Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 vs Goodyear Fuel Max?
- Thread starter logcar
- Start date
- Status
My review on ecopia here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Bridgestone_Dueler_H_L_422_Ecopia_epi/content_541682142852
Goodyear fuel max is also good from what I heard, but I have no first hand experience there.
http://www.epinions.com/review/Bridgestone_Dueler_H_L_422_Ecopia_epi/content_541682142852
Goodyear fuel max is also good from what I heard, but I have no first hand experience there.
Neither offer spectacular wet (or dry) traction, and I think wet traction is something you want in North Carolina. I would recommend the Continental ProContact EcoPlus instead. Tire Rack's report:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=155
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=155
Wet traction is fine in Ecopia. It's the dry traction that is average.
People on tirerack complain of poor threadlife on PROCONTACTS:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyCom...tirePageLocQty=
Tire is always a compromise between different features.
People on tirerack complain of poor threadlife on PROCONTACTS:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyCom...tirePageLocQty=
Tire is always a compromise between different features.
I have the GY Fuel Max tires OEM on my Cruze. 215/55-17, 580 treadwear, A temperature, A traction, V speed rating.
I have a love/hate relationship with these tires. They ride just fine, definitely roll very well, and have (dare I say it for a LRR tire) a very sporting disposition when a dry road gets twisty. The ones I have can take a corner very well without squealing. Dynamically, they're great on a dry road.
Here's my hate for these tires. These tires are mediocre at best in the wet. And that's being generous. They hydroplane easily, and wander a bit in wet conditions. The road noise in all conditions is tolerable for right now, but getting worse. I have about 12k miles on these tires, and they're noisy inside the cabin at 30 mph. Highway speeds generate enough tire noise to overpower wind noise. I'm thinking hard about ditching these tires for quieter ones once I can't stand the noise anymore. Right now I'm turning the radio up to compensate.
Dynamically, these tires are great on a dry road. If it rains regularly, be warned. Also, they will get noisy.
If you can spring for them, look at other offerings. The Yokohama Avid Ascend is supposed to be good. Many of Michelin's offerings ought to be good, too. I'm almost sure I'll be getting the Michelin Primacy MXM4 when the GY Fuel Maxes get too noisy for my hearing.
I have a love/hate relationship with these tires. They ride just fine, definitely roll very well, and have (dare I say it for a LRR tire) a very sporting disposition when a dry road gets twisty. The ones I have can take a corner very well without squealing. Dynamically, they're great on a dry road.
Here's my hate for these tires. These tires are mediocre at best in the wet. And that's being generous. They hydroplane easily, and wander a bit in wet conditions. The road noise in all conditions is tolerable for right now, but getting worse. I have about 12k miles on these tires, and they're noisy inside the cabin at 30 mph. Highway speeds generate enough tire noise to overpower wind noise. I'm thinking hard about ditching these tires for quieter ones once I can't stand the noise anymore. Right now I'm turning the radio up to compensate.
Dynamically, these tires are great on a dry road. If it rains regularly, be warned. Also, they will get noisy.
If you can spring for them, look at other offerings. The Yokohama Avid Ascend is supposed to be good. Many of Michelin's offerings ought to be good, too. I'm almost sure I'll be getting the Michelin Primacy MXM4 when the GY Fuel Maxes get too noisy for my hearing.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Neither offer spectacular wet (or dry) traction, and I think wet traction is something you want in North Carolina. I would recommend the Continental ProContact EcoPlus instead. Tire Rack's report:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=155
The Ecoplus does not deliver the same mpg as most special LRR tires. I would not consider it to be a true LRR tire.
The Avid Ascend seems to be a decent handling tire that does not compromise on mpg, from my experience.
Neither offer spectacular wet (or dry) traction, and I think wet traction is something you want in North Carolina. I would recommend the Continental ProContact EcoPlus instead. Tire Rack's report:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=155
The Ecoplus does not deliver the same mpg as most special LRR tires. I would not consider it to be a true LRR tire.
The Avid Ascend seems to be a decent handling tire that does not compromise on mpg, from my experience.
Sadly OEM tire cannot be used to judge the treadwear/performance of the same model tire bought in the stores in most cases.
OEM tires are decided usually based on bids. The manufacturer goes " we need a tire that can do this,this,this and last x amount of miles ". The tire line closest to the initial requirement is picked and then the tire is manufactured based on the criteria. The tires we purchase in the retail stores are tires made by the company how they would make it.
And as far as between the two , my vote goes for the Fuelmax. Simply because I know a couple of our customers who drive RWD cars through Indiana winters without any problems with these tires. Thats pretty sweet for it being an LRR tire.
OEM tires are decided usually based on bids. The manufacturer goes " we need a tire that can do this,this,this and last x amount of miles ". The tire line closest to the initial requirement is picked and then the tire is manufactured based on the criteria. The tires we purchase in the retail stores are tires made by the company how they would make it.
And as far as between the two , my vote goes for the Fuelmax. Simply because I know a couple of our customers who drive RWD cars through Indiana winters without any problems with these tires. Thats pretty sweet for it being an LRR tire.
With all of the hydroplaning controversy, I have had a total change of mind.
I walked into Discount Tire yesterday and ordered a set of the new 2nd generation goodyear tripletread all seasons.
Got a $180 rebate on them, so it's seemed like a pretty good deal.
