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Update:
I put new shoes on the car yesterday - Continental Ultra Contact 7 in 195/50R16 (down from 205/50r16). These are a Grand Touring tire which have lower rolling resistance, longer lifespan and much lower noise, but still maintain high levels of grip. I'd have liked to put Michelin Primacy 4+ on, but none were available in the exact size. Next time around I might try the Primacy in a size up, and see how they do.
Initial impressions - these tires are still very sticky, but they're not so sticky that rocks stick in the face of the rubber, as they did on the Pilot Sports. Most of all, they're quiet, which is something I've been favoring lately. It makes long drives far more pleasant. Visually, I don't think they look as nice.
First test - I filled the tires to 39psi, got the car warmed up and drove around for about an hour. I then reset the counter and continued another hour on a long seaside drive, basically ~50kph with the top and windows down and very little braking. At the end, the mpgmeter had crept up to 26.5km/L, or 62.3mpg. I might have gotten another ~1-2mpg out of it at that speed, but that's pretty close to the real world maximum the car is capable of at 50kph.
I then reset the meter and took the highway home. Top down, windows up I averaged 21.8L/100km, or 51.3mpg, traveling around 15 minutes at 100kph.
I don't have an apples to apples comparison with the old tires. The Pilot Sports were best in class rolling resistance, and were basically bald. The new tires aren't broken in yet and have full tread. Highway fuel economy is at least similar.
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