Low Rolling Resistance tyres
 

Tyres - Low Rolling Resistance. Anyone have any data on the latest L.R.R. tyres? I need a set (for Punto 165/70 R14)and am considering the Eco Contact 3 (Continental). What sort of % fuel saving do they give? I am interested in economy as the number one factor for choice.

You might take a look at the reviews and ratings at Tire Track. They're my go to site for all things tire-related. I don't know if they cover the UK tire market though.

>What sort of % fuel saving do they give?

You shouldn't expect miracles. Brand new LRR tyres will have worse rolling resistance than an old worn set of normal tyres. When you are comparing two sets of tyres of equal wear the LRRs will give you an extra % or two of MPG (for each 10% reduction in rolling resistance you will see roughly 1% reduction in fuel usage).

I personally like the Michelin Energy Savers. But the Eco Contact 3 will probably give you roughly the same fuel saving.

My gf car picked up 2 mpg just by installing the 5th gen civic vx rims with 155/80-13 tires. I have a friend that uses the kumho kr22 eco tires and when we had challenges he always won.

Just by switching to another set of normal tires? Are you sure that the tires weren't just larger diameter? If you switch to larger diameter tires, your speedo and odo will both read high, and when you fill up, you'll think you've traveled farther, which means inflated MPG figures. Unless of course you account for that by adjusting your tripometer number.

>If you switch to larger diameter tires, your speedo and odo will both read high,

Actually no, they'll read low not high.

He's gone for narrow tyres with high profile rubber, which will give better rolling resistance than the same tyres on wide rims with low profile.

Also, if you do pick larger diameter tyres, and adjust for it (with a GPS or whatever), you should find that MPG improves slightly due to the higher gearing effect it provides.

Right, and whether they are larger or smaller, without scaling your tripometer miles appropriately, you have no way of knowing whether they are helping, hurting, or just plain not doing anything.

Michelin Primacy HP

Michelin Primacy MXV4

Michelin Defender

Continental ContiTouring Contact

Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max

All those are reputable LRR tires. I would opt for the Michelin although you'll pay a premium for them compared to other brands.

I had these tyres on my Panda, but they were 155/70 13" from memory! That's also the car i got 82 MPG in so there could be some truth in these things.

On the down side, they are hard, noisy and grip was poor. Economy, or comfort/grip choose wisely!

I bought and had installed on my wife's Mazda MPV Minivan a set of LRR Goodyear Tires about 6 months ago. Truth be known, I haven't seen any difference in mileage or fuel economy over the previous set of tires. My thought on replacing them the next time they're worn out is that while it probably can't hurt to use LRR tires, if they're the same or close on price I'll get them again, if they're much more, I'll go with the traditional rolling resistance tires and take my chances.