Bridgestone Ecopia EP100

[cfg83]

Hello -

Saw a commercial for this and was curious :

Bridgestone Ecopia EP100

The Ecopia EP100 is one of Bridgestone's ecologically oriented Grand Touring Summer tires developed for coupe and sedan drivers looking to combine traction, handling and comfort with reduced environmental impact. Ecopia EP100 tires are designed to enhance vehicle fuel economy by reducing tire rolling resistance along with the vehicle's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during operation. The Ecopia EP100 is designed for dry and wet conditions, but like all summer tires is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

The Ecopia EP100 employs a tread compound that applies Bridgestone's unique NanoPro-Tech (Nanostructure-Oriented Properties Control Technology) to reduce rolling resistance and energy loss while maintaining wet traction. This compound is molded into a symmetric tread design featuring rib-linked blocks nestled close together to provide uniform footprint pressure combined with high-angle, lateral grooves to further enhance braking in wet conditions. The tire also features three-dimensional (3D) curves on the tread block surface to suppress noise generated when the block is in contact with the road.

The tire size/specs seemed limited (only one rated at 51 PSI), but the tread is intriguing and I always like Star Trekky words like NanoPro-Tech.

CarloSW2

[Daox]

Thats the tire I'm running on my Prius. I did have some normal cheapo tires the previous owner put on (non LRR) last summer and averaged about 55 mpg until winter. So far, it appears I'll be getting 58-60 mpg this summer. So, I'm quite happy with them.

[flyer351]

Tirerack.com did a LRR tire roundup. The ecopia placed near the top. When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green I'll probably buy the Ecopia's to replace my OEM Dunlop 31's.

[2win2rbo]

That's what I'm going to put in my 17s. They are still wearing hi grip federals and GTs and have around 4 mm on them. It could be a year or two before I do the mod.

[cfg83]

flyer351 -

Originally Posted by flyer351

Tirerack.com did a LRR tire roundup. The ecopia placed near the top. When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green I'll probably buy the Ecopia's to replace my OEM Dunlop 31's.

Ok, I used that article to make a comparison chart :



There are 7 tires, ordered from highest to lowest MPG.
Each tire gets points for it's rank.
If it's ranked first, it gets 7 points.
If it's ranked second, it gets 6 points.
The higher the number, the better the performance.
The tests are given equal weight.

In the above, the Yokohama has the highest total number of points, but ranks 3rd in MPG.

The Michelin Energy Saver, Ecopia, and Yokohama are the top-3 MPG tires.

The Ecopia is definitely becoming more intriguing to me.

CarloSW2

[jamesqf]

Interesting article, but I think one major problem with their results: the ScanGauge just isn't all that accurate in measuring fuel consumption, so their rankings could be way off.

[Old Tele man]

...oh, the SG is accurate enough, but I doubt the test driver(s) are 100% perfect in repeatability...and certainly the daily weather isn't.

...and, were the vehicles warmed up to the exact same amount before EACH and EVERY test...I doubt it.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...oh, the SG is accurate enough...

Not unless they've improved it considerably since I bought mine.

But I agree about the driver/repeatability issues, and the other problems of trying to do a comparison of real-world driving in practical time. Much better to do rolling resistance in a lab, with sensitive equipment.

[Tango Charlie]

Carlos, very cool graph! But I'm wondering how the prices compare between the tires. For me, cost is definitely a deciding factor.

[cfg83]

Tango Charlie -

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

Carlos, very cool graph! But I'm wondering how the prices compare between the tires. For me, cost is definitely a deciding factor.

That's fair. Here is the breakdown on tirerack :

$84 = Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 (Grand Touring Summer 185/65R15 88H)
$85 = Goodyear Assurance ComforTred (Passenger All-Season 185/65R15 86T)
$76 = Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max (Passenger All-Season 185/65R15 86T)
$69 = Goodyear Integrity (Passenger All-Season 185/65R15 86S) (*)
$122 = Michelin Energy Saver A/S (Passenger All-Season 185/65R15 86T)
$118 = Michelin HydroEdge with Green X (Passenger All-Season 185/65R15 86T)
$105 = Yokohama dB Super E-Spec (Grand Touring Summer 185/65R15 88H)

(*) - The Goodyear Integrity is the tire that was OEM on my Saturn S-Series and is the cheapest of the bunch.

CarloSW2