Oh no, you are right. That's how I would basically define "eco" too, so I was confused because on sites like tire-rack you never see the Harmonys listed as LRR. Get this: I have a set of quite clean, near new but wonderfully broken-in, Michelin Harmonys for the 13" Civic VX wheels I bought in order to further reduce my weights. The wheels are about 60% the weight of my current wheels. The Michelin tires on them are mounted and balanced. The cost? For tires
and wheels: $300! Eight dollars cheaper than the tires alone. But until now I have been planning to trade the tires for LRR tires. I have only been delayed by my desire to run my current tires on my 14" wheeels to their pitiful end and keep researching the next set of tires, letting the best choice slowly emerge as I become familiar. You just settled it. Until middle last year the Harmonys would have rated near the top on an objective LRR test? I'm done. I have my tires already. How simple. So thanks. Pays to be patient!
BTW, the Michelin Harmonys get great consumer reviews too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighMPG
Maybe I didn't mention low rolling resistance, but I just figured tires with low rolling resistance are eco tires since they save gas but is there a difference in a eco tire? Is it made organically or from renewable/recycled materials or am I missing something here? Or I think it;s just a combination of everything making it "greener" right?
Well rated as a low rolling resistance tire but I just found it on consumer reports and here it is: and since low rolling resistance is also contributes to less rubber on the road I would be looking for the stiffest skinniest contact patch i guess. None of the tires below were made in the OEM 155/80/13 size which sucks.
Also**
A tire Labled "ECO" was just one that passed tests with the "Green Seal", a non-profit, third-party certifier and standards development body in the United States.[1] Since 1989 it has provided independent, objective, science-based guidance to the marketplace and to consumers. Green Seal is the largest[citation needed] US-based ecolabeling organization and meets the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Criteria for Third Party Certifiers, the requirements of ISO 14020 and 14024, and the standards of the Global Ecolabelling Network. Green Seal is the U.S. member of GEN which consists of 26 of the world's leading ecolabeling programs, including Germany's Blue Angel (certification) and the Nordic swan.
Maybe they did not test all the tires out there. but just tires in a certain general size.
"
Here is a list of Consumer Report's tires that achieved their best rolling resistance rating. The tires at the top of the list are rated higher overall.
Highly rated:
All Season
Michelin X Radial
Michelin Agility Touring
Michelin Harmony
Toyo 800 Ultra
Sumitomo HTR T4
Middle rank
Performance All Season
Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus
Continental ContiPremierContact H
Least benefit
All Season Ultra High Performance
General Exclaim UHP
Continental ContiExtremeContact
Below are the light duty tires (as reported by Consumer reports) achieving their best rolling resistance rating. Again, higher overall rated tires are closer to the top of the list.
All-season
Bridgestone Dueler H/T D684
Michelin Cross Terrain
Continental ContiTrac SUV
BFGoodrich Radial Long Trail T/A
Followed by:
All-terrain
Continental ContiTrac TR
New models by 2009:
Michelin Energy Saver
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max"
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