Real World LRR MPG Performance

[99Saturn]

Just curious - for those that have run low rolling resistance and non LRR tires on the same vehicle, what type of real world mpg impact have you seen (if any)?

I was taking the snow tires off the Cruze with are LRR and swapping back on the all seasons. Clearly not apples to apples comparison but it got me thinking what MPG may have been over the winter going with a different tire.

 

[datech]

I read somewhere that there is more difference in the RR presented by varying road surface, especially asphalt vs. concrete, than the LRR tires.

I would guess it all adds up, of course, and I would suspect some tires are considerably better or worse. Probably tires with different sidewall materials. For some reason it seems tires get better with age. I have noticed when I bought new tires the mpg went down slightly.

I don't know if snow tires are worse for LRR but they could well be.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: datech
For some reason it seems tires get better with age. I have noticed when I bought new tires the mpg went down slightly.

This explains why:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=177

 

[IndyIan]

There are winter tires that claim lower rolling resistance. I found subjectively that my yokohama ig52c's rolled the same as the cooper starfire all seasons on the focus which I thought was pretty good for a new snow tire compared to an all-season with maybe 12k miles on them. I always coast in N down the last hill near my house and it has a flat section half way down that really shows how much drag the car sees.
I don't know how much gas you would really save, but for equal price I'll probably look for LRR when I replace the all season tires.

 

[JOD]

There's no quick answer to this besides "it depends". On my Freestyle, a low Crr tire isn't going to save a lot, since rolling resistance is a smaller part of the overall losses. On something like a Prius, where rolling resistance is a more significant component of overall demand, it's going to have a much bigger impact (3-5mpg according to some owner reports).

I'd imagine on a Cruze, you could experience something similar going from "worst to best". The unfortunate thing is that manufacturers don't publish actual Crr numbers--and unlike bike tires this is pretty hard to test at home!

 

[badtlc]

The bridgestone Ecopia 422 appears to be the lowest RR tires I can find based on internet research. What tires out there are supposed to be about as good as it gets with regards to LRR?

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
The bridgestone Ecopia 422 appears to be the lowest RR tires I can find based on internet research. What tires out there are supposed to be about as good as it gets with regards to LRR?


Unfortunately, until manufacturers are required to publish Crr results you're left mostly with speculation and field tests that are imprecise. That said, this is one of the better tests done: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests.

It's annoying to me, because the excuses given by the tire manufacturers for not publishing their Crr results doesn't pass the smell test. Yes, Crr varies depending on a lot of variables (road surface, car's suspension etc), but lab results scale precisely to these varying conditions--and the manufacturers know this is the case!

That rant aside, it looks like the Energy Saver A/S does well--and random internet report seem positive as well.

 

[sciphi]

Cruze Eco MT owners report picking up about 3-5 mpg switching from non-LRR snow tires to the OEM LRR tires. I see about 2-3 mpg going from my LRR snow tires to my set of OEM LRR Goodyears. The difference is 41 mpg vs. 44 mpg on my commute at 40*F on a windless day.

I'd look for a LRR tire if you do a lot of driving. The gas savings will about pay the premium, if any, over similar non-LRR tires.

 

[CapriRacer]

There's no clear answer here.

First, the RR variation in a given size is on the order of 60%. That's HUGE!!

Second, the term LRR is a relative term. It means "This tire has better rolling resistance that tires that have the same treadwear and traction characteristics." - and that difference can be pretty small.

So while tires are advertised as LRR, be aware that there will be tires not so labeled that have better RR.

Then we have the problem of how vehicles consume fuel. I hope everyone realizes that a vehicle sitting at a traffic light is getting Zero mpg. - And that there is a considerable difference between highway driving mpg and city driving mpg. - and that tires are a small part of what consumes fuel.

So it's going to be difficult to get anything that resembles a good answer.

 

[99Saturn]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Cruze Eco MT owners report picking up about 3-5 mpg switching from non-LRR snow tires to the OEM LRR tires. I see about 2-3 mpg going from my LRR snow tires to my set of OEM LRR Goodyears.

Interesting - though we've only had ours (LS) a little over a year, I would say the snows from this past season (Xi3s) vs. the OEMs (FR710) on the LS fell into the same range (3-5mpg loss with the snows - probably much closer to a 3mpg loss with the Xi3s for us.
---
Of course lots of other factors skewing our numbers. The potential for sitting in traffic for an hour to go a couple of miles doesn't really help a comparison either.

 

[meep]

I installed the F'stone destination LE2's on my truck, they advertised LRR. they replaced a mix of GY wranglers and yokohama AT's. If the firestones brought an advantage, in my application it is too small to measure. AT tires do not yield good mpg, so just removing AT's from the mix, I expected to see some improvement.

Conversely, in my last vehicle I moved from oem GY forteras to a bridgestone AT, mpg dropped a solid 2 mpg, typical per tire review.

this just adds to the above points that it varies per application and vehicle.

 

[Traction]

Among many variables, don't forget the rolling diameter changes from new to worn, with worn tires registering more clicks on the odometer.

 

[GatorJ]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
The bridgestone Ecopia 422 appears to be the lowest RR tires I can find based on internet research. What tires out there are supposed to be about as good as it gets with regards to LRR?


I just installed a set of the Ecopias on my Ford Escape Hybrid. It originally came with Continental EcoPlus. Noisy tires, but very long lasting. I then switched to Michelin Latitude Tours with Green X technology, an excellent all around tire. I had a gift certificate for a free set of Firestone/Bridgestone tires that was set to expire 12/13, so I replaced the Michelins with half tread life remaining. The Bridgestones have been great on both dry and wet pavement. Living in Florida, I can't comment on snow/ice capabilities. They are several pounds lighter than either the Contis or Michelins, are quieter and ride smoother. Gas mileage is up over 1/2 MPG as a bonus. They get great reviews on Tirerack. I'm very pleased with them. Also a $70 rebate going on now.

 

[stranger706]

I can also vouch for the excellent Bridgestone Ecopia's.

Mother in law replaced the OEM Conti's on her Escape with the Ecopia's. Instantly saw a 1-2 mpg improvement. I've borrowed her car a few times for projects and the Conti's were terrible in every aspect. Not surprising since they were OEM. I later drove the car with the Ecopia's and its a completely different vehicle.

I feel this is one of the best all around tires to hit the market lately. Reviews on Tirerack reflect this. I will certainly be considering them in the future especially given their great pricing.

 

[kkreit01]

Originally Posted By: stranger706
...
I feel this is one of the best all around tires to hit the market lately. Reviews on Tirerack reflect this. I will certainly be considering them in the future especially given their great pricing.


If we're still talking of the Ecopia 422, TR reviews appear mediocre to me. It's rated 12 out of 28 tires, and no dark green (superior) ratings in any category. They are probably the best for LRR, but that's it.

 

[deanm11]

I will have some results from my 2012 Subaru but not until August/Sep. I have purchased early Continental PureContact (LRR tire) to replace the [censored] OEM Yokohamas in about 5000 miles. I have meticulous mileage records and have a good feel for mileage for various conditions/temps, etc. So I think I can give a pretty good estimate of the difference though as has been mentioned, the initial evaluation will be materially impacted by new tire tread depth/squirm.