I walked into Discount Tire yesterday and ordered a set of the new 2nd generation goodyear tripletread all seasons.
Got a $180 rebate on them, so it's seemed like a pretty good deal.
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Wet traction is fine in Ecopia. It's the dry traction that is average.
I suppose you could say that it's fine, but it still gets beat handily (wet and dry traction) by other tires.
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Tire is always a compromise between different features.
Exactly. It all depends on what you're looking for in a tire. I typically look for tires with better-than-average traction scores (with less of an emphasis on ride quality and noise). Tires are, after all, your only link to the road. That said, both of these choices ride pretty well and are quiet tires, so if those are the top considerations, either one would be a good choice.
Wet traction is fine in Ecopia. It's the dry traction that is average.
I suppose you could say that it's fine, but it still gets beat handily (wet and dry traction) by other tires.
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Tire is always a compromise between different features.
Exactly. It all depends on what you're looking for in a tire. I typically look for tires with better-than-average traction scores (with less of an emphasis on ride quality and noise). Tires are, after all, your only link to the road. That said, both of these choices ride pretty well and are quiet tires, so if those are the top considerations, either one would be a good choice.
Originally Posted By: logcar
With all of the hydroplaning controversy, I have had a total change of mind.
I walked into Discount Tire yesterday and ordered a set of the new 2nd generation goodyear tripletread all seasons.
Got a $180 rebate on them, so it's seemed like a pretty good deal.
Right on !! I have the first gen on my gf's Civic. She is car illiterate and yet noticed the difference between these and her old tires in snow and rain. So much so that we have been discussing replacing her car with a new one and she wants those tires on her new car as soon as we take delivery.
With all of the hydroplaning controversy, I have had a total change of mind.
I walked into Discount Tire yesterday and ordered a set of the new 2nd generation goodyear tripletread all seasons.
Got a $180 rebate on them, so it's seemed like a pretty good deal.
Right on !! I have the first gen on my gf's Civic. She is car illiterate and yet noticed the difference between these and her old tires in snow and rain. So much so that we have been discussing replacing her car with a new one and she wants those tires on her new car as soon as we take delivery.
I have a 2005 Prius with 150K miles. At 125K in February 2011, I bought the high mileage Michelins. Had a flat in June and Michelin didn't have replacements. So tried Michelin Destinys but they walked and had bad gas mileage. So Americas Tire took them back and I got the EP 422s in August 2011. Since then, I have had 3 flats due to road hazards. Anyone else have this problem??
Originally Posted By: rhawkins
I have a 2005 Prius with 150K miles. At 125K in February 2011, I bought the high mileage Michelins. Had a flat in June and Michelin didn't have replacements. So tried Michelin Destinys but they walked and had bad gas mileage. So Americas Tire took them back and I got the EP 422s in August 2011. Since then, I have had 3 flats due to road hazards. Anyone else have this problem??
That is odd. I have noticed that some of these LRR tires have fairly soft sidewalls and tread, so I wonder if this has to do with it?
I have a 2005 Prius with 150K miles. At 125K in February 2011, I bought the high mileage Michelins. Had a flat in June and Michelin didn't have replacements. So tried Michelin Destinys but they walked and had bad gas mileage. So Americas Tire took them back and I got the EP 422s in August 2011. Since then, I have had 3 flats due to road hazards. Anyone else have this problem??
That is odd. I have noticed that some of these LRR tires have fairly soft sidewalls and tread, so I wonder if this has to do with it?
Originally Posted By: rhawkins
I have a 2005 Prius with 150K miles. At 125K in February 2011, I bought the high mileage Michelins. Had a flat in June and Michelin didn't have replacements. So tried Michelin Destinys but they walked and had bad gas mileage. So Americas Tire took them back and I got the EP 422s in August 2011. Since then, I have had 3 flats due to road hazards. Anyone else have this problem??
A couple of years ago, the RMA (Rubber Manufacturers Association) went to several tire recycling centers across the US, and inspected literally thousands of tires. That data said that about 15% of the tires experienced a puncture in their lifetime. That seemed a bit high, but it's hard to argue with data.
Usaing that data, I tried to see if I could connect a brand or a tire line to puncture rate - and didn't find anything.
Then I took the opposite approach and assumed punctures were completely random and crunched the numbers - and got reasonable results.
I know this may be hard to digest - especially for those folks who have experienced multiple punctures in a short timeframe - but it appears that punctures are random events and don't vary much from brand to brand.
I have a 2005 Prius with 150K miles. At 125K in February 2011, I bought the high mileage Michelins. Had a flat in June and Michelin didn't have replacements. So tried Michelin Destinys but they walked and had bad gas mileage. So Americas Tire took them back and I got the EP 422s in August 2011. Since then, I have had 3 flats due to road hazards. Anyone else have this problem??
A couple of years ago, the RMA (Rubber Manufacturers Association) went to several tire recycling centers across the US, and inspected literally thousands of tires. That data said that about 15% of the tires experienced a puncture in their lifetime. That seemed a bit high, but it's hard to argue with data.
Usaing that data, I tried to see if I could connect a brand or a tire line to puncture rate - and didn't find anything.
Then I took the opposite approach and assumed punctures were completely random and crunched the numbers - and got reasonable results.
I know this may be hard to digest - especially for those folks who have experienced multiple punctures in a short timeframe - but it appears that punctures are random events and don't vary much from brand to brand.
- Status