center of tread on all 4 tires, so an average of 8/32” (or 1/4”). My tread depth gauge says that measurement is at the lower end of the “good” tread depth range, nearing the “fair” range, but that is acceptable wear, I think, for 45,000 miles. Our mileage hovers at 53-54 mpg year-around over these 4 years , slightly on the high side of that higher in Summer and slightly on the low side of that in Winter. No discernible or noticeable change in tire noise over these 4 years and 45,000 miles. Here endeth the data point.
When I looked at tires for my 2013 PiP, I went with the Michelin Defender. While it may not be as efficient as LRR tires, according the the TireRack evaluations, the Defender is much better in wet and snow traction. I put safety over MPG.
