Time for new tires! Are energy saving tires worth the extra cost? Do they wear out quicker than not energy savers? $800 dollars for tires just seems a bit insane to me. I have a truck and I don't spend that much!
Pay more to get more mpg/e but less miles (tread depth is less). I didnt plan to use them again, I figure the mileage gain is minimal but then again the ones on the car have over 40k and still have fair amount of life left... (I feel like they've lasted longer than the ones on the Fit EV but then again those were fairly skinny...)
I barely hit 34k..... I think that's the math.....more mpg/e but you have to purchase them more often/wear out faster? I'm thinking it's better to just go with regular old...............................tires.
We’ve had reports of premature tire wear at 20K miles on the OEM tires and reports of 40K miles on the same tires with no signs of unusual or premature wear. Inexpensive, Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires have reportedly worn prematurely as well. For someone who anticipates tires wearing out tires at 20-30K miles, regardless of the brand or quality of the tire, it may be less costly to buy the least expensive tires. Tires typically carry mileage warranties of 50-80K, so it could be worth considering a low cost 80K mile tire if the warranty would cover 75% of the replacement cost, should the tire wear out at 20K.
Which handling characteristics do you feel could be improved with a different set of tires? Can you recommend a tire that would achieve said goal?
@Lucien Mcleod chose BF Goodrich GForce sport comp 2 tires for his Clarity @Klong also put BF Goodrich Comp 2 summer tires on his Clarity and said, "Handling was greatly improved." @V8Power recommended Michelin Pilot Super Sports summers, "For me, the shorter stopping distance and enhanced control is worth it from a safety perspective and the responsiveness is a bonus. These tires and the new [Michelin Pilot Sport] 4S are amazing but pricey so I might go Yokohama Advan Sport V105 that are close in performance at a lower price." Some other performance-oriented tires I've read about (of course, fuel efficiency will suffer): Continental Premium Contact 6 Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 Bridgestone Turanza T005 Michelin Primacy 4
Did they publish any test results that compare the tires? Measured stopping distance? Skid pad? One mans “greatly improved” is another mans “meh”. The Clarity isn’t exactly a canyon carver or track star. Just my opinion, performance tires, particularly expensive ones, on a Clarity, would be money wasted.
If our Clarity was the only car in our family and I decided like some posters on this forum to ditch the eco tires, I'd definitely go for more grip than just a lower price. However, our Clarity is the replacement for an old Insight--eco is the priority for that car. I haven't driven a Porsche Taycan to ruin me, but I think the Clarity handles pretty well for a 2-ton eco car that costs less than half the price of a Taycan.
I have been very satisfied with the Michelin Cross-Climate+ on my Clarity. This is Grand Touring All Season tire ll-Weather tire versus a performance tire and I believe have now been superseded by the CrossClimate 2. I replaced my stock Michelin Energy Savers last January at 27,000 miles and although I have not measured it, they are quiet, appear to have a minimal impact on overall fuel economy, and definitely handle better in all conditions. The were also rated highly by Consumer Reports and have many positive user reviews on TireRack. My recollection is their Their load rating is also better then the stock Energy Savers...good luck!
Here, I will provide testing result directly from the NHTSA for your own convenience. If you are not familiar with their grading system, please refer to their comprehensive Consumer Guide to Uniform Tire Quality Grading. The database does not include some aforementioned models that are newer, however if you so desire, you may use a previous generation as a general reference. Michelin Energy Saver A/S (OEM, for reference) Traction: A Temp: B Wear: 480 BF Goodrich g- Force Sport Comp 2 Traction: AA Temp: A Wear: 340 Michelin Pilot Super Sport Traction: AA Temp: A Wear: 300 Michelin Primacy MXV4 Traction: A Temp: A Wear: 500 I am certain that this will not satiate your appetite, but the NHTSA can only please so many. Cheers
You are correct. I’m looking for subjective data to support the objective claims. Tread wear and traction ratings don’t provide that information. All too often people believe that their vehicle is “better” after they hand over a sweaty wad of cash for some parts. Under what conditions was “handling greatly improved”? And how were those improvements measured? It may be too much to ask. I just don’t see how an informed decision can be made without answers to those questions.
I've ordered Crossclimate+ as well. Coincidentally, I have 27K miles on my 2018 (delivered 12/17) Clarity and the OEM tires have become downright dangerous in light snow (the treads still look pretty good so age probably contributes). I almost crashed going slowly around a corner. It's gotten pretty bad on wet pavement too. Until I get the new tires installed, I only drive the Clarity on dry roads. When the car was new, I was impressed with snow handling so beware if your tires are getting to 3 years old. The Crossclimate2 is not currently available in Clarity's size but don't worry that you're getting an obsolete tire with the Crossclimate+. The below video explains the difference (probably accurate because Michelin supplied his tires). The Crossclimate+ was designed for the needs of European drivers while the CC2 was designed for the US market. The CC+ has better handling and braking in dry and wet conditions (according the Tirerack tests) while the CC2 should be better in the snow and last longer (