2010 Camry xle 4cylinder ? about tires

[hardyrxp]

Hello to all,
1st off if this is posted in the wrong section please let me know sorry in advance. I have a unique question for you guys and need some help and expertise here.
Here are the facts the car is 2010 Camry xle 4 cylinder.
The original tires were Michelin (can't remember the model) and we got 47k miles out of them. When we put new tires on the car we notice a significant drop in gas mileage. I am perplexed here as I don't understand how this could happen or what could cause this. My question(s) are how much difference can a tire brand make on the gas mileage? Keep in mind the tires are the same factory size 215/60 r16 just a different brand. Nexen N5000 is the brand that we put on the car now. Those Tires had great reviews and are all weather tires.
My other question is have you guys ever heard of a tire brand to make that much difference on the gas mileage of a car? If so please indulge me as to how this could happen?
I have other cars and have put several different brands/tires on the cars and I have never experienced this problem or drop in gas mileage... Please help and indulge/explain to me as I don't understand thanks in advance.

 

[The Critic]

Yes, tires can make a 5-10% difference in fuel economy. This is due to the low rolling resistance properties of many factory tires; more and more aftermarket tires are now containing the low rolling resistance technology contained in OE tires.

In addition, worn tires will always deliver better fuel economy than new tires. This is due to the significant decrease in rolling resistance on a worn tire compared to a new one.

Add up those two items, and you can have a pretty significant drop.

 

[zloveraz]

Originally Posted By: hardyrxp
Hello to all,
1st off if this is posted in the wrong section please let me know sorry in advance. I have a unique question for you guys and need some help and expertise here.
Here are the facts the car is 2010 Camry xle 4 cylinder.
The original tires were Michelin (can't remember the model) and we got 47k miles out of them. When we put new tires on the car we notice a significant drop in gas mileage. I am perplexed here as I don't understand how this could happen or what could cause this. My question(s) are how much difference can a tire brand make on the gas mileage? Keep in mind the tires are the same factory size 215/60 r16 just a different brand. Nexen N5000 is the brand that we put on the car now. Those Tires had great reviews and are all weather tires.
My other question is have you guys ever heard of a tire brand to make that much difference on the gas mileage of a car? If so please indulge me as to how this could happen?
I have other cars and have put several different brands/tires on the cars and I have never experienced this problem or drop in gas mileage... Please help and indulge/explain to me as I don't understand thanks in advance.


How much of a change in mileage? Have your driving habits changed, I.e. more short city trips? This could be just bad timing with a change in driving habits, fuel quality, weather, etc.

First i would make sure you check your air pressure.

Yes tires can increase or decrease your MPG, the lower the rolling resistance, the less effort from your engine, the better the gas mileage. No idea if this is the case with your Nexen tires but if they are inflated properly it might be.

I only purchase Michelin for my vehicles, I live by the motto buy the best and cry only once.

 

[hardyrxp]

Hello,
1st off thanks for answering back so quickly to all of you... Okay so here is a good question I thought of after reading what you guys are saying....
Do you think I would notice any difference if any in gas mileage if I put on some Michelin tires vs. the Nexen N 5000 tires? If you think there would be a difference in gas mileage how much difference do you think?
Do you think it would be worth it (that big of a difference) to get the Michelin tires instead of the Nexen N 5000?

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Don't be so concerned about the brand, any brand can make tires that are better or worse for fuel economy. It all depends on what that tire was marketed for. I would say off the top of my head that Michelin tends to market more fuel efficient models than other brands, they have kind of led the charge on this compared to many companies but pretty much all companies market low rolling resistance tires now. Most OEM model of tires, those that were originally spec.'d for cars from the manufacturers are of fairly low rolling resistance since the car companies need to meet CAFE requirements and they advertise fuel economy on each car. Consumer Reports rates cars for rolling resistance and the Tirerack website allows you to filter the tire search to look at only Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires if you want. The tirerack website is based on if the tire is advertised and LRR where as Consumer Reports is based on their own testing and will get a grade from Poor to Excellent (5 levels) comparing the tires to the peer group of tires being tested.

 

[Doog]

Add 2 psi over what is listed on the door sticker and you'll get most of your mpg back. I am on the 3rd set of Nexens on my wifes car and they are real sticky when new. After they get 25000 miles you will see about 2 mpg better. I am getting 50-55,000 miles out of a set. Just got a new set at Walmart for $410 installed and balanced with new tps kits and all. They are directional tires so make sure they are rolling in the correct direction. There is an arrow indicator on the sidewall. BTW, I have a set of Michelin Energy LRR on my car and they are horrible in the snow and cost $300 more than the Nexens. I'll be putting Nexens on my car when these wear out.

