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CapriRacer · 09-09-2011, 08:58 AM

Joe,

You should be aware that there is a tire techology triangle. Treadwear, traction (Especially wet traction), and rolling resistance are tradeoffs. That means the tires with the least rolling resistance will also have poor wear and / or traction characteristics.

Tire Rack lists tires as LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) based on what the tire manufacturers indicate - and their methodology is a comparison to comparable tires - that is tires with similar wear and traction characteristics - which means LRR don't necessarily have LOW RR. They have LOWER RR than comparable tires.

So you have to decide what balance of the 3 characteristics you want, then spend some time researching.

One of the quirks in this is that OE tires - the tires that come new on vehicles from the assembly plant - are generally spec'd by the vehicle manufacturers to have low RR - and that's why you hear many complaints about wear and traction with these tires.

And one last item: All other things being equal, worn tires give better fuel economy than new tires. So you should expect a drop in mpg's when you changeover.

09-09-2011, 08:58 AM	#2 (permalink)
CapriRacer Tire Geek Join Date: May 2008 Location: Let's just say I'm in the US Posts: 796 Thanks: 4 Thanked 393 Times in 240 Posts	Joe, You should be aware that there is a tire techology triangle. Treadwear, traction (Especially wet traction), and rolling resistance are tradeoffs. That means the tires with the least rolling resistance will also have poor wear and / or traction characteristics. Tire Rack lists tires as LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) based on what the tire manufacturers indicate - and their methodology is a comparison to comparable tires - that is tires with similar wear and traction characteristics - which means LRR don't necessarily have LOW RR. They have LOWER RR than comparable tires. So you have to decide what balance of the 3 characteristics you want, then spend some time researching. One of the quirks in this is that OE tires - the tires that come new on vehicles from the assembly plant - are generally spec'd by the vehicle manufacturers to have low RR - and that's why you hear many complaints about wear and traction with these tires. And one last item: All other things being equal, worn tires give better fuel economy than new tires. So you should expect a drop in mpg's when you changeover.