Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max

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How much you save completely depends on what tires you have on the car now. Everyone's savings will be different. I think I'll buy a set when my current tires wear out which may be this summer yet, if not, next spring. If the reviews look bad I may change my mind however.
 
Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
How much you save completely depends on what tires you have on the car now.


This is absolutely a true statement. What is the car and make/model of the tire in question? OEM tires are typically very good as far as fuel economy goes. Aftermarket replacement tires can vary. For example, Goodyear claims that the Assurance FuelMax brings a 4% improvement over the Assurance ComforTred, but the ComforTred tire (and its sister, the TripleTred) aren't known for having a low rolling resistance; to the contrary, many reports indicate a measurable mileage drop with those tires. Again, it's all going to depend on what you're comparing to...it's all relative.

Michelin is probably the most known for producing tires with low rolling resistance. Its "Energy" tires are known the world over for blending low rolling resistance with good treadwear and performance, but even their conventional passenger tires often post good rolling resistance marks (when tested against their peers).

I've bought three sets of new tires in the past year. One was a set of Michelin X Radials from Sam's Club, to replace the awful Bridgestone Turanza EL42 tires on our minivan. I also replaced the OEM Bridgestone Insignia SE200 tires on the Corolla with a set of Yokohama Avid TRZs. In neither case did I measure any real fuel economy difference. Both of those tires are reported to have very good rolling resistance numbers, but so did the OEM tires in both cases I imagine. If I had used the Goodyear Assurance FuelMax, I'm positive that I wouldn't be able to measure any difference there either. Either way, I was pleased that I couldn't tell a difference, because it's not uncommon to see a DROP in fuel economy when installing new tires. New tires in general are going to have more rolling resistance compared with more worn tires. (The third set of tires I bought was for a pickup, and they were of a completely different size, so any difference in fuel economy cannot be attributed to the tires' rubber compound alone.)
 
Put a set of the Goodyear Fuel Max tires on my '06 Saturn Vue about a month ago. I don't think the promised fuel mileage increase is large enough to measure in uncontrolled conditions. So, I haven't bothered checking it yet. The cost of the new tires was reasonable enough to take a chance on them. I wasn't paying a premium for the potential of better fuel mileage. Even if the mileage increase is 1-2% it is worth it. The tires handle and ride about the same as the original Bridgestone tires.
I did notice that I picked up a bit more speed on downhill sections of road frequently traveled. Must be less less rolling resistance. Next time I take a road trip I will check the mileage to see if it's better than the 25-27 mpg I usually experience.
 
Originally Posted By: ems1
Put a set of the Goodyear Fuel Max tires on my '06 Saturn Vue about a month ago. I don't think the promised fuel mileage increase is large enough to measure in uncontrolled conditions. So, I haven't bothered checking it yet. The cost of the new tires was reasonable enough to take a chance on them. I wasn't paying a premium for the potential of better fuel mileage. Even if the mileage increase is 1-2% it is worth it. The tires handle and ride about the same as the original Bridgestone tires.
I did notice that I picked up a bit more speed on downhill sections of road frequently traveled. Must be less less rolling resistance. Next time I take a road trip I will check the mileage to see if it's better than the 25-27 mpg I usually experience.


What kind of Bridgestone tires were the OEM's?
 
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
Originally Posted By: ems1
Put a set of the Goodyear Fuel Max tires on my '06 Saturn Vue about a month ago. I don't think the promised fuel mileage increase is large enough to measure in uncontrolled conditions. So, I haven't bothered checking it yet. The cost of the new tires was reasonable enough to take a chance on them. I wasn't paying a premium for the potential of better fuel mileage. Even if the mileage increase is 1-2% it is worth it. The tires handle and ride about the same as the original Bridgestone tires.
I did notice that I picked up a bit more speed on downhill sections of road frequently traveled. Must be less less rolling resistance. Next time I take a road trip I will check the mileage to see if it's better than the 25-27 mpg I usually experience.


What kind of Bridgestone tires were the OEM's?


The Bridgestones were the original equipment tires 235r/65-16. If I remember correctly they were the Duelers. I only got 35,000 miles out of them. 50/50 highway city mix of driving.
 
Originally Posted By: ems1
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
Originally Posted By: ems1
Put a set of the Goodyear Fuel Max tires on my '06 Saturn Vue about a month ago. I don't think the promised fuel mileage increase is large enough to measure in uncontrolled conditions. So, I haven't bothered checking it yet. The cost of the new tires was reasonable enough to take a chance on them. I wasn't paying a premium for the potential of better fuel mileage. Even if the mileage increase is 1-2% it is worth it. The tires handle and ride about the same as the original Bridgestone tires.
I did notice that I picked up a bit more speed on downhill sections of road frequently traveled. Must be less less rolling resistance. Next time I take a road trip I will check the mileage to see if it's better than the 25-27 mpg I usually experience.


