Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

I have the 195/65/15 Michelin Defenders that have 90K mile warranty, what ever that means because they might make 70K. I doubt the warranty will do anything about the miles being short and I doubt the Wal Mart warranty will replace your valve stems, they're TPM sensors, I'd have to check their definition of "valve stems".

 

I found Michelin pretty good at honouring the mileage warranty, maybe more so if you continue to buy their brand?. We had as set, Harmony I think: they were warrantied for 120,000 km tread life. At 60,000 km they were at solid wear bars. The tire shop contacted Michelin, they reimbursed 50% of replacement cost, with new Michelins.

 

How do you feel about the Defender tires after all of those miles?

How is wet weather and dry traction. Mileage is good, or it took a hit?

Thanks!

 

I will probably replace these with Defenders again, at first I wasn't sure that I liked them, but after a few thousand miles, my mileage is back to 50 and if I do all the driving, I can get 52 mpg figured with calculator. I ran them at 40 front and 38 rear till about 65K miles and they were getting real noisy on concrete roadways and when I crossed joints in the road. I let them down to 35 front and rear and didn't make much difference in the noise, so I'm now at 32 and the noise is a lot less and hasn't affected the mileage that I can tell. The handling, wet or dry suits me just fine.

 

Thank you! My question was premature, I was looking at them because I couldn't find the ENERGY SAVER A/S tires in stock locally or on TireRack. Turns out another online vendor had them, so I am giving them a shot first.

 

I too considered the Energy Saver A/S because the price of those and the Defender was within a couple of dollars of each other. The ES are rated better for mpg, but the because the Defenders are rated for more miles, I went with them.

 

OEM Bridgestone Ecopia EP-20's need to be replaced after 16,000 miles...ugh. Inflated to 40 lbs, normal, short distance driving. Waiting for Costco coupon for Michelin. Premier A/S. Need the snow traction. Not really worried about mileage (when running on electric!) Would rather have performance/handling.

 

FYI tire rack has the energy saver a/s on sale and in stock right now for the 215/50/17 down from $140.12 to $115.81

 

I have a have TRD/Plus split 5 spoke wheels. I have the Michelin Primacy MXM4 215/45/17.

If I get some non-LRR tires, am I really taking that much of a hit? I normally get about 46-52mpgs on each tank. I'm just curious if it really matters. I see a lot of people talking about the other stock rima, but I just can't find any hard evidence.

I have 42k on my tires now, but just started noticing the tires cracking. So need some very soon.

I was looking at the Potenza RE760s.
Same tires I have on my other car too...

 

The Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires come in both H rated and V rated versions. I understand that the V rating means it is rated for higher speed. What I don't understand is the implications of this difference in terms of ride, handling, gas mileage or anything else that the difference in construction might influence.

Can anyone help with this?

 

No tire today available in the U.S. can match that of the Michelin Energy Saver AS for MPG. Our first set lasted well over 65,000 miles and a 3 mpg increase over the factory Yoko's Avid tire, both the same size, 195.65.15.

If you know of a better tire for mpg (low rolling resistance) available in the U.S. let us know; so far nothing beats the Michelin Energy Saver AS tire.

 

as a rule of thumb higher speed rating = less wear at higher temperatures or less chance of a blowout at high speeds. This can be done by changing the materials (formula/mix/type) or by thickening the weakest portion(s).

If the difference is an increase in material that increases the weight of the tire and hurts MPG, handling in some aspects for the improvement in safety.

If the difference is in formula/mix it won't change the weight but it will have a different temperature sweet spot. The difference is minor but the bias would be there for all of the above (mpg, handling, wear, etc). you'd have to assume this means the tire that performs better at high speeds will perform worse at cold temperatures in winter weather (ice/snow).

In practice they probably do a mix of both and the trade offs are multifaceted.

I choose the lower speed rated tire most of the time due to cost (often higher speed rating is more expensive), but also due to weight if it differs.

Think about how far north or south you are and toss that into the mix. For the specifics on the handling read any article about "unsprung weight" or "unsprung mass" and for the vast majority of the time you want less weight on the wheels (lighter rims and tires are a good thing).

 

Thanks for your complete and helpful reply.

 

Anybody know anything about the Bridgestone Ecopia 422 PLUS? I saw them on Costo's website and they claim:
"The Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus is engineered to be more fuel efficient to give you 20 extra miles per tank*. Designed to be durable, the Ecopia EP422 Plus now offers a 70,000 mile treadwear limited warranty. Engineered for some of the most popular sedans and minivans on the road today, the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus offers dependable all-season performance, confident handling and a comfortable ride.</br></br> * Based on rolling resistance in lab testing comparing Ecopia EP422 Plus (215/60R16) to Firestone FR710 (215/60R16) when new. Extra 20 miles based on 400 miles per tank."


Anybody have these or hear anything about them?

 

Does anyone here know why the Michelin energy saver a/s tires are not available in Europe? Might it be the same as the Crossclimate brand they released in May in Europe? The Goodyear tires make one hell of a noise.

 

Got these at Costco 70k and $408 out the door

 

So far MPG close to my old worn out EP20"s these new 422plus seem quiet and nice handling can't wait to try them in snow

 

Keep us updated about any mpg increases as the tires wear-in... I am on the fence about these. Waiting for some good feedback so I can pull the trigger and buy a set!

 

After reading rave reviews about the new Cooper CS5 tires and reading that they were made with compounds to reduce rolling resistance I put them on my 2012 Prius last fall.

PROS - Smoother quieter ride than the AVID tires than came on the car. Also it has better traction on wet pavement.

MINUS's - A BIG one - my gas mileage has consistently dropped by about 5 MPG. With the original tires if I was not consciously trying to maximize mileage I generally got about 49 mpg in mixed driving. The computer said 51 mpg but checking actual was consistently 2 mpg less. Since the new tires have been on the car in 8,000 miles I rarely get more than 44 mpg unless I carefully drive to maximize mileage. Winter mileage here in Minnesota dropped from 42 to 36 too.

Bottom line is with $2.50 gallon gasoline it would not pay to swap out for Michelin A/S but I will make that change when these tires wear out.

 

Check the revs per mile before you buy your next tires. You want RPM between 810 and 835 to fix the speedometer/MPG readouts.

Look at 205/65/15 if you have 15" rims.
Look at 205/60/16 if you have 16" rims or consider buying smaller rims, preferably the lightest ones you can.
If you have 17" rims consider buying smaller rims, preferably the lightest ones you can.