Do grippy summer tires get less fuel economy than all season tire?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 14, 2004
Messages
263
Location
LA, CA
I recently got new Yoko AVS ES100 tires. Tire Rack rates them an "ultra high performance" summer tire, treadwear 280. The tires I replaced were a no-name "performance" all season tire, treadwear 360.

Anyway, I've only had the tires for a few days and about 50 miles, but so far, I'm getting at least 1 MPG less than I did with the old tires. Is this normal? I don't feel any obvious rolling resistance when I'm driving.
 
Yes -- this is normal. However, keep in mind that 1 MPG could be caused by anything. Unless you drive the same road, same speed, same style, and the weather is the same each day, you can't really compare. In general, an AS tire will get better mileage. Did you keep the same exact size? That will also affect your mileage.

Depending on my driving style, I can easily fluctuate 3-4 MPG in city driving. I tried driving like a grandma once -- just to see what would happen. I liked the 3 MPG gain, but the style wasn't for me:)
 
Driving fifty miles isn't exactly a reliable indicator, but over the life of the tires, I would expect an overall drop in gas mileage. Do they seem noisier? How's the tire pressure?
 
The factor that probably affects mileage most is tire air pressure. I found, after 17K miles, that my tires that were rated for 51 psi max performed best with 45 psi in 'em. The stock tires were rated for 44 psi max and performed best with 40 psi in 'em.
 
These tires have a reputation for being noisy. The tire pressure is 35 psi, which is generally considered to be the appropriate pressure for them. Max is listed at 44. The tires I had on before also maxed at 44, and I had them at 33.

I know 50 miles isn't a lot, but I've driven them on the same roads I always take, with very similar traffic and weather conditions. I'm pretty sure the decrease is normal.

Will this change (for better or worse) after the tires have more miles on them?
 
I'd try 38 psi in 'em and see how they ride, handle, and do in the rain. More air pressure = better handling and less rolling resistance. Given the same air pressure, your fuel mileage won't change as the tires have more miles on them.
 
I HAD these on my bmw. WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP was the sound I got even going 5mph. I got some A/S and the difference in noise was night and day.

IMHO if you can return them and get something else then you may consider it.If you don't in 7-10k you will think why did i not listen to CAr luver
tongue.gif
grin.gif
 
You should also be aware that even if you replace worn tires with the identical tire, you will experience some fuel economy loss. This is because rolling resistance in tires is somewhat related to the weight of the tires, especially the amount of rubber in the tread.
 
38 psi? That's awfully close to 44, isn't it? If I take my car to the track, I might do that, but for regular street driving you think that's okay? Right now, they handle great in dry conditions. It's sort of "rainy season" here in SoCal, it's expected to rain on Friday. I had several bad experiences in the rain with my previous tires, which I one reason I replaced them.
 
Dave in LA,

I would be very careful accepting the blanket "XX psi" recommendations without the poster knowing what tire size and vehicle you have (or some other way of knowing what inflation pressure is listed on your vehicle's placard).

For example: There are some vehicles where the placard says 26 psi, and other vehicles with the same size tire calls for 35 psi. Obviously 38 psi would have a different effect in these 2 situations.
 
I think you're right, CapriRacer; every situation is different. It's just that I've found that by experimenting a little one can often find a optimum tire pressure, that for a given car, tire, and load, provides one with his preferred combination of tire wear, ride, handling, and performance. This pressure may or may not be what the auto manufacturer recommends. Of course, if the user is happy with how his tires perform with the current air pressure then there is no need to change.
 
Rolling resistance is not the same thing as how well a tire grips on a given surface. For example, if you put mud tires on a vehicle, you'll have a lot of rolling resistance, whereas if you put high performance summer tires, that have very good traction on dry pavement, on the same vehicle, the rolling resistance will be much less than with the mud tires and the traction on dry pavement will be much better than with the mud tire. The mud tire will give you less mpg on dry pavement than the high performance summer tire. Its the rolling resistance that decreases mpg, not the amount of traction on the pavement.

And there's no way that you can determine whether your mpg goes up or down over 50 miles of driving, if for no other reason than: How do you know how much fuel you used during that 50 miles?
 
Well, I'm basing the MPG reduction on the on-board computer estimate. I know, I know, someone's going to say that those aren't accurate, but I've compared that estimate with my calculations at fill-up several times, and it's extremely accurate or at least precise. I'll try to put more miles on it and see if anything changes. I really doubt it though.
 
Aren't worn out tires of the same size probably 3/4 of an inch, to maybe 1 inch smaller in diameter compared to new ones? That would probably show up somewhere. Each revolution of the tire is giving you slightly more distance down the road than it was before, after you install new ones of the same size.

Also, the on-board computer doesn't know exactly what size tires are on the car. I guess it would be calibrated for the stock size tires...
 
Actually, the new tires I have are 205/60R14, which replaced 195/65 tires. Perhaps the extra 10mm thickness has increased the rolling resistance enough to contribute to MPG loss. The new size is actually about 3% smaller than the old size, but seeing as how they were somewhat worn, I think it works out pretty evenly.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top