Crappy OEM tires (Yoko Avid S33)

We were told that the OEM tires would wear quickly and would not have a long life. So we knew to expect it.

We have to use studded winter tires part of the year anyway. There has been a lot of debate here as to which brand name is 'better' for winter driving.

As for summer tires I am not sure if any one brand is really any more cost-effective than another brand.

 

There is indeed a big difference between all-season/summer tires.

We know that some tires are much more efficient than others. Some have very long tread life. Some cost a lot less than others. The trick is figuring out the fuel economy difference and then doing the math.

Treadwear warranty / mpg = gallons of fuel used * gas price/gallon = money spent on fuel + price of tires / tread wear warranty = cost per mile

Let's use the Michelin Energy Saver A/S and Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max as an example:

Energy Saver A/S
65,000miles / 53.8mpg= 1208 * $3.6/ga = $4,349 + $432 / 65,000miles = $.0735/mile

Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
65,000miles / 51.6mpg= 1259 * $3.6/ga = $4,534 + $396 / 65,000miles = $.0758/mile

Tire Test Results : When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

As you can see, a more efficient tire can be more cost effective than a cheaper tire. Even the Defender with its 90,000 mile treadlife loses out to the Energy Saver A/S because it is less efficient. I would take the Defender over the Fuel Max, however. It's a better tires and has a better cost/mile rating.

 

Thank you. That is interesting.

 

No problem.

You can see my other thread where I add in the cost of install of multiple sets of tires over the life of a car instead of the life of a tire. I need to go back and refine it though.

Total lifetime cost for fuel and tires over 150,000 miles | PriusChat

 

That's strange. I received Tire Warranty information for my Yokohama S33's when I bought the car. It comes with tread and road hazard so I'm not sure if it's just something my dealer does special? It's up to 40K miles if I remember correctly.

 

How much tread depth remains? Are the wear bar indicators going (or nearly) solid right across? A cheap tread-depth gauge will help you check. Legally you're supposed to replace when the wear bars are solid across. And that's what treadwear warranties consider as "worn out".

I believe that's around 2/32" remaining tread depth. But popular opinion is to replace a by the time you reach around 4/32", especially if there's any snow in your future.

Anyway, I'd suggest either the Michelin Energy Saver A/S, or for a bit cheaper: the Bridgestone Ecopia EP20. Just checke and see both are available at Costco USA, so readily available anywhere I'd guess.

We've had the EP20's on a previous vehicle, they were decent road feel, quite good for rolling resistance.

 

I've got about 31K on mine. Last time I looked -- my tires seem to have quite a bit of tread left. Geez, I've got a vernier caliper - I should be measuring them to see if I have 4/32" of tread left ... When my Yoko Avid s33 wear out - I will replace them with the best LLR tires I can get. Maybe something like Michelin Energy Saver A/S?

 

I replaced my Avid S33's when they hit 40k as I was preparing for a long road trip up north. If it wasn't for the trip, I'd be looking for replacements about now, with 44,500 miles. I wanted Michelin Energy Savers but at the time there were none to be found, so ended up with Ecopia EP422's. Not the best tire out there, but it's a great tire for the money. Out the door price at Costco was about $420, with the $100 rebate. I have about 4,500 miles on them now and I can tell they'll go at least 60k miles easily (65k warranty). So far my mpg's have not been impacted either way.

 

I love my Michelin Energy Savers A/S. Very smooth ride. Can't say whether it's really increased my mpg- run about 49 winter, maybe 52 summer.

 

I'm going to be scared to see what you will be able to do with a broken in set of Michelin's. Woo Hoo!

 

I got 51,000 miles on my Yokohama's before I switched to my Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires. There was no drop in fuel efficiency between my worn (2/32) Yokos and the brand new Michelin's. Actually, this last summer, I got 4 of my best 5 tanks using these new tires. I can't wait for next summer to see how well they do.

They've been great. Less road noise and better road feel. There was some tram-lining early in their life on grooved pavement, but that has gone away. Great tires!