What is the best LRR tire for hybrid

[aldwill]

HI,

My 2010 had 28k miles on it with michelin Energy tires. Had to change them at 35k , decided to try michelin Primacy MxM4 , which I was told had better wear, handling and still had a good LRR rating. Now at 75k and looking to get another 10k. My gas milage does not seem to have suffered much if any . I get 38 around town and similiar on the highway. Road noise is no worse than before and ride seems good.

 

I would like to hear other hybrid results to see if other brands have better results. I have heard of mpg 45 or higher by some users. In summer on flat roads The best I've done in a 400 mile fillup was 42.

Thanks

[smr2112]

Good question, I am nowhere near needing tires, but am a bit unsure of the 18" Goodyear LS-2 on my 2013 FFH.

Wonder how they will do in the snow...

 

These below are both LRR tires -

 

The tire I have been most impressed with are a set from Continentals i recently put on my wife's 2011 Santa Fe

Continental CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology UTQG: 680 A A / Serv. Desc: 107H

 

Now this exact tire does not exist in our size, but similar technology in the

Continental PureContact with EcoPlus Technology UTOG: 700 A A - $159 in 235/45R18

 

This is what I'd go with, the tires are incrediblely quiet, insanely quiet. Great grip and the specs

are fantastic. Can't really say how much gas I'd save, but on the Hyundai it does seem to be

doing a few MPGs better than the OEM Bridgestones. I suspect that will be excellent in the snow.

 

The tire itself is a special compound and inside the tire is a dampening material to make it smooth and quiet.

Very impressive....Hyundai drives incredibly smooth, felt like new. Even my wife, not a car person, remarks

all the time how great it drives.

 

One is an SUV/CrossOver tire, the other is a passenger tire, but I checked with Continental and it's the same

basic technology and rubber compound. Tire Rack tech person told me that the quiet ride I am

enjoying in the Hyundai should last much of the life of the tire. So I am very sold on these. I may switch

out for my Goodyears come early winter.

 

 

 

[acdii]

The LS2 GY tires handle extremely well in snow. Surprised the hell out of me too. Drove through all snow conditions last year and also on ice going downhill. They did so well that I almost put a set on the 2010, but traded it off instead. They dont hurt mileage either.

[MaineFusion]

On the TireRack website, the Continental PureContact with EcoPlus Technology seem to be getting pretty good reviews. However, on Consumer Reports website, reviewers seem to have constant complaints about tire wear, quality issues and reduced fuel economy. At the same time TireRack users have been pretty hard on the FFH's OE Michelin tires.

 

I'd love some independent tests that would provide a more detailed analysis of fuel economy differences between tires. Consumer Reports colored circles are pretty vague on this.

 

I've seen comments for both tires where people are saying they better performance by increasing tire pressures above what is recommended. I'd like to know how much impact this has on tire wear. At some point too much air pressure in the tires will cause them to wear really badly.

[smr2112]

I've seen that difference and tend to trust TireRack buyers more than CR. They sell a hell of alot of tires

and do objective testing. CR - who knows who those people are, useful info, but I am always a bit

skeptical of them. Any tire will vary over a large number of users.

 

Your mileage difference with any other tire of the same size is going to be a few miles at best, you'll

never get an exact figure if it's definitely more or less under the same conditions. It's too subjective

to make an informed decision based on that.

[acdii]

Tire reviews are a dime a dozen. Cant trust any of them. Some rave over them, others trash them. It all depends on, road condition, tire inflation, and how you drive. What works for one driver in California, wont be the same for someone in Wisconsin. This makes it extremely difficult to choose a tire. I personally have found Cooper tires to have great traction and handling, yet, they dont make a tire that would work on the FFH.

 

Usually Michelin tires are some of the best, but the OEM tires from Michelin have been crap, which makes it difficult to want to get another set from them. We have had Michelins that were useless in rain on a Honda Accord, yet have had Michelins on a Grand Marquis that were awesome in all weather. I have had Goodyear Eagles that were S**T on the 2010 Fusion Sport, yet the exact same tire was on the 2010 Flex and had excellent traction. They had changed the tread design sometime between when they were installed on the Fusion to the Flex. I wouldn't hesitate to get another set of them and was somewhat disappointed when I found the tires on the Flex were not the same goodyears but some other brand.

[lolder]

I considered the Continental Pure Contact EcoPlus from Tire Rack for my 2010 FFH with 58 K miles. I couldn't find a local source. The reviews in Tire rack are mostly good ( can they be stacked ? ) but there were several where the tires couldn't be balanced. That would be a nightmare to remedy with a third party installer. I decided to go with Costco Michelin Energi MXV4 S8 OEMs. These are not yet worn out at 58 K miles but they wouldn't last another 10 K after a rotation at 60 K. I'll keep two of the best old ones in case of unrepairable damage for temporary use.

[Scott Carlton Windell]

I have used Michelin tries on my last two hybrids with great success. I drive 49000 miles annually to and from work and require reliable high mileage tread ware. The Michelin Harmony was a perfect 90000 mile tire, I was even able to keep fuel economy up above 50mpg. The harmony was discontinued and its equivalent is now the Michelin Defender. I averaged 53mpg on a recent trip from Louisville to Kansas City MO. One disappointment, on my first Hybrid I bought a set of Michelin Hydroedge tires, loved the tread design and road feel, however fuel economy took an immediate 5 to 7 mpg hit! Sold the car with the on it.

