New LRR tires in the xb
 

First off...Hi everybody! Haven't posted on here in like 2 years! Well I am doing good doing a little light eco driving in my Xb but, mostly keeping mods to a minimum.

Anyways I failed inspection because of tires and an exhaust leak. So I figured this would be a good time to browse around and see what LRR tires are out there.

There isn't a whole lot and I would rather not wait a week to order online. Anyways, I did find some at pepboys online (free store pickup + 10% off). Ended up getting some Continental ProContact with EcoPlus

Ok my questions are...

Are LRR tires worth it? (I didn't think $80 a tire was too bad at all for brand name tires)

How much of an increase are LRR vs. standard all season tires?

Anybody else using Continental ProContact tires here?

I think that LRR tires help. If they have 51PSI sidewall max, try them at 50PSI, and see how the car coasts. To save fuel, you may have to adjust your driving to take better advantage of better coasting. But some savings is probably going to happen even if you just drive the same.

I looked at the ProContacts. I went with the Serenity Plus instead. I was on the fence for a while. The ProContacts look decent on Tirerack.

Yes, I also think they are worth it. Especially since when compared to another decent non-LRR, you aren't paying any more. Yes, you'll save with cheap Walmart tires, but they won't last as long.

My Civic had 3 different types of tires on it when I got it. They were all cheap and the car didn't like to coast. Now with the LRR's, it coasts much better. I don't have any testing data to prove it, but definitely can tell the difference.

If you aren't paying more and can get a few percent mpg increase, I'd call that a win.

A word of caution:

The term "LRR" is a relative term. It means "low compared to other tires with similar wear and traction characteristics."

So it is possible to get LRR tires that have higher RR compared to some non-LRR tires.

I'm just biased because I hate Contis. I've had times where someone had a flat that needed replacing, and Conti had four or five different part numbers available with no difference in descriprion- none. I'd have to call our tire supplier, and we'd end up ordering whichever one they sell the most of and hope it was an exact match for the ones already on the car.

But if you already have to buy tires, getting the LRR option is a better move.

I love my 13" Michelin Defenders. I cannot say how much they benefit FE. There are just too many factors in play. But there are studies out there. Search this site and you should be able to find links to some of them.