Now you are going to hear a bunch of people bash Nexen. LOL. Let them bash. I'll save the $$ for the same thing.

 

[cchase]

Some of the reasons new tires may result in lower fuel economy:

- higher rolling resistance - many OEM tires are formulated for low rolling resistance to help fuel economy, many aftermarket tires put more of a focus on traction

- less tread depth = more efficient transfer of energy to road

- less tread depth = smaller circumference resulting in inflated odometer/speedometer readings. Putting new tires will result in fewer miles shown per actual mile compared to worn tires, thus at the end of a tank it may say 199 miles with new tires instead of 201 miles with worn tires...

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Some of the reasons new tires may result in lower fuel economy:

- higher rolling resistance - many OEM tires are formulated for low rolling resistance to help fuel economy, many aftermarket tires put more of a focus on traction

- less tread depth = more efficient transfer of energy to road

- less tread depth = smaller circumference resulting in inflated odometer/speedometer readings. Putting new tires will result in fewer miles shown per actual mile compared to worn tires, thus at the end of a tank it may say 199 miles with new tires instead of 201 miles with worn tires...


This is exactly what I was going to say..

tires with higher RR-(usually more traction too)

tires are physically larger so observed fuel economy may decrease about 2% just from this.

New tires have more tread squirm etc..=not as efficient as baldies at Low RR.

most low RR tires will return great fuel economy and rubbish traction.

but their are some gems.

you also have to choose how much traction is acceptable.

if you want the Best mpg

Michelin energy saver a/s is great.


i lost 5-7% going from oem low RR yokohama g95a

to UHP kumho 4x.. but the traction difference is amazing.. esp in the wet or light snow.

 

[UG_Passat]

according to Tirerack, it's Michelin Energy MXV4 S8... so yes... it's a Low Rolling Resistance Tire.

not all LRR tires are made to handle like [censored]. Most tire manufacturers design their tires to sacriface lateral stability & grip for rolling resistance.

for the same price as the stock tires... you can afford Nokian eTYRE or if you want some better snow traction when the DC area does get hit with a snow storm, WR-G2.

 

[hardyrxp]

Thanks so much for your help guys I will increase the tire pressure and see if that helps.
What is Nokian etyre please explain or send a link I have never heard of that tire?

 

[UG_Passat]

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=99244&group=1.02&name=Nokian+eNTYRE

 

[hardyrxp]

Thanks for getting back to me & giving me more info. Where did u hear about these tires? I have never heard of them curious?

 

[GC4lunch]

Originally Posted By: hardyrxp
Where did u hear about these tires? I have never heard of them curious?

Nokian is the brand of tires made by the Finnish Nokia group of companies. You probably have heard of Nokia cell phones. A few years back, Nokia CRT computer monitors were among the world's best. Nokia[n] long has been the (pretty much unchallenged) world leader in winter tire technology: run a search on Hakkapeliitta. Saabs and Volvos all ran on Nokians every winter.

Going back further, the way Nokia became a giant corporation in the first place was that for much of the 20th Century (except when wars got in the way), it was the major supplier of toilet paper to most of Europe. Nice business: when you gotta go, you gotta go.

 

[hardyrxp]

Thank you for that info and clearing that up. Now it makes more sense to me. I will read about them and research further....

 

[spk2000]

Nexen is not nokia. They are korean made and are comparable to Hankook and Kumho. My opinion is that they are low quality and technology. Similar to tires made 30-40 years ago by the big players. They sell for cheaper and there is definitely a market for them just depends on your needs.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: spk2000
Nexen is not nokia. They are korean made and are comparable to Hankook and Kumho. My opinion is that they are low quality and technology. Similar to tires made 30-40 years ago by the big players. They sell for cheaper and there is definitely a market for them just depends on your needs.


No one said Nexen was Nokia. He posted a link to Nokian tires.

 

[HTSS_TR]

N5000 is middle of the lines of Nexen tires, it is more for family sedans than high performance cars.

I am sure N5000 is much better tire in term of performance/handling than any middle line tire of any company 30-40 years ago.

It's true that N5000 performance/handling isn't as good as some of major brands, but for the price and its intended uses it is a good value.

 

[Ken2]

Quote:
Do you think it would be worth it (that big of a difference) to get the Michelin tires instead of the Nexen N 5000?
After the Nexen's are worn out?...Yes, switch to a low rolling resistance tire, maybe Michelin, maybe something else for both better fuel consumption and longer tire life. Right now?...you'll lose money.