low rolling resistance tires on 2012 Impala

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I have a 2012 Chevy Impala LS that came equipped with Good Year integrity tires 225/60/16.

The tires were wearing on the edges while the middle portion of the tread seemed to be wearing much slower. One dealer recommended an alignment but when I took it in to another dealer to have it done they showed me a GM service bulletin saying that the premature edge wear on the Impalas equipped with these tires was characteristic of the tires and not an alignment problem. The tech recommended not aligning the vehicle and suggested keeping up with tire rotations. I rotate tires with each oil change, approximately every 3-4K miles.

I have about 30K on the car now and the tires have just about reached their limit. I don't want to have the same problem and am looking for a replacement tire. One local dealer sells Federals and another sells Cooper. Can anyone recommend a good replacement tire? Any thoughts on the chances of the same tire wear occurring on different tires?
 
Wear on the edges, and not in the middle is a sign of low inflation.

Look on the sidewall of the tire for max inflation, do not exceed this...
Add 4-6 psi to each tire, see if wear improves...
 
First off, since this is BITOG, you're changing your oil too often lol.

If it's wearing on the inner AND outer edges, it's usually from under-inflation and not an alignment issue. My vote for tires would be the Cooper CS5, Pirelli Cinturato P7, or General Altimax RT43.
 
Originally Posted By: NJM1965
I have a 2012 Chevy Impala LS that came equipped with Good Year integrity tires 225/60/16.

The tires were wearing on the edges while the middle portion of the tread seemed to be wearing much slower. One dealer recommended an alignment but when I took it in to another dealer to have it done they showed me a GM service bulletin saying that the premature edge wear on the Impalas equipped with these tires was characteristic of the tires and not an alignment problem. The tech recommended not aligning the vehicle and suggested keeping up with tire rotations. I rotate tires with each oil change, approximately every 3-4K miles.

I have about 30K on the car now and the tires have just about reached their limit. I don't want to have the same problem and am looking for a replacement tire. One local dealer sells Federals and another sells Cooper. Can anyone recommend a good replacement tire? Any thoughts on the chances of the same tire wear occurring on different tires?
A variation on the old "they ALL do that and the factory knows about it" (but will never fix it) line. Conti makes some good low rolling resistance tires which are OEM on some US cars. There's always a tradeoff, though, between rolling resistance and traction. ANy time you have tire wear, energy is used in doing it.
 
Some year impalas had some alignment issue with the rear axle. I'd get an ironclad warranty and "alignment check" (not adjust) with printout for when you're denied later due to funny wear.
 
Second the General AltiMax RT43.

Note that they come in T, H, and V speeds.

Looks like the OE tire was an "S" speed rating, so a "T" will work...
 
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Originally Posted By: NJM1965
I have about 30K on the car now and the tires have just about reached their limit.

So what is the problem? I wish my tires lasted this long.
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
Wear on the edges, and not in the middle is a sign of low inflation.

Look on the sidewall of the tire for max inflation, do not exceed this...
Add 4-6 psi to each tire, see if wear improves...

Classic sign of under inflation, which most owners are sadly ignorant of or apathetic to.
 
It may be normal for the car. Some cars do this no matter how much air you use. Some guys on the priuschat forum would add 4-6 psi to their tires and the shoulders still wore out quickly.
 
As for tires, I can't recommend the Michelin Premier A/S enough. Phenomenal ride, great wet traction and very low noise. Great quality as usual from Michelin. Dry traction and cornering could be better, but the wet weather performance is more important in this segment.

I've been very happy with the set of Premiers on my car and would seriously consider a set for your Impala. They run about $150/tire in your size.
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
Wear on the edges, and not in the middle is a sign of low inflation......


Generally that is true, but in this case, I'm making an educated guess that Goodyear used a trick to get a lower RR - they reshaped the tread so that there is less tread rubber in the shoulders, so it wears faster there.

It is also possible that the car is being driven such that the front tires - which steer the vehicle and steering tires tend to wear in the shoulders - is emphasizing this characteristic.

And, no, the reported problem with the Impala alignment results in one sided wear. That is not the issue here.

In either case, there is nothing to be done. While it wouldn't hurt to use a bit more pressure, that might not be the source of the problem.
 
Another case of junk OEM tires. Welcome to the club. Those tires are a GM specification tire with a Goodyear label on them. I bet the same Goodyear tire that was made to Goodyear's specifications instead of GM's would not exhibit the same wear.
 
from GM:

CHEVROLET IMPALA 2013 technical service bulletin was issued Sept 01, 2012.CHEVROLET IMPALA 2013 had a failed TIRES. CHEVROLET: SHOULDER TREAD BARS, ON GOODYEAR INTEGRITY TIRES, ARE SHALLOWER THAN CENTER TREAD BARS, FOR LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE AND THIS CONSTRUCTION CONTRIBUTES TO FUEL ECONOMY BUT LIMITS LIFE EXPECTANCY OF OUTSIDE TREAD BLOCKS. MODEL 201.
 
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