[corncobs]

Hi Scott welcome to this forum and congrats on your order.

Sounds like your are a very experienced hybrid driver with a high mileage high MPG track records. Just a curiosity question when comparing tires.

 

What sizes tires did your previous hybrid cars come with? Almost any other hybrid you see on the road has very "skinny" tires. (or asphalt slicers as I call them ;) )

Edited March 23, 2014 by corncobs

[Scott Carlton Windell]

2003 civic hybrid P185/70R14

2006 civic hybrid P195/65R15

[ptjones]

All the tests I saw had the Michelin Energy Saver A/S with the best mpg rating. Also the most expensive. :)

Paul

[corncobs]

2003 civic hybrid P185/70R14

2006 civic hybrid P195/65R15

Thank you! It will be very interesting to see how you will be doing with the P235/45R18. ( I mean you already had a great test drive result)

Hopefully you won't have to wait too long for you new ride.

[Scott Carlton Windell]

I rotate my tires at 10,000 miles or 10 weeks so I am hopeful that the OEM tires hold up. Will most likely revert to the Defender series unless I learn of something better. On a personal note: I have never been on a forum such as this and am truly enjoying the different perspectives and knowledge freely shared by the members. Very Cool!!

[Scott Carlton Windell]

Teh salesman was suprised and commented that it was nice to see the car could do it. Thought me a natural, HAHA. Nope, just well practiced. I find filling your tank biweekly highly motivating....

[hermans]

Teh salesman was suprised and commented that it was nice to see the car could do it. Thought me a natural, HAHA. Nope, just well practiced. I find filling your tank biweekly highly motivating....

That is one of the things that has really sold me. My wife went from filling the 2010 3.0 every 14 days or so @14+ gallons to filling the tankof her MKZh once a month @ 12 gallons or less and she drives the same miles she did with the 2010. I drive the FFH and only fill it every two months. I work from home and my driving is limited.

[tr7driver]

I had Michelin energy tires on my 2010 and was very impressed with them. I wish I had them on the 2014.

[ptjones]

I had Michelin energy tires on my 2010 and was very impressed with them. I wish I had them on the 2014.

Didn't your FFH come with them? :)

 

Paul

[tr7driver]

No, I have the Good Year 18's

[smr2112]

I am actually planning on buying these tires in the summer. Much cheaper than the beloved Michelins,

and my wife has the SUV variant on her car - and they are great - did great all winter and low

tread wear, really quiet - no flats or any issues once properly balanced by my Ford dealer (on her

Hyundai Santa Fe!) - can't just add weights to a new tire, had to strip off old ones - duh.

 

It's the same tread technology in the passenger car tires, I actually spoke with somebody at Continental

to ask questions about them to be sure.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=PureContact+with+EcoPlus+Technology&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=345VR8PUREC&tab=Sizes

 

Price is right for sure and reviews seem good. When I had my 2010 FFH, the dealer advised against and in fact would not

install anything other than the stock Michelin tires - hybrid mileage would suffer and they wanted nothing to do with it.

Now they don't care and I think those Goodyear LS2s are OK, but not a great tire overall.

[tr7driver]

The Michelins had better snow traction on the 2010 than the Good Years have on the 2014. But that may be the car and tire size more than the tires.

 

SMR, I'll be interested in knowing how the Conti's work out for you in the fusion. I'm on my second set of Conti Trac SUV tires on my 01 Highlander at 132K miles. I'll probably be replacing them in the next year or so, mostly because my struts went bad and two of the tires wore uneven before I caught it. I don't think they still make the same tire, but I'll buy them if I find a set.

[ptjones]

No, I have the Good Year 18's

I wonder how much of MPG hit you get by not having the Michelin's? All the Reviews I can find say the Michelin Energy Saver A/S get the best MPG's and I have 52k miles on mine and make 60k-70k before I replace them. Not to shabby. :)

 

Paul

[acdii]

My biggest concern is winter driving. One drawback LRR tires have is poor wet and snow traction, so finding a good balance between both is key. The GY tires I have now, HORRIBLE in snow, and slip in rain too. What is odd, the first car that shall not be named had the same model tires and they did very good in snow.

 

The Hankook Optimo that were on the Flex had the best snow traction I ever had in a regular tire and were also listed as LRR, but from what I understand, they wear fast(which adds up, softer tires grip in snow much better, but wear faster). I will be replacing these tires before next winter, so hoping I can get a good idea which has the best of both, MPG and traction.

[Jamone]

Has anyone tried the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus tires? They are LRR, have 70k mile warranty and are available for the 18" rims. Cheaper then the 18" Mitchilens and has much longer tread life rating. 700 vs 400.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=Cinturato+P7+All+Season+Plus&partnum=345VR8CP7ASP&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2013&autoModel=Fusion&autoModClar=Hybrid

[vett93]

How is the braking performance of LRR tires compared with regular tires?

[acdii]

I am very close to having to get tires on mine. The thumping from one of them is annoying the crap out of me. Considering how poorly they did in the snow, They must go before next winter. Has anyone come up with a consensus on 18" LRR tires that have decent traction in all weather?