mellonc

I got this Milestar brand tires from Amazon. Great price - $298 installed for all 4 of them. Michelin Premier A/S would have set me back $800. What's not to like? MIlestar has great ride and good handling (wet traction is not as good). Yet, the mpg is drastically different. I did a 650 mile round trip, twice during a same week and found out that I'm suffering from about 8% loss in fuel economy. this equates to about $200 more per year in diesel fuel (my car is diesel). Over 3 years (45k miles) I'm out additional $600, which totals up to $900 in my real cost of these tires.

Note to self: You get what you pay for in tires.

KEY08

Pay me now or pay me later. Thanks for sharing that info. I am sure it will help others contemplating a tire brand swap.

PatrixUSA

...interesting. you replaced with the same size tires and same wheels right? 8% is pretty dramatic for only 650 miles x2. i wonder what this mileage difference could be attributed to? rolling resistance of new tires that much different, weight of each tire, different speed rating (stickiness of rubber), etc?

thefisch

When I've read tire reviews, I had always dismissed the comments on fuel efficiency thinking it wouldn't add up. But you've certainly shown it can.

Arrie

mellonc

I run about 34 PSI (at around 60 degrees ambient temp) all around when driving alone. During cruising speed, it goes up to about 38 to 40 psi.

The earlier comment from another poster about new tires having more resistance makes sense. Also the new tires have larger diameter which translates to less number of revolution - meaning less miles per gallon. However, I understand this only amounts to 1 to 2% difference in mpg.....

kajtek1

I think you need to redo your calculation.
When you put bigger tires, your car for example shows 300 miles since fillup when in fact you drove 320 miles.
Different tire build can change tire rolling resistance, but not to 8% when you have 2 identical sized tires inflated to the same pressure.
Cheaper tires are usually build with softer rubber, what increase mpg. Still the difference falls within calculating margin error.

mellonc

errrr, I didn't put bigger tires. same size as as before. what I meant above is that the diameter may be perhaps larger by just a bit due to more rubber on the new tire. but should be a negligible difference.

mellonc

Following up........
My back tires are bald now. this in less than 7000 miles. I went to do a normal rotation the other day only to find the middle portion completely bald. three things recognized:
1. this brand sucks
2. turbo diesel kicks out a lot torque to the rear wheels - hard to control because turbo spools up rather quickly between 1000 rpm and 2000 rpm
3. as some suggested, having equal pressure between front and back tires seems more ideal. the middle part wore out first, suggesting a tiny bit of over inflation. (factory recommends higher psi for the rear but that assumes full load on the car)

gonna try Michelin Premier AS H rated tires.

KEY08

kajtek1

What was review on those tires when you bought them? Did they come with any warranty and threadwear ratings?
I was buying cheap tires before, but usually they would give 30k miles on car, or on my flatbed I got 60,000 miles out of cheap tires.
The 250 Bluetec can spin the tires, but do not exaggerate that it does it routinely. The 320 Bluetec does that and since Michelins suck at traction- I have to control my right foot entering freeway ramp.
Now after 7000 miles how your mpg compare?

teksurv

Thanks for the follow up. Live and learn, and your lesson may help others.

cetialpha5

Did you get an alignment? Unusual tire wear can be due to a bad alignment although all that they can really do is set toe. You may also have some other worn suspension components back there causing early tire wear. Some people swear that they've never needed one, but around here with all the potholes, I get them done a couple times a year and I always get before and after readings and it does drift off. I knew one that it was off right away after I hit a really bad pothole, steering wheel was to the left of center right afterwards.

pamiboy

Sorry to hear about your experience, an thanks for the tips...
Does the Micheline Premier which you want to install come as OEM on this car? Is it comfort, performance or quietness oriented?
My car came with Conti pro's and despite not so good reviews by several members, it has been robust so far (30 K miles) except for some road noise on concrete.

El Cid

Forget where, but when I was doing tire research I came across information that old tires may be more fuel efficient than new ones. Something to do with the worn nature being more efficient. Less traction/grip perhaps? "Rubber" is harder?
I am happy with the Continental PureContact LS' that I got a few months ago. Especially compared to the Michelins that came on the tire. The LS version is fairly new, but developed to be more comfortable and quieter. My experiences so far. The MPG is slightly less per the MPG gauge in the car. But that may be due to a whole range of other factors, such as more short trips than in past, etc.

mellonc

The warranty (50K miles) procedure is next impossible to follow. It also doesn't help that Mrs. MellonC has a lead foot. I'll contact Amazon and see what they say but I think I may have missed the rotation window because I was trying to rotate after 7K miles.

MILEAGE WARRANTY PROCEDURE: Each step of the following procedures must be completed in order to quality for any credit provided by this warranty:
1. The Dealer must contact the Tireco Consumer Relations Department to receive a Return Merchandise Number (RMA) to start the mileage warranty claim process. a. rma@tireco.com b. 1-800-937-9433
2. The Dealer must use the Warranty Claim Form provided by Tireco for any adjustments to be considered for credit. The Claim Form must be filled in completely (Tire size, Tread pattern, DOT, Remaining tread, etc).
3. To obtain mileage proration adjustments the dealer must have completed the Tire Installation Form http://www.milestartire.com/assets/t...form121813.pdf and provide proof of original purchase for the claim tires(s) that states the vehicle mileage at the time of the original installation.
4. Dealer must obtain proof that the tires have been rotated every 5,000 miles and complete and sign Tireco’s Mounting and Rotation Service Record (For Mileage Warranty) Form http:/www.milestartire.com/assets/mounting_and_rotation.pdf
5. The Consumer Relations Representative will request tire(s) to be sent to one of Tireco’s Adjustment centers at our expense for inspection. Shipping instructions along with an RMA number will be provided.
6. The Dealer must send the completed Claim Form and all other documents for the mileage warranty with Tires to the Adjustment Center.
7. Upon receipt of documents and tires, the appropriate Tireco Representative will complete the inspection.
8. If the tire(s) is adjustable, the Dealer will be notified and will be issued a credit after which the tire will be destroyed by Tireco.
9. If the tire(s) is not adjustable and does not meet the limited mileage requirements, the Dealer will receive a letter of notification with an explanation. If the tire(s) was requested by the dealer to be returned, the non adjustable tire(s) will be returned at the expense of the Dealer. Any tire that the Dealer leaves with Tireco will be destroyed without further notice.
10. No credit shall be given until a completed warranty claim form and all documents related to the claim are received by Tireco and the tire is found to be adjustable.
11. Any form that is illegible or incomplete may be returned to the Dealer for completion and will delay the application process. For any questions or if you need assistance in filling out the forms, please call Tireco consumer relations department (800) 937 - 9433 or email us at rma@tireco.com

mellonc

Tire wear pattern was quite even. I am also quite leery of getting alignment done on any car - hard to get it perfectly correct.

mellonc

No. The OEM was a run flat tire. I hate run flats.

In general, my experience with Michelins has always been lower noise and better ride comfort given comparable handling dynamics with competitors. Better I had the same tires on a another car before and found it lasted about 43K miles. I'd presume something less on this car.

YMMV since you drive the gas engined car. Your torque curve is flatter and shouldn't lead to so much sudden load on the rear tires.