Low Rolling Resistance Tire discussion

[hayden55]

Hey hows it going guys! I've been lurking for years but never really commented until now that i've picked me up a fuel saver of my own vs my 16mpg mustang (60% city). Well i picked me up a 96 Honda civic LX for 700 bucks and driving it home 145 miles on dry rotted 185/70, 185/65, and 205/60 14 inch dangerously mismatched tires I got 48mpg going 65mph through the mountains of Arkansas.
Now that im home though I gotta change these tires before i kill my 700$ investment, but being 14 inch rims there is not a ton of choices. My main purpose for the car will being going 70mph interstate back and forth for school and im trying to compare which tire size i should go with and which brands.
OEM is 185/65/14
Anybody have some intro advice?
Looking at the: b831 185/65/14
re92 165/65/14
re92 175/65/14
gen altimax rt43 175/70/14
goodyear assur fuelm 185/65/14
And then the assorted goodyear fuel max, michelin defender, etc...
Basically considering size, rpms, and general rolling resistance which do you think will be the best? 40/60 hwy/cty for 9 months out of the year, then for 3 its basically 20/80 hwy/cty
And I plan to mod the car up and try and contribute from here on. Being a mechanical engineering major this is all pretty fun to me and I like to learn about it.

[Chrysler kid]

Most would suggest the re92's as the best tire. My Michelin defenders are great and super quiet tires and I am getting good numbers from them but they are at 50psi now and I feel like they should be harder and roll a little easier

What year civic, what model, what transmission?

[2000mc]

Re92 - only in the 165, the other sizes are not lrr.
Rt43 - looks like a great all around tire, except it tested 2.27% behind assurance (not even a fuelmax) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=195
I personally went for defenders

[Eddie25]

here we have the bridgestone ecopia tyres. but at twice the price of a standard 14inch tyre im finding it hard to justify so far... however check out the tyres being sold on the new Suzuki swift suzuki,swift,suzuki swift 1.2 gl at specifications and pricing for used car and new car dealers - Unitrans Automotive
its a 165/80r14 the sidewall is a bit taller but the 165 tread is far narrower. compared here Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

You must remember, LRR tyres also involve a tradeoff regarding braking distances.

[CapriRacer]

First, there is technology triangle involving treadwear, traction, and rolling resistance. To get great values in one area, one or more of the other areas has to be sacrificed. You can see this as the BS B381 is only rated as a 260 treadwear, but is known as one of the best for fuel economy.

Second LRR is a relative term It means good fuel economy compared to other tires with similar traction and treadwear characteristics. For example, the Michelin Defender has a UTQG rating of 820 AB, where the BS B381 is rated 260 AB, but both are LRR = the Michelin will consume fuel than the BS, but deliver more miles before being worn out.

Now since you are planning on driving this car back and forth on a highway (and I assume that means plenty of miles), you probably want to make the tires last until you graduate. A tire with a 260 treadwear rating is probably not going to last long enough to get your diploma.

[Joggernot]

Can you get a taller tire in a 14"? A 185/70 would be better for highway miles.

[j12piprius]

Originally Posted by CapriRacer

LRR is a relative term It means good fuel economy compared to other tires with similar traction and treadwear characteristics. For example, the Michelin Defender has a UTQG rating of 820 AB, where the BS B381 is rated 260 AB, but both are LRR = the Michelin will consume fuel than the BS, but deliver more miles before being worn out.

I got 4x Michelin Defender XT 185/65R14 86T 90k tires at Costco, and am very disappointed with their mileage performance. First of all the Costco manager would only pump them to 29 pounds, along with an extended lecture, because this was the Civic's recommendation, instead of the sidewall pressure of 44 psi. I pumped them to 60 psi at home with a bicycle pump.

Now the car slows down noticeably when I'm coasting and it feels like the brakes are on. My last two 250 mile trips only averaged 52.3 mpg despite going slow, slow, slow, keeping the water temp at 190 degrees, and really trying to get the mileage up higher. My previous three trips averaged 56.8 to 59.5 with a higher mph average and 55 psi on the tires. Thus the Michelins are causing an 8 to 12 percent reduction in the mileage.

Is this normal for these tires, and will they always be this terrible?

Considering these are EXPENSIVE tires, should I have them replaced and return them?

[kafer65]

I just bought Defenders for the CX-5 to replace the balding OEM Yokohamas on 17" wheels. I thought they were expensive until I looked at the OEMs running $200/per. My mileage has been down almost 10% over previous year because I'm driving mostly city now and needed less grill block to keep h2o temps down below 200. Aero isn't helping much in this abysmal traffic. Really tried to find a tall skinny tire to help highway gearing without adding too much rotating mass. That was a virtual impossibility. I'm aired to 50 psi (same as OEM tires) and surprised they are still not harsh. Put the grill blocks back on last weekend as I need outside temps down in the lower 50s and below to be 100 blocked. If I had needed AC to defog I probably wouldn't have seen a 1 mpg improvement on my daily commute. It seems to be a wash over OEM. I also haven't recalc'd the affect of circumference changes on odometer.

[hayden55]

Later synopsis. Fantastic sporty tires but in no way lrr. My Chinese tires had the same mpg. If you read this and have a civic. Weight reduction and 165 re92's all the way.