Originally Posted By: Jason Adcock
Originally Posted By: semaj281
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
DO NOT expect to get good fuel economy AND good wear. Those 2 are trade-offs!
Maybe my comprehension is off but from what I read on that article, I think you meant to say fuel economy and good traction are 2 trade offs.
No, he's right, low rolling resistance seems to be inversely proportional to tread life.
Just examine the UTQG tread wear ratings on the current crop of low rolling resistance tires. Their tread life warranties are lower than their conventional counterparts as well. The Michelin Energy Saver A/S doesn't even come with a tread life warranty from Michelin. The UTQG is only 480 as I recall, with is performance all season territory.
Actually it's a 3 way - Rolling Resistance (Fuel Economy) / Traction / Tread wear.
And to comment on silica. Increasing amounts of silica improve RR at the sacrifice of traction and / or treadwear - just like carbon black does - EXCEPT that you can somewhat compensate so the falloff isn't as great.
That means that tires with super treadwear properties - and tires with super traction properties - will have no silica in the tread compound, and tires with super rolling resistance properties will have lots of silica. If you are targeting for something in between, you'll get a blend.