What kind of Bridgestone tires were the OEM's?


The Bridgestones were the original equipment tires 235r/65-16. If I remember correctly they were the Duelers. I only got 35,000 miles out of them. 50/50 highway city mix of driving.


Thanks. If you could, keep us posted as you put more miles on these. I'd like to know especially if tire noise increases (or not) as they wear down. So far I haven't heard anything but good things about these tires and I'm thinking of getting a set in about a year.
 
One significant way to decrease rolling resistance is to inflate your tires, whatever the model. We keep ours at 40-41 cold (max 44 cold) and while the ride is a little firmer, it does help fuel economy.
 
I've found varying success in increasing tire pressure. I actually get better economy with the tires on my Corolla at 30 PSI compared with at 35 PSI.

One theory I've read is that if you increase air pressure too much, you force the struts to take some of the smaller road imperfections that the sidewalls of the tires would have normally taken, and it takes more energy to compress a strut than it does to compress a sidewall. Said another way, there appears to be a point of diminishing (and even reversing) returns.

On our minivan, I can tell no difference between 36 PSI (factory spec) and as many as 42 PSI that I've run in it before. I'm currently running about 39 PSI in the front and about 37 PSI in the rear of the van. On my older Cadillacs, I could see a difference (a positive one) between 30 PSI (factory spec) and about 35 PSI that I ran in them.

Interestingly, those Cadillacs had very soft struts, so increasing the PSI seemed to help economy. My Corolla has relatively stiff struts, and increasing the PSI seemed to decrease economy (or at least not improve it any).
 
This was just posted on Tire Rack this past week. The review is anecdotal at best, but it's interesting given the recent discussion of both the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max and the Cooper CS4 Touring:

Thank you Goodyear Fuel Max for returning our car to us. Original equipment Dunlop SP31 tires gave good economy, lasted only 17K miles. Cooper CS4 Touring replacements were a mistake, as economy dropped from 52mpg highway to only 38mpg. I sold them after only a few miles and ordered the Fuel Max from Tire Rack (Thanks, Tire Rack, for the great service!) and economy in town has gone from 28mpg to over 40! So far, the tires give a quiet ride, good handling, and excellent economy returns. The trip computer is returning results that the tires are as advertised: extreme low rolling resistance. Not enough miles yet to comment on life of tires, but the fuel economy returns were immediately evident.

Source:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyCom...commentStatus=P

Edit: the car is reportedly a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid according to the user's comment header on Tire Rack's website.
 
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I've read that hybrids are sensitive to tire choices. Gotta stick with the low rolling resistance models.

At the same time, I frequently see Prius' and the like on the highway, whizzing past me at 80+ MPH. Can't help to wonder how those low rolling resistance tires are helping their fuel mileage at those speeds.

IMO, if you want better fuel mileage, slow down. I can't see tire choice making a difference in mileage, unless you own a hybrid.
 
I can't really see a 12 MPG difference just between tire models -- if the same driving manners. But then again, I've never had a hybrid. The hybrid drivers around here typically drive 10 MPH under the limit.
 
Originally Posted By: bretfraz
I've read that hybrids are sensitive to tire choices. Gotta stick with the low rolling resistance models.


Well, given a percentage difference in rolling resistance, they can appear to be more sensitive. If Tire A provides a 5% increase in fuel economy over Tire B, at 45 MPG, that's a 2.3 MPG difference -- measurable. But on a 18 MPG pickup truck...0.9 MPG...probably not measurable (or at least noticed). Hybrid owners are also likely paying more attention to their fuel economy, reporting even the smallest difference.

Originally Posted By: bretfraz
I can't see tire choice making a difference in mileage, unless you own a hybrid.


It will, but it just won't be as noticeable if you're only getting 15 MPG. Even a 10% change is only 1.5 MPG. It'd be measurable over time, but probably not noticed on a daily basis. I mentioned an acquaintance of mine who reported a consistent 3% reduction in fuel economy when he bought new Cooper CS4 Touring tires compared with his old ones (I don't know what they were). And this is on a Kia minivan, so maybe 17 MPG overall. A 3% difference is a 0.5 MPG change at that overall level of fuel consumption. It's measurable, but only if you're really paying attention to it.

But that's only on a daily basis. Most folks don't recognize the impact over the life of the tire. Let's say you're in the market for new tires for your truck, and your truck averages 16 MPG overall. Tire A costs $750 for the set and Tire B costs $550 for the set. Initially, you look at the $200 initial cost difference and might scoff at the first set because of the price. A 5% difference in fuel economy is only 0.8 MPG afterall -- not even worth considering right?

