Sporty tires?

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daves87rs

daves87rs

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To those with small cars, I must ask- When you "upgrade" your tires, do you lose MPGs?

My "other" car is still running the stock goodyears that she came with. But when I was shopping fot tires for this car, I was told that you will lose some gas milage if you change to a sportier or stiffer tire.


Now, since is it the 3rd car, I'm not that worried about losing a few drops of gas here and there. Now, I can see this on thinner tire, but mine are pretty wide at 70. (195/70/14) What do you guys think? Have you noticed anything different? I've read some tire reviews, and some were really good for a laugh..


Some of the tires I was considering were Cooper CS4s, BFG Tactions TAs, Altramax RTs, even Tiger paws.....
 
Yes, you may get worse gas mileage, up to 4-5%, if you upgrade to high performance tires with speed rate H or higher from current speed rate S or T. But you'll get better performance such as quick respond, higher lateral acceleration, shorter stopping distance ...
 
None of those are "sporty" tires.

The OE tires have very low rolling resistance and are classified as LRR tires. Most of the aftermarket replacement tires do not fall into this category, so you will lose some fuel economy. The exact amount varies, but it's probably a few percent and you may or may not notice.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Yes, you may get worse gas mileage, up to 4-5%, if you upgrade to high performance tires with speed rate H or higher from current speed rate S or T. But you'll get better performance such as quick respond, higher lateral acceleration, shorter stopping distance ...



Now that I like.
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
None of those are "sporty" tires.

The OE tires have very low rolling resistance and are classified as LRR tires. Most of the aftermarket replacement tires do not fall into this category, so you will lose some fuel economy. The exact amount varies, but it's probably a few percent and you may or may not notice.


I know, but they really don't make many "sporty" tires in my size (14s), and I don't plan to waste the money to upgrade the rim size. But I guess to get more fun out of them would make the slight loss more than worth it.
 
btw 70 is not the width factor of the tire. the first number is the width of the tire. the second is the ratio of side wall to width. third is the rim size :)

I'm rocking 195/70/14s (wanted a touch more ground clearance over the 185/70/14s) Michelin X-raidals from Sam's Club. They're a great tire IMO at least in this size. plus after the instant rebate they were $20 cheaper than the BFG. The BFGs are good tires too. My wife probably has maybe 50-60K on her Traction T/As (cavalier 195/70/14) and they're not to the wear bars yet.

Matt
 
I went from Bridgestone Turanza EL-400s on my Civic to General Altimax HPs. Not performance tires but more performance oriented than some other all-seasons. I saw noticeable handling improvement over the Turanzas, and haven't seen a measured decrease in my gas mileage.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
For size 195/70-14, I would choose either General Altimax RT or Pirelli P4 Four Seasons.


I've heard some rough stuff on the P4s...but everyone seems to like the RTs....
 
The BFGoodrich Traction T/A is absolutely a "sporty" tire, and very well rated in the High Performance category on Tire Rack to boot. I put those on my girlfriend's '97 Escort and it significantly improved the handling of the car compared to the cheapo tires that were on before. Did not notice any MPG change so if there was any it was pretty small.
 
Originally Posted By: Lorenzo
The BFGoodrich Traction T/A is absolutely a "sporty" tire, and very well rated in the High Performance category on Tire Rack to boot. I put those on my girlfriend's '97 Escort and it significantly improved the handling of the car compared to the cheapo tires that were on before. Did not notice any MPG change so if there was any it was pretty small.


I've heard very good things about them.


I really want the CS4s, but everybody says to go with either the TAs or the Altimax RTs.
 
Originally Posted By: Lorenzo
The BFGoodrich Traction T/A is absolutely a "sporty" tire, and very well rated in the High Performance category on Tire Rack to boot.


The H and V versions are high performance tires, but the T version is not. BFG should give them different names.

The H and T versions are both available in 195/70R14, and are the same price ($65) at Tirerack.

I don't know anything about its rolling resistance, but IMO the H-rated Traction T/A is the best tire you could get in that size.
 
Originally Posted By: rpn453
195/70R14


That'll never be a sporty tire, because it's almost a balloon tire.
wink.gif
If it were at least a 195/55/R16...
 
Originally Posted By: moribundman
Originally Posted By: rpn453
195/70R14


That'll never be a sporty tire, because it's almost a balloon tire.
wink.gif
If it were at least a 195/55/R16...



I know...but even driving a balloon has to be fun...
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Buffman
btw 70 is not the width factor of the tire. the first number is the width of the tire. the second is the ratio of side wall to width. third is the rim size :)


+1
 
Originally Posted By: rpn453
The H and V versions are high performance tires, but the T version is not. BFG should give them different names ... the H-rated Traction T/A is the best tire you could get in that size.
Yup, ours was the H rated version and it's definitely the best performance you can get in that size.
 
195/70/14R is a great size. Even the most expensive tires are affordable. I'd probably get some mean looking tires (TripleTreds, HydroEdge, Traction T/A, Altimax RT, etc.) to make up for the size. TripleTreds handled great on my little Escort and didn't affect fuel efficiency too much.

Originally Posted By: rationull
I went from Bridgestone Turanza EL-400s on my Civic to General Altimax HPs. Not performance tires but more performance oriented than some other all-seasons. I saw noticeable handling improvement over the Turanzas, and haven't seen a measured decrease in my gas mileage.

The OE Bridgestones have given me good MPG's and dry traction, but they're poor in the rain and dangerous in the snow. They don't look likely to last more than 25,000 miles on my Civic. I've been thinking of the Altimax HPs or Fuel Max as affordable replacements, but I want to see some treadlife reviews before I do.
 
Originally Posted By: tropic
195/70/14R is a great size. Even the most expensive tires are affordable. I'd probably get some mean looking tires (TripleTreds, HydroEdge, Traction T/A, Altimax RT, etc.) to make up for the size. TripleTreds handled great on my little Escort and didn't affect fuel efficiency too much.

Originally Posted By: rationull
I went from Bridgestone Turanza EL-400s on my Civic to General Altimax HPs. Not performance tires but more performance oriented than some other all-seasons. I saw noticeable handling improvement over the Turanzas, and haven't seen a measured decrease in my gas mileage.

The OE Bridgestones have given me good MPG's and dry traction, but they're poor in the rain and dangerous in the snow. They don't look likely to last more than 25,000 miles on my Civic. I've been thinking of the Altimax HPs or Fuel Max as affordable replacements, but I want to see some treadlife reviews before I do.



Very true..I think the TT tires were like 90 bucks a tire....


With the 50 dollar rebate, it's tempting to go with the Altimax RTs...
 
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