Best lrr tires

[Jujulie]

Curious if the recommendation to keep OEM michelin defenders on the vehicle is still good advice? I do need something that can handle in some some rain, because I live in San Francisco. I'm definitely interested in the best miles per gallon I can get. I currently have a brand called  Delinte on the car which came with a when I bought it used a few years ago. I'm not able to get above 38.1 miles per gallon at the moment and I wonder and hope that the michelins will help me get above 40.  My tire guy wants me to go cheaper but I've been holding out for the Michelin since I got the car. My miles are mostly city...thanks everyone. Oh, and it sure seems like there might be more than one type or model of defender a/s. What do I need to specify?

[Lacienega]

My car came original with the Michelin Energy, and my mpg went down with my new Firestone Tires?. Only reason I didn't get the ENERGY's again was the prize...they're pretty expensive...though they lasted me 90 000 miles. Next time I might just get them again.

[Jujulie]

On 10/27/2021 at 11:47 AM, Lacienega said:

My car came original with the Michelin Energy, and my mpg went down with my new Firestone Tires?. Only reason I didn't get the ENERGY's again was the prize...they're pretty expensive...though they lasted me 90 000 miles. Next time I might just get them again.

Thank you...I have seen mixed results on how many miles people are getting which also makes me wonder of the oem are slightly different than what is listed for sale at tire shops as the michelin a/s. I know my current tires are not lrr, so trying to see if there is a lrr that will last longer than what I can find in the michelin a/s and still get better mpgs.

 

I think if I got the m a/s and they lasted 60 or 90k, the extra cost would be worth it for the mpgs. But, if they only last 30k, not so sure. Thanks

[fbov]

My C-Max came with Michelin Energy Savers, not Defender or Energy, and they remain a good 3-season LRR tire. Worthless in snow and cold. Here's a recent test of all-season tires that included rolling resistance data, a rare thing done right. The only caveat is that it's a UK test, and some tires may not be the same on both sides of the pond. (And he does some really nice comparisons in other tests.)

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

 

I also look at tires based on total vehicle cost. If a set of $800 tires lasts 40K miles, you paid $0.02/mile. My recent fuel cost is $0.072, so I see tires as "cheap" given how much a drop in MPG would cost.

 

For reference, my Escape Hybrid's about to kill its OE tires (Bridgestone Ecopia 442 HL) and I've already purchased Michelin CrossClimate2 to replace them. Not the lowest RR in the test, but still very good. I'd recommend the Ecopia as well, except these OE tires worked a lot better than any review has led me to expect, so Ford may have a unique rubber compound; they won't make 35K but stick like crazy, even in snow.  

[Jujulie]

On 10/28/2021 at 9:38 AM, fbov said:

My C-Max came with Michelin Energy Savers, not Defender or Energy, and they remain a good 3-season LRR tire. Worthless in snow and cold. Here's a recent test of all-season tires that included rolling resistance data, a rare thing done right. The only caveat is that it's a UK test, and some tires may not be the same on both sides of the pond. (And he does some really nice comparisons in other tests.)

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

 

I also look at tires based on total vehicle cost. If a set of $800 tires lasts 40K miles, you paid $0.02/mile. My recent fuel cost is $0.072, so I see tires as "cheap" given how much a drop in MPG would cost.

 

For reference, my Escape Hybrid's about to kill its OE tires (Bridgestone Ecopia 442 HL) and I've already purchased Michelin CrossClimate2 to replace them. Not the lowest RR in the test, but still very good. I'd recommend the Ecopia as well, except these OE tires worked a lot better than any review has led me to expect, so Ford may have a unique rubber compound; they won't make 35K but stick like crazy, even in snow.  

That was a great article, thanks. And you are right, it is rare to find the rolling resistance noted, so that was great.

 

Doesn't look like the new pirelli sf2 is here in the states yet, so I may go for the cross climates, or maybe the Michelin energy savers. Gotta do a little more comparison on those now.

 

I had some flood damage occur last weekend, so I have a little time to decide on tires now booooo.

[fbov]

On 10/28/2021 at 5:36 PM, Jujulie said:

... I may go for the cross climates, or maybe the Michelin energy savers...

Two things.

 

These are very different tires, with polar opposite snow performance. You don't say where you live, but you've been warned. 

 

The CrossClimate2 tires in the UK test had different tread depth and tread features than the ones I bought. Tire Rack has a review of the US tire, and it's not as complementary as the UK review. That said, since 2017 I've bought 6 sets of CrossClimate+ and CrossClimate2, and no one's been unhappy.

