I’m not sure rolling resistance is part of the specs, but I like the www.tirerack.com website for making tire comparisons. Log on and have fun. I’ve been buying tires from them for years, all based on the info I glean from their comparisons, tests, and buyer responses.
I should have added this in my last post: in theory, the Goodyear Integrity must have had a low rolling resistance because they were spec’ed for the Toyota Prius. However, they only lasted for about 20,000 miles. Look at any tire comparison and you’ll see the Integrity at or near the bottom of the list. I was always used to Michelins and their ability to go 80,000 miles. So I took the Integritys off one of hybrids and replaced them with Michelin Hydroedge (I’m a little finicky about hydroplaning).
Absolutely, Caddyman; I remember the Mobilgas Economy Run, and carefully driven Ramblers and Studebakers with overdrive were always near the top.
If overall ownership (driving) cost is an issue with OP, a cheap set of tires from Walmart will last him till he trades 2 years from now to a small economy car.
My wife drives “vigorously” and usually takes her car out of overdrive. Her gas mileage is nothing to write home about, in spite of the Michelin tires.
Yeah, I think that only automatic transmission Subarus have that fuse. I’ve searched for it before when I had a flat, and couldn’t find it. And even if I could do so, I’m not convinced that that wouldn’t cause extra wear on the drivetrain. But thanks for the suggestion.
Well, I’ve run some gas through the car and the results are in.
MPG with the old, worn out tires: averaged around 23
Miles traveled with the new tires: 802 (per the odometer)
Gallons purchased: 32.51 (per Arco’s gas pumps)
MPG: 24.67 !!!
On the one hand, that’s over 7% increase, which seems improbably large. On the other hand, the new tires are almost certainly larger than the old ones due to an extra quarter inch of tread; on a 12.5-inch radius tire, that means the car goes 2% farther each time the wheel goes 'round with the new tires than it did with the old – a fact that is ignored by the odometer. Factor in the presumed difference in tire radius, and I’m going 9% farther on a gallon of gas than I was before.
Unfortunately, there are too many unknowns in the equation for me to actually claim that the new tires are making the car 9% more efficient than the old ones. I did not control for the type of driving I’m doing, and I’m only guessing at the radius of the old tires. (Although I believe I did proportionally more city and less highway driving in the past month – we’ve had a lot of rain, so I’ve been taking the car for short errands rather than riding my bike.) Most tire testers report that LRR tires are only a few percent better than the average tire; on the other hand, most tire testers probably accelerate harder and drive faster than I do, both of which would tend to decrease the effect of RR on gas mileage.
Anyways, it’s been a fun experiment, and I’m comfortable declaring that my mileage has increased (though I won’t say by how much). These tires should last until Toyota’s iQ has been around for a few years, at which point I’ll start thinking about a new car. I suppose it’s too much to hope for that they’ll sell one here similar to the 1.0L 60-MPG 2-seater that is available in Japan.