New summer tires for the Matrix

[Daox]

Well, my current summer tires are pretty worn out. They were great tires but really didn't hold up long (General Exclaim UHPs), and I really don't need or want an aggressive tire anymore So, I'm looking for a new set. I'd like to find something with low rolling resistance. As of right now, I'm looking at Pirelli P6 Four Season tires. They don't do so hot in the snow, but thats what my snow tires are for, and they mention they're supposed to be an "Extra Low Rolling Resistance" tire. The or maybe their P4 Four Seasons also look good with a much longer rated tread life. Any input? What tires have you found that work good on your Corolla/Matrix/Vibe?

[superchow]

Not sure how those tires will do, but here are my two cents: They are rated with a 400 wear rating which is better than my OEM Goodyear RS-A's that came with my Civic. I replaced them with Michelin Primacy MXV4. The Michelins were expensive but well worth it in terms of road holding (grip), comfort and hydroplaning resistance - since they're all-season tires. They have a wear rating of 620.

In my book of logic a higher wear rating usually means harder rubber, and therefore lower rolling resistance.

On my previous car I had Bridgestone B381 which delivered the best fuel economy I've achieved in that car. But the ride was quite loud and harsh. If FE is your goal, then the B381's are my recommendation.

[Daox]

Thanks for the suggestion superchow. I checked tirerack for the B381s, but they only have it in 185/70-14.

I also looked up the Primacy MXV4s, but there is no mention of rolling resistance in the description.

[Deezler]

Beware that a tire company's wear rating is very subjective; they assign the rating themselves based on loose regulatory criteria. Which sucks, frankly.

That being said, everything I've ever heard about Michelins says they are a superior tire with long life and low RR. I just sold my 17" summer wheel/tire set with Michelin pilots, after over 40k they still had life. And thats for a 225/45/17 touring tire that I cornered hard on. I plan on buying either the Energy or Primacy MXM4's in a 16" size soon. (The primacys have the higher tread wear rating, but the the energys are 3lbs lighter in the size I want, what to do, what to do).

My coworker has a set of Michelin tires on his Dodge Ram with 95k on them. crazy.

[Daox]

I finally ended up purchasing the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4s. According to krousdb's excel spreadsheet posted on cmpg in the files section, these tires have a very low Crr of .0087 (might be slightly different because I'm using 205/50/R17 vs the 205/55/R17 in the spreadsheet). They also appear to wear longer than the P6s according to reviews on tirerack which also helped me spend the extra money on them. They should be here in a couple days and I'll have them mounted shortly after that. I'm looking forward to trying them out.

[Deezler]

Nice choice dude. That is a quality tire. Thats exactly what I had on my old 17's that are now long gone. (mine were a 225/45/17).

I just got my 205/55/16 Michelin Energy MXM4 S8's mounted up to my new 16" wheels myself. Can't wait to get rolling on them. Although this mornings snowstorm made me re-appreciate my snow tires a little more. My old Pilots were terrifying on snow and ice, but I don't suppose yours will ever see those conditions.

How did you fare over in WI? I imagine poorly... Actually it's still snowing here now. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[theunchosen]

I Was going to say that the Pirellis are really nice tires(I have the all-seasons and got them for 25 a tire), but its kind of hard to judge because my alignment is out and fixing it. . .well it is going to require replacing the entire assembly. The alignment problems have worn the outsides of the front pretty badly. The model I've got is capable of being mounted either way so I'm going to rotate and flip them to run on the current insides.

The only gauge I have is the center tred which is still in great shape after. . .25-30K. Even with the almost bald section it did fine on the highway at 65 in pouring rain.

[Daox]

We didn't get a spec of snow or rain.

[tasdrouille]

I too got new summer tires for the TDI. I got a set of ContiProContact, the 89S OEM version off a brand new 2009 corolla. The guy was upgrading to 17s, got the tire with less than 500 miles on them for $230. Figuring in the expected low RRC of OEM tires and cost of the tires, I think it was my best choice.

[Daox]

Yeah, if I would have found a deal like that I definitely would have taken it too! Mine cost over twice that and I still need to mount them...