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All Tires Are Not The Same When It Comes To Fuel Economy
William Lowry recently spent $500 to replace the tires on his Toyota Camry hybrid. The salesman said the Goodyear Regatta 2 tires were just as good as the Bridgestone Turanzas that came with the car. But it didn't take long for Lowry to notice that his fuel economy had fallen by five miles a gallon.

"I would have paid more for tires that get better mileage. Instead, I spent extra money for the privilege of spending more money on gas," said Lowry, a UCLA professor, who asked the tire dealer about fuel efficiency and was told all tires were the same.

In fact, when it comes to fuel consumption, not all tires are created equal. According to experts, efficiency can vary by as much as half from tire to tire, and can reduce fuel economy by 10% or more.
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All Tires Are Not The Same When It Comes To Fuel Economy



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budfrogS4budfrogS4 - 6/16/2008 11:17:46 AMView My AgentSpace
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Wikipedia has a pretty good list of low-rolling resistance tires:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-rolling_resistance_tires

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MZautoMZauto - 6/16/2008 12:05:11 PM
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Just for the info. For every car, it should have 4 of the same tires. Do not miss-match the tires, it will make differences in many (bad) ways.

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guambombboyguambombboy - 6/16/2008 1:00:13 PM
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I think he meant 4 of the same brand tires. Not size.


MZautoMZauto - 6/16/2008 4:54:14 PM
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Yes, 4 of the same brand and kind of tires.


EnnNorakEnnNorak - 6/16/2008 6:04:17 PM
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I like totally same tires on all 4 wheels and a matching full size spare on matching rim as that makes it easier for me to administer my small tire inventory for a specific vehicle. I am not fond of cars that have wider tires at the rear as that introduces an additional part number to deal with. Beware of manufacturers who stop selling a certain size of tire after they had their tire installed as standard equipment on certain models of an automakers vehicles. This happened to me with Michelin tires that wore out after 40,000 km on an A6 Quattro and I could not get matching Michelin replacements.


DustbusterDustbuster - 6/16/2008 1:42:54 PM
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Does it bother anyone else that there are so many variables to that 5mpg reduction? Maybe the tire store had the inflation wrong? Maybe the new tires offer better grip and different wear ratings? Maybe higher summer temperatures are the culprit? Did he even get the same sized tire and not wider ones? A good tire dealer would have made sure of relaying good information, but I'd hate to see whining people complain about the mpg drop because they overlooked obvious factors. A good tire store would also take the tires back in exchange - I've done it before because I didn't like to lack of performance. The last thing we need is a rolling resistance requirement that kills high performance tires. I'd say let people choose as long as good information is provided at the time of sale!

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EnnNorakEnnNorak - 6/16/2008 6:09:42 PM
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I demonize tire manufacturers who have incomplete technical info on their websites. At minimum, I need to know rolling diameter, revolutions per mile, load rating, tread depth, type of side wall reinforcement if any and rim widths that a particular tire will fit. It would also help if tire company marketing weasels would stop using vague marketing hype and be more specific with technical specs to support their claims.


DustbusterDustbuster - 6/16/2008 10:04:16 PM
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EnnNorak: Well, from what I can read, the professor who complaints certainly doesn't sound like someone who would check his tire pressure before screaming "fraud!". I've worked customer service before =)

Are you the only one with an air compressor? Not sure, but most people have also stopped checking oil levels and fewer yet check their tire pressures once a week as they should (forgot where I read this rule from). I was hoping autospies readers are exceptions because most everyone here are car enthusiasts, but the average driver? I am doubtful...


HantraHantra - 6/18/2008 3:55:04 PMView My AgentSpace
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If we all did every single tweak that will allegedly get us +5 mpg, we'd be getting 325 mpg.


mercuryguymercuryguy - 6/16/2008 5:06:47 PM
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Bridgestone Turanzas are the best tires I've ridden on. Touring tires are the best on a long trip. If we can get replace the Baja tires on SUVs with Touring tires, everyone would get better milage.

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mercuryguymercuryguy - 6/16/2008 5:10:00 PM
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Yes, wider tires get less milage, but in pothole cities like Niagara Falls or Syracuse, wider tires are a must, as they soak up the bumps better. Narrow low profile tires will result in bent rims on roads like these.

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mercuryguymercuryguy - 6/16/2008 5:15:05 PM
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Dustbuster - 6/16/2008 1:42:54 PM+1 Boost
Maybe the tire store had the inflation wrong?

Am I the only driver that owns his own Air Compressor? Does anyone check their tires regularly anymore? Probably not, I see people would never think of mowing their own lawn anymore, why would they want to check there tires?

I do see a lot of cars on the road these days with low air pressure. Mostly on minivans.


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olscuulolscuul - 6/16/2008 9:18:24 PM
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the prius has low rolling resistence tires as oem.
they suck in snow. my sister has one. they bought snow tires, but it costs a lot of gas mileage. they won't tell me how much, so it is a lot. :)


mercuryguymercuryguy - 6/16/2008 5:20:08 PM
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I use Nokian Snow Tires in Winter. they are the best. very meaty, and very safe. But if you don't take them off in the spingtime, milage goes way down. These tires are ust not engineered for dry pavement. They reallly perform in the snow.

I see Montreal will require snow tires this winter. All seasons just don't work well in deep snow or ice. they are designed more for cities like Washington DC. (Light dusting of snow)

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mercuryguymercuryguy - 6/16/2008 5:24:31 PM
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Less Noise=Less Rolling resistance. the noise you hear is motion energy converted to sound energy, which results loss in motion energy.

Ever notice how quite touring tires are? I don't think you need a ton of research to discover the obvious.

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cericceric - 6/17/2008 12:44:31 PM
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I don't think there is a direct relationship.
The Goodyear Integrity on Prius is a noisy tires by far.
However, it is one of the tires with lowest LRR, and that is why Toyota pick it for Prius. Ask any Prius owners.


truckmentruckmen - 6/17/2008 2:02:24 AM
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My civic came with low rolling resistance tires and I didn't notice much difference with my Michelin X ice tires. In the winter your vehicle always gets better poorer mielage so it is hard to determine how much difference it could be. I can imagine that the low rolling resistance tires have less traction.

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cericceric - 6/17/2008 12:49:00 PM
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LRR (low rolling resistance) tires have
- thick side wall
This gives less flexing of tires (less energy wasted). This also gives a hash ride due to thick side wall.
- special block pattern
Reduces rolling resistance, but also sacrifices road gripping.


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mercuryguymercuryguy - 6/17/2008 4:08:17 PM
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Bridgestone Turanzas have a thick sidewall. Even the tread is thick. It is a very heavy tire compared to Goodyear. The reason I chose it. It has more rubber and will likeley have a higher resistance to puncture from nails and less likely to blow out. This is really the first priority for tires, second wold be traction, next would be comfort, then economy especially if you drive hundreds of miles per day, you need good safe and comfortable tires. I think it has 5 or 6 plies kind of like a dump truk tire I guess. Although Firm, the tread is very smooth, quiet and comfortable at high speeds. This is the only tire I will buy from now on. Everything else is a comprimise. Tires and brakes should always be top of the line. They are just too important.

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