Well, if you drive 10k miles a year and those tires last you 40k miles, that's 4 years of getting 16.8 MPG vs. 16.0 MPG, or a savings of about 120 gallons of gas. If gas prices average $3/gallon over the next 4 years, then that set of Tire B is costing you $360 more over the next four years compared with Tire A.

So while you might have initially scoffed at Tire A because of the $200 initial price premium, by buying Tire A instead of Tire B, you actually saved $160 bucks, and likely had a better and safer (better performing) tire over those 40,000 miles as well. Now, will you necessarily be able to find a tire that'll reduce your fuel consumption by 5%? Not always. But my point is only that rolling resistance plays more of a part in the lifetime cost of a set of tires than many folks realize, and a set with lower rolling resistance might just save you money in the end (in addition to saving the trees and the little squirrels and all that happy stuff).
 
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Originally Posted By: Jason Adcock
This was just posted on Tire Rack this past week. The review is anecdotal at best, but it's interesting given the recent discussion of both the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max and the Cooper CS4 Touring:

Thank you Goodyear Fuel Max for returning our car to us. Original equipment Dunlop SP31 tires gave good economy, lasted only 17K miles. Cooper CS4 Touring replacements were a mistake, as economy dropped from 52mpg highway to only 38mpg. I sold them after only a few miles and ordered the Fuel Max from Tire Rack (Thanks, Tire Rack, for the great service!) and economy in town has gone from 28mpg to over 40! So far, the tires give a quiet ride, good handling, and excellent economy returns. The trip computer is returning results that the tires are as advertised: extreme low rolling resistance. Not enough miles yet to comment on life of tires, but the fuel economy returns were immediately evident.

Source:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyCom...commentStatus=P

Edit: the car is reportedly a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid according to the user's comment header on Tire Rack's website.



I've never seen such a fantastic plug for a company!


No, really...
 
does low rolling resistance equal less grip?

I'd rather have grip and lose a few MPGs than save fuel and dance the dance...
 
Quote:
as economy dropped from 52mpg highway to only 38mpg. I sold them after only a few miles and ordered the Fuel Max from Tire Rack (Thanks, Tire Rack, for the great service!) and economy in town has gone from 28mpg to over 40!


Something is rotten in Denmark...... 14mpg difference??????

And then from 28 (where did this number come from? I thought it was 38?) to 40?, which is only 2Mpg off from the original complaint????

Sense. That review has none.
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Quote:
as economy dropped from 52mpg highway to only 38mpg. I sold them after only a few miles and ordered the Fuel Max from Tire Rack (Thanks, Tire Rack, for the great service!) and economy in town has gone from 28mpg to over 40!


Something is rotten in Denmark...... 14mpg difference??????

And then from 28 (where did this number come from? I thought it was 38?) to 40?, which is only 2Mpg off from the original complaint????

Sense. That review has none.
grin2.gif



It's definitely not worded very well. The numbers in the first sentence are referring to the drop in highway mileage after the OEM tires were replaced with the second set of tires.

The numbers in the second sentence are referring to the rise in city mileage after the second set was replaced with the third set (the GY fuel max).

It sounds like this person is trying to say the fuel max tires are getting the same mileage as the OEM's and the second set of tires were cruddy.

With the way this review is worded, I would bet any amount of money that it's a blonde female. I married one, and have gotten used to understanding her gibberish and translating it for other people.
 
Originally Posted By: bretfraz
I've read that hybrids are sensitive to tire choices. Gotta stick with the low rolling resistance models.

At the same time, I frequently see Prius' and the like on the highway, whizzing past me at 80+ MPH. Can't help to wonder how those low rolling resistance tires are helping their fuel mileage at those speeds.

IMO, if you want better fuel mileage, slow down. I can't see tire choice making a difference in mileage, unless you own a hybrid.


I have to bust this myth every time I see it. The fuel economy benefits of a hybrid don't magically disappear just because one drives fast. Hybrids are subject to the same laws of physics and aerodynamics as any other car. If a hybrid driver chooses to drive fast, he's making the same tradeoff as the driver of any other vehicle -- less travel time in exchange for more fuel.

But you STILL get the proportional gain in fuel economy relative to conventionals of the same size and weight. So what if I drive my Camry at a tad over 80 mph sometimes. That means I'll get about 3 mpg less than I would if doing 65-70 -- a loss just like any other car. But I'm still way ahead, because there aren't too many 3700 lb cars out there that can achieve the high 30s while cruising at 75 mph.
 
Now, back on topic. I'm actually considering these tires. Long-range research in progress. I'll probably get another 20k (a tad over six months) on the OEM Bridgestones, and I'm starting the homework now.

Anyone have any more performance observations about these tires? Frankly, I'm a little gunshy on Goodyear, after having experienced several sets of absolutely awful GY Integrity tires. . .
 
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