Best LRR Tires (for So Cal)

You're most welcome. Enjoy!

 

My $50 clearance ecopia ep422+ Tires have 40k on them installed up from no rotation with no detectable wear.

Much better than the original non plus ecopias

 

Obviously the mechanic didn't even bother to check the manufacturer's specs printed on the door jamb. The front is supposed to be inflated 2 lbs. higher than the rear so you are correct to question his advice.

42/40 should be fine but you might want to experiment with the pressures a little to find the sweet spot for your individual car, your driving style and these tires. A couple of us have found that the improved mpg seems to max out at a certain point. My Pirellis have a max rating of 51 psi and I ran them at 40/38 for a long time. In the last couple of months I dropped them to 37/35 and mpg did not go down but the ride improved.

In the meantime, other people with different tires have seen improvements at 39/37, 40/38 and 42/40. With your new tires you might want to run 3 or 4 tanks at each pressure and pick what you like the best. Remember, too, that mileage should improve a little as the treads wear down over time and reduced friction results. You're not going to get your best mileage when the tires are brand new.

 

What are those? Never heard of them. Typo?

 

There is no real need to inflate the tires so high, unless you enjoy a harsh bumpy ride.

The important thing is not to run the tires under-inflated below the spec of 35F/33R. There is an exponentially declining (FE) return after about 37F/35R and this is what I run my tires at. I have a nice even tread wear pattern over the entire width, so I am happy with that. I'm currently getting 51 MPG lifetime average, so am happy with that. Initially, I ran my tire at higher pressures for a short period than what I currently am (up to 42F/40R) and saw no improvement (in FE), only a harsher ride. I wasn't running them long enough at the higher pressure to know if they were wearing in the center more than the edges. YMMV.