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Update: I've been running the Michelin Hydro-Edge tires on my car for about a year now and I have to say that I would not recommend them. Since the first concern of most people reading this would be fuel economy I'll start there. Fuel economy has been slightly but noticeably lower ever since I started using them. I can't say for sure how much of the change came from the fact that the tires they replaced were nearing the end of their useful life and thus had less tread and presumably less weight. But then those tires were also not billed as LRR tires. They were Bridgestone Insignias, and overall were the worst tires I have ever driven on. But they did get more MPG. Both tires have been run at the same pressure (35psi). When I had the old tires my average fell right around 51 mpg, and with the Michelins it has gone down to about 49. I recently made a trip that was almost all highway and back roads and got 55.3 mpg. On previous similar trips with the old tires I was able to consistently hit 57.5 mpg. That's a 4% difference. Next time I will try a good quality regular all season tire, I'm curious to see how that will compare.
As to the general performance of the tire, it's pretty good overall but I feel it doesn't live up to the hefty price tag. If I hadn't gotten a $75 rebate on the set I would be very disappointed. In fairness they are much better than the Bridgestones in almost every aspect of performance. Road noise is slightly higher than normal, and at times very noticeable. Ride quality is good. Dry traction is good, wet traction is excellent (as you would expect) and snow traction is good for an all season tire. Handling is ok but some tread squirm is very noticeable, in a rapid lane change for example. One of their big selling points is their expected lifespan: They are rated for 90,000 miles, and mine show little sign of wear with about 14,000 miles. Of course that just means I will have to wait that much longer to try something different.
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