[Jujulie]

On 10/28/2021 at 5:25 PM, fbov said:

Two things.

 

These are very different tires, with polar opposite snow performance. You don't say where you live, but you've been warned. 

 

The CrossClimate2 tires in the UK test had different tread depth and tread features than the ones I bought. Tire Rack has a review of the US tire, and it's not as complementary as the UK review. That said, since 2017 I've bought 6 sets of CrossClimate+ and CrossClimate2, and no one's been unhappy.

I am in San Francisco and don't really ever get up to the snow. 

[Ken C]

We have found the Crossclimate 2 tires have been fine on our 2017 Cmax.

we spent this past winter in northern NH.

[fbov]

CC2 are very good tires, but they're not low RR. I'm seeing a 10% increase in fuel consumption since mounting them. Great in every other respect, especially in winter, but I'm not seeing 50 mpg this year. European tires are a different design. 

[Redneb]

Our 2014 SEL regular hybrid came with the Michelin Energy Savers.   They were good when new but got very noisey as they aged.  At 66,000 I couldn’t stand the noise anymore even though they had decent tread left.   I replaced them with Bridgestone Ecopias from Costco.   I was leery about going with the Bridgestones as I’ve had mixed results with the brand on other cars.   But let me tell you, these are WAY better than the Michelins.   I quickly got a 1-2 mpg improvement even with a lower PSI. (36 vs 40).   They are super quiet.    I’ve got 94,000 miles on the C-Max now, , 26k on the tires.   They are still quiet.   Good traction in all conditions.   Not a snow tire but fine in light snow.   We are in NJ.  

[SnowStorm]

From my experience you must rotate the tires or they will cup and get really noisy.  I had a passenger once ask if I was running snow tires!  My tire dealer rotates for free every 5k miles so that's what I do now.  Problem solved.

[fbov]

On 7/21/2022 at 9:04 PM, Redneb said:

Bridgestone Ecopias...   Good traction in all conditions.   Not a snow tire but fine in light snow.

Ecopias were the OEM tire on my Escape. They did much better in snow than they had any right to, and their replacement (CrossClimate2) are running 10% greater fuel consumption. CC2 are great tires in many respects, just not LRR. 

[jzchen]

On 7/6/2022 at 8:12 PM, fbov said:

CC2 are very good tires, but they're not low RR. I'm seeing a 10% increase in fuel consumption since mounting them. Great in every other respect, especially in winter, but I'm not seeing 50 mpg this year. European tires are a different design. 

Tire Rack lists this tire as a Michelin Total Performance tire.  It appears that this statement is their goal (quoted from the Michelin website):  With MICHELIN tires, drivers get safety, driving pleasure, fuel savings and longevity.

I read up on this a long time ago and my memory is getting vague on the specifics.  My memory says that worn tires have less rolling resistance than new tires.  Would you say that it plays a factor in your 10% loss, negligible, or is my memory off completely, ( in which case I apologize)?  

[fbov]

On 8/6/2022 at 10:03 AM, jzchen said:

... My memory says that worn tires have less rolling resistance than new tires...

Good memory! Worn tread is thinner tread, so it bends more easily. My Escape Hybrid's OEM Ecopia's were almost flimsy, and I did see a slight uptick in mileage in their last few thousand miles... but it was a very small shift just before I put the CC2 on in 11/21. This past Winter wasn't far off the past, but Summer sure is. Barely seeing 45 mpg, not 50 mpg. 

 

This is an even more analytical picture, because I do volunteer courier work to the tune of 1K miles per month (lower curves). Since you can't average MPG, I plot "fuel usage" so I can take averages. Two seasons on OEM overlap, but average of CC2 are 10% higher. 

 

And I should include some C-Max data... OEM Energy Savers vs. X-Ice 3, whose curves overlap. Snow tires don't have to hurt mileage, even if Winter will. 

[grege]

2017 energi cmax tires cupping- First, our 2018 Michelin energy tires cupped and now our 2017's tires are cupping.  Michelin's suck!  Tires on both vehicles have been rotated, but tires have proven noisier and more problematic over time.  May not be ideal, but I'll try the "house-brand" NTB tires and see how those do; I've been running those on our minivan for 5 years with zero problems.  Michelin tires I've tried thus far have been poor quality.

 

Greg

[Redneb]

Grege, go with the Bridgestone Ecopias.  I got mine at Costco.   You won’t be disappointed