I really did search the forums before this post, i swear. I also called Tire Rack and searched their reviews too. I'm uncertain about which tires to buy.

First off, I'll give back to this community: 2 years ago I had similar trouble with my winter tire purchase decision and after prodding Tire Rack to try a little harder, they spec'd a 14" steel wheel & tire combo (185/65R-14 Continental ExtremeWinterContact XL @ $71ea + wheels) for the GE Fit and I've been WAY happy with the result as long as they're pumped nice and high (like 42-45psi). At regular pressures, they are soft as F*** and you'll hate 'em.

Now, my current problem: stock Dunlop 7000's are wearing out. I like driving briskly through the corners, have the Swift springs (awesome!), some KMR chassis braces (nice mod but not awesome) and I pay lots of attention to my mileage WHILE driving fast. Current average is 34.3 (with Conti snows @ 42psi).

I figured there'd be a more obvious tire upgrade I could make that would either give me better handling at the same mileage, better mileage at the same handling or BOTH if I'm lucky. What I've found has been generally unclear except that the Continental DWS' in 205/50-16 handle great, even in snow, but hurt mileage.

Can anyone else step forward with their "I cheated the laws of physics, tire gods, etc." anecdotes and help me out?

To be clear:

I want the same mileage as the stock Dunlops but better dry/wet handling

OR

I want the same dry/wet handling as the Dunlops but better mileage

OR

I want both better mileage AND better dry/wet handling.

Thanks in advance!

Joel

 

You are going to sacrifice something somewhere with tires, I lost a small amount of mileage getting my Continental Extreme Contact DWS but they are amazing tires bar none. 205/50/16 is the size I went with and I love them, and honestly the benefits of the tires far out weigh the small gas mileage loss.

 

You might want to take a look at these...

Michelin Primacy MXM4

Note these are Primacy MXM4s, not the Pilot HX MXM4s (which are total crap). The Primacys are used on the top end Prius model and the Lexus CT, low rolling resistance, but very good all weather performance. Seems to be getting very high reviews on Tire Rack.

You'll have to do 205/55/16 though, so it might throw the speedo off a bit, but they should fit fine unless you're dropped.

 

Any tire that is made to handle will have higher rolling resistance = less mpg.

Any tire this is made to give you better MPG will have lower rolling resistance = less handling

If you want better MPG and better handling together, get lighter wheels. I'm sure just about any quazi-performance tire will give you similar gas mileage to the Dunlops. You're not going to see a drastic reduction in fuel economy from tires at least from my experience, unless you go to extremes.

I put heavier/more grippy tires on than the stock 175/60 and didn't see much of a decrease at all in gas mileage. I did notice a little less pickup from the weight. I bet lighter wheels would make up the difference.

See how that came around?

 

I'm very happy with Yokohama S.drive on wet and dry roads... can't be beat if you're looking for a well balanced performance tire.

 

^^^ and there pretty cheap at only $97 a tire on tirerack.com for 205/50/16

 

I know in general, more grip directly impacts mileage but I would argue that there have to be occasional exceptions where either mileage or performance improve independent of the other through improvements in technology, etc. If that weren't occasionally the case, it would mean tires of today are either less grippy or terribly high drag / crappy mileage compared to tires of say 1955. I'd argue that today's tires definitely provide at least proportionally lots more grip AND get better mileage than tires of the past.

So, I'm looking for that anomaly tire. Who out there is pulling the same mileage but having more fun due to a tire swap?

 

I have the new Kuhmo Ecsta 4X, 205/50/16 and although they are officially an ultra high performance all season, many consumers including myself feel they feel like summer tires. They have a stiff vertical sidewall and now the car has that on rails feel while cornering and steering. Tons more grip and confidence going into corners. Big difference. And I do not notice a difference in mpg...been averaging 36-37 mpg before and after new tires.

 

I went with General G-Max AS03 ultra high performance all seasons and super light kosie K4R rims. Lost 2lb per tire/wheel over stock (and I had the base model with the light steelies and smaller dunlops). They stick like glue, in both wet and dry, and I am still averageing upper 36's on my commute and got 37.6mpg (I calculate at the pump, the guage is never quite right on mine) on my last road trip over 1,100 miles.

The dunlops were giving me low 37's when I had them, but would return closer to 34 on the highway trips.

 

@CrystalFiveMT - that's the kind of recommendation I was looking for. Price-wise, the Kumhos are hard to beat--$89 ea + a $50 Visa gold card rebate for a set of 4. Including shipping and knocking off $50 for the rebate, that's just about $360 shipped. I asked the local Discount Tires if they can match that and they said they would, should be on the car by Friday.

For those who recommended the Yokohama S.drive's, could you comment on any change in mileage you observed?

Also, what pressures are you guys running on the above?

Thanks,

Joel

 

can anybody recommend an all season "light" 205/50/15 or 195/50/15 Tire
that's affordable for daily use?

Thanks

 

Yes. A few months ago, Tirerack had them at $77/tire. I ended up getting them from the shop that installed them for something like $97OTD per tire with the $50 rebate. Can't find a tire in this class that can equal that price and performance.

I have little to report on snow/rain performance, as we haven't had much of it this winter, but I definitely felt a big difference in snow/rain compared to the stock Dunlops, which were downright dangerous in snow and disappointing in the wet.

A caveat...the ride on the Kumhos are somewhat firmer than the Dunlops on some bumps. On others I think it's actually softer. But I would rate the ride overall stiffer than the stock tires. Tire noise may have a tad more whisper or whirring noise on the highway, maybe due to my 205 size, but it's hard to tell.

I found running higher than 33 psi made the ride noticeably stiffer. At 33 psi, it's the best combination of ride/handling. It's amazing that taking the same sweeping corners with the Kumhos, I can now hurl the car without braking into them without breaking a sweat, and the car just hangs on with less roll, due to the stiffer sidewalls. Tons of grip.

 

The Dunlop STAR Direzzas pretty well meet your needs; and unless TireRack has changed opinion lately thats what they say too.
If you check the wet and dry performance actual tests (sec per lap) TR performed you can get what you wanted with the alteration based on tire wear ratings.
The stock Dunslops are easily exceeded in wear ratings by even the Star Direzzas. Price you'll have to decide how much your budget can stand.

 

I have the Continental DW 205/16s on the stock rims and they are great! Only lost 2 mpgs on the highway, and maybe more if I only did city driving. The rolling resistance is noticeable just when letting off the gas in a straight line vs. stock, but these are also a little softer than the DWS model that is so popular on here. The turn in is not as good as stock, but they are the same weight, and I noticed little to no difference in acceleration. I hope they last with the way I'm driving!

 

Same here. I paired them w/ light wheels and haven't seen a gas mileage change.