raadsel Posted March 12, 2018 Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 I'm to the point, or close enough, that I need to replace the tires on my C-Max. I've had to replace one of my tires already, about a year ago, due to road damage -- so I have one Energy Saver that is still relatively new (one year old), which means that I'd only need to replace 3 tires if I stay with the Energy Saver. I typically buy tires from Costco, I've been extremely happy with their service, so plan on buying from them again -- with the issue that it limits the selection (since they largely only carry Goodrich, Bridgestone, and Michelin tires). So I'm basically deciding between buying three of the Energy Savers or a full set of Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus -- and with the current sale at Costco, the 4 Ecopias would be about $30-40 cheaper than buying the 3 Michelin Energy Savers. I considered buying 4 Energy Savers, when they were on sale with free installation (roughly $130 off) but it was still almost a full $100 more than buying 3 tires. I'm torn, largely because I'm mostly happy with the Energy Savers; my one complaint would be the noise. Obviously, replacing the Energy Savers should make the car quieter, though from what I've read, after 20,000 miles the noise will start coming back (and I have one tire that will be at 20,000 much sooner than the other 3); whereas the Ecopias may stay quieter longer, from what Plus 3 Golfer has claimed. OTOH, while there isn't a huge amount of comparison data (the Ecopia E422 hasn't had many comparisons done with the Energy Savers, any comparisons I can find were done with the older Ecopia E100). So I'm torn; do I stick with the factory tires and just buy the 3 replacements? Or would I be better saving a bit, having all 4 tires new, and buying the Ecopias. Not sure there is a "wrong" answer here, reviews are similar between the two (maybe a bit better, a many more reviews, for the Energy Savers) but curious what others here would recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 12, 2018 Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 I was disappointed when I put BridgestoneEcopia EP422 Plus tires my wife's 2013 ECOBoost 2liter 4cyl Explorer and they didn't improve her MPG's. They were more money than OEM tires. Don't know about the noise issue yet, but if you cross rotate the Michelin's every 10k mi. it will help their noise problems also looks like I'm going to get 80K mi. on my third set. Atleast for me the noise problem is in the 25-35 mph range, not bad on the FWY. :) Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 12, 2018 Report Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) I just took off my tires to cross rotate and this is what they look like with 63k mi. on them. About 6/32" outside and 5/32" inside. Center was about 5.5/32", went through some rain storms last week and they did fine. I don't think I will have any trouble getting 80K im. :) BTW wheels are made in China. BTW I use 50 psi in the tires. Paul Edited March 13, 2018 by ptjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowStorm Posted March 13, 2018 Report Share Posted March 13, 2018 I can't give a comparison but my 2nd set of OEM Michelins are at 79,000 miles and about right at the wear bars. There is only a small amount of inside edge wear and little, if any, wear related noise. Tires have been rotated about every 5k miles (my Michelin dealer does it for free) and the rear camber is about -0.8 left, -1.2 right (I have the adjustable arms and plan to set both to -0.8 degrees). Should hit 80,000 by the time the $70 rebate comes back on March 21. Not bad for 55,000 rated tires! Pressures have been 45 to 50 psi. This set has done far better than the 1st set for both wear and noise - rear camber adjustment and frequent rotations have paid off, I guess. :) ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestevens Posted March 13, 2018 Report Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) I put Ecopia on the Prius and they were a very nice tire, I see you say "noise" but I thought they were quiet compared to the previous brand on there or the Bridgestone Traction T/A I used to use on conventional car. A decent amount of tread for small amount of snow. (I think they had a weird thing where they would skid around just a little bit until they "bit" into the snow and then they were good). The downside for me is that they just didn't seem to last very long. Maybe I was driving too aggressively. Before I understood just how much of a difference LRR tire makes to hybrid I thought I would get away with putting a set of Traction T/A tires on Prius. Horrible idea and the shop didn't know any better either. Horrible road noise, extra friction makes it impossible to coast the way hybrids like to do, have to always be on the throttle. I think the OEM tire is probably the best tire for the C-MAX but they also seemed very expensive. The local Ford shop recommended Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max, I've had two sets of those now and they seem to be a decent alternative for a little less money. I have tires at 40-42psi and I average about 40MPG with stock configuration, good brake and cruising score, horrible acceleration score. Edited March 13, 2018 by jestevens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 13, 2018 Report Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) I used Goodyear FuelMax on my Focus and they really improved my MPG's over Perelli P6, but they didn't handle as good. In the Tire Rack Prius test FuelMax were down about 2 MPG from Michelin Energi Savers. I think Michelin's are cheaper because they last longer and get better MPG's. :) And again I would recommend 50 psi tire pressure for the Michelin's, because they wear evenly and the Michelin Help Line agreed with that. Paul Edited March 13, 2018 by ptjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raadsel Posted March 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 I ended up having the three Michelins installed today. They seem to be much quieter, I'll be interested to see what kind of differences there are over the next week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 16, 2018 Report Share Posted March 16, 2018 I ended up having the three Michelins installed today. They seem to be much quieter, I'll be interested to see what kind of differences there are over the next week or so.What kind of differences are you looking for? :headscratch: I hope they cross rotated your old tire to minimized the noise issue. :) Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raadsel Posted March 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2018 What kind of differences are you looking for? :headscratch: I hope they cross rotated your old tire to minimized the noise issue. :) Paul Yes, the tire was rotated when they installed the three new tires.I'm mostly looking for the ride to be quieter. I am curious what effect I'll see with ride quality; if the new tires will be stiffer. I'd also expect better grip at times, such as in rain with the new tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 16, 2018 Report Share Posted March 16, 2018 Yes, the tire was rotated when they installed the three new tires.I'm mostly looking for the ride to be quieter. I am curious what effect I'll see with ride quality; if the new tires will be stiffer. I'd also expect better grip at times, such as in rain with the new tires.They are definitely better in rain and snow new, but don't corner as good, more sliding. I don't remember a noticeable change in ride quality, but much quieter. :) I didn't see much of a change in MPG's. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.