Has anyone that looks close at and works hard to get the best mpg found a replacement tire that did better then the OEM Dunlap's?

Don't need to here about better other preformace just tires that provided BETTER fuel efficiency for 1st hand experence.

 

I like the Conti Pro Contact.... It weighs just 16 LBs. in 195/ 55/ 15 and is a great all round tire with 400 wear rating.

 

That's pretty cool but.....Did you happened to see what it did to your fuel efficiency?

 

Actually I was so into the way it handled and drove mounted on 9 1/2 LB Enkei RPF! wheels I didn't pay a lot f attention to driving slow..... They still matched what I'd been getting at more reasonable speeds with the stock tires..... I put on a super charger kit and really drive fast now and manage 31 to 33 MPG where I was getting a pretty constant 38 and sometime touching 40...... I am not a hyper miler but I don't always drive full tilt either so I am probably not much help I did get a solid 39.5 on a 275mile trip driving 80MPH just before the S/C installation.... Tires are getting more condition and driving style specific in design all the time.... I went with these performance touring tires because of the performance gain from reduced weight, higher load rating,and a tread design that is very suitable for anything other than closed course racing and I am not sure that they would slow me down much even then...... Shop Tire Rack and research to find what you want.... These fit me well and another tire may be more to your liking but take time making your pick.

 

pcs0snq,

If you're still checking this thread, I wonder what you decided to do, or what you've learned about replacement tires. I'm about to replace my original Dunlops, which I think have held up well considering I keep them overinflated at 48 psi. They're horrible in the snow, however.

 

Look at the Nokian i3, H and V. Make sure they are European manufactured, not China. Something about rubber compounds. High wear rating, low rolling resistance, excellent performance.

 

I'm down to 4 to 5/32's and if some take off don't show up I'll be ordering new ones from Tire rack. Same tire.

BTW I have rolled the last 25k with 60psi cold
I should get close to 40k miles out of this original ser

 

Personally, while I do what I can to get good mileage (and I consistently get over 40 mpg highway), I would pick my tires based more on their traction in variable conditions, and their wear (because if they wear out quickly and you don't replace them, their performance suffers, which negates picking based on performance). I do this because tires have such a dramatic effect on car performance, and thus, safety. One accident caused by skidding, one hazard not avoided because the car didn't have enough traction, costs more than all the gas saved - costs more not only in dollars, but also in the environmental cost of manufacture of a replacement car (how much gas/coal does it take to make a car, all the way from mining to dealership, I wonder). Further, the costs of personal injury, financial and otherwise, are tremendous. I'll take the best braking/cornering traction (in dry, wet, and icy conditions) I can afford. However, I'm still interested to hear how high-efficiency tires are working out.

 

Great reasoning. Even though I seldom drive in snow and ice, I chose tires with a MS, XL, all season and 400 tire wear rating..... The roads here are of asphalt with an aggregate of flint rock that provide great traction but a short life span for tires with soft rubber..... I had gotten a good deal on a Dunlop Sport Max tire with a V or maybe a Z rating for the motorcycle I was riding at the time. The tread depth was 6 MM when I purchased it on a Friday and down to 3MM by Monday afternoon and had only been ridden on for 1000 miles. They were fun,fast miles on a scenic and challenging mountain roads but in 2 weeks time I was riding on a slick back tire..... The Conti Pro Contact tires I have on my car look like they are going to easily last twice as long as the stock tires if not three times longer..... Uni directional tires last longer for me and wear better because they can be rotated side to side.

 

Interesting thread. I never realized how good the OEM setup was until I changed over to them for the winter. As soon as I bought my Canadian GE8 LX trim level back in April of last year (I think it was April), I immediately purchased aftermarket wheels and performance tires. The new wheels/tires were put on within a day or two of purchasing the vehicle. This past winter, I put the OEM rims and tires back on. Mileage improved and so did performance. I was pleasantly surprised. The difference was quite noticeable. Now that the weather is better, I put the aftermarket wheels and tires on again. Performance and mileage are now suffering. Damn, the wheels are so nice, too. I don't give a rat's tail about mileage, but losing performance sucks, LOL.

One good thing is, the tires I have now stick to the road like glue.

 

I can't figure out why your car would be slower since the wheels weigh about 16.9 pounds which is close to the stock 15" wheels on the GD but still a little lighter..... I went to a performance touring type tire in the stock size and RPFIs on my 07 model and lightened it up by close to 9 lbs per axle and the gains in every respect are incredible..... There is one guy that post here that went to 15" wheels with 195 45 15 tires and he is still jumping up and down he is so pleased with the change.

 

Perhaps the rolling resistance, as mentioned by someone else in this thread?


In my garage, I used to let the car roll out by itself. Now it takes much longer to get it rolling and when it does, it's a crawl.

There is an off ramp on the freeway that I take on my way to work. I can put the car into neutral just before it and let it coast for a long, long time. Almost to the light. Now, the car comes to a stop half way.

It's not my imagination. Maybe the tread pattern and rubber compound of the tires slow everything down. It is noisier, too. Contact patch. Great tires for car with lots of horsepower and torque, but not much good for smaller cars like ours.


Edit: I wasn't sure if you were replying to my post of not.

 

I don't think that a lighter wheel and tire combo is likely to coast as far due to reduced inertia, they don't take as much power to get moving when accelerating which should make up for the loss on the other end.... I know from bicycling that a more aggressive and softer tread has more rolling resistance..... Life is full of compensations, a very educated man told me over 40 years ago, which I interpreted as meaning, you can't have it all.....