Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
I'm surprised a '17 Escape came with Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires, as they are expensive in the aftermarket at $200 each or so. Ford gets them cheaper for sure though I guess. ...
That tire is found on many high-MPG hybrids, and electric vehicles as OE: Chevy Bolt & Volt; Ford C-Max Hybrid, Fusion Hybrid, & Focus Electric; Honda Accord Hybrid.
It is chosen for those since rolling resistance is about the lowest available today, kind of a specialty high-performance high-MPG low-hysteresis Michelin all-season invention.
If saving gas is important, that tire is about the best one can do. There are of course many other choices that would increase performance in other areas, although that infomation is hard to find clearly. The Hankooks you mentioned should be fine. .... Lately I've been into General G-MAX AS-05 & Kumho Ecsta 4x II tires, good all-around performers I'm running now. Rebates available and prices count as well.
It all depends on what driving properties you want to the most of: rain, snow, ice, dry, MPG (rolling resistance) .. all up to your priorities, and price of course.
Wet performance wasn't very good for the Hankooks in the tire rack test:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=200
I think price vs. performance is a huge scam on many OEM tires, I know the flavor/size of Dueler that came on my FXT was crazy expensive on TireRack yet they were also quite possibly the worst tires I have ever had on a vehicle.
Pretty funny to see horrible user reviews for a tire they were asking $200+ for, as a point of reference I think the well regarded and sorta pricey Michelin Premier A/S was about $180 for the same size then (I see it is almost $200 now). I think I paid about $130 per tire for the Goodyear Eagle Sport A/S that I picked up for non-winter use after the OEMs wore out early and they flat out owned those Duelers in every way.
I think some people feel safer just buying the OEM tire at replacement time or maybe just don't do their research, and they then get fleeced for an inferior product.