New 'All Season' Tires for Scion xD?

[NeilBlanchard]

My spouse's car, a 2008 Scion xD needs a new set of 'all season' tires. We have full winter tires (Nokian Hakka 5's) so they only need to be 3 season - and mainly they should be low rolling resistance and long wearing, and have decent wet traction.

Here's the best *rated* tire from TireRack in the standard size (195/60/R16): Yokohama AVID Ascend (H- or V-Speed Rated)

This is the only model that specifically mentions LRR features, and it has by far the longest tread wear rating - 740 vs 400 for the next longest rating.

I'll try to find info on Michelin and Nokian...

What are your recommendations? Thanks in advance!

[NeilBlanchard]

I ended up ordering the Nokian eNTYRE, even though the closest size is 205/60/R16 (0.6" wider than stock), because I think they are better than the Yokohama's, and because it supports my local business - Chang Ho Kim! In the end these are only about $25 more than the Yokohama tires.

If you stick to the stock size, then the Yokohama Avid Ascend are the best bet, I think. Only three makers have that exact size, and the others have far lower wear ratings, and do not mention anything about LRR, either.

[Daox]

Did you check out going skinnier to 185s or 175s?

[CapriRacer]

Neil,

You've been around here long enough to know that "LRR" is a relative term and doesn't mean great rolling resistance. It means "better" rolling resistance compared to other tires with similar wear and traction characteristics.

Put a different way, you can't get both super low RR and super long treadwear in the same tire. It's a compromise. So you need to decide what compromise works for you. Tire Rack is a good way to research this. - and the OE tires are most likely to give you the best RR, but if look at the treadwear ratings, they aren't so good.

[NeilBlanchard]

The 16" wheel is not available any narrower than the 195 size, as far as I could find. Most brands start at the 205 width for a 16" wheel.

Yeah, I know that the tread wear is only relative and so are the LRR claims.

By the way, I contacted Bridgestone today asking about their "Large & Narrow" tire; asking both about if/when it will be available, and whether they will be supplying a wheel to go with it. I'll post any answer I get...