Hope I made the right decision. Have em ordered at Sam's. I am a little concerned about the 205's vs. the 195, but really wanted the 80k mile tires on my 16" rims. Any one have them on? How do you like them, cost you mpg?
Not sure on the Michelins, but many of us have moved to the 205 tire on the touring model. I did so with the Ecopia EP422's even though they are, in theory, available in the 195 size. I got a better deal on a very good tire that is widely available everywhere. My MPGs very so much by season and conditions I can't reliably tell you if the change has effected my actual mileage. I can tell you that when I checked the speedometer against an external GPS, it is actually more accurate now than it was with my original tires. Do a forum search on touring tires and you will see lots of info here from others who have done the same...
Thanks for the reply... I have had them on about 500 miles so far. I have not elevated the pressure yet. I agree with the speedo being more accurate than with the 195's verified via GPS. Tires are quiet and running around 47-49 MPG with 32 / 30 psi F/R. This is par for my normal mileage, but will increase I hope 4% with the increased tire pressure.
I see posts about people going to 205s over 195s pretty often. I don't understand why they do it, though. Is it for a sportier look, or better traction in snow, or something else? I have a 2009 Touring and will need new tires some day (my OEM tires are holding up well). As I don't mind the looks of 195s and I never have to drive in snow any more, would there be any reason for me to get 205s?
I have 205's fitted hear in the UK for several reasons. (1) There is much more choice of tyres. (over 3x as many) (2) In the UK 205's are much cheaper. (up to 30%) (3) The braking and traction performance is much better. (4) The car is more stable at speed and turns in much better. (5) The MFD now gives the same MPG numbers as calculated. (6) The speedo is now accurate. (7) Cannot prove this but tyre ware should be less because car weight is spread over larger footprint and rolling circumference is greater. I have not lost any MPG over my OEM tyres so in all I am very pleased. F8L's posts have also been very helpful and informative and I intend to pass on UK tyre information to him as soon as I can get all the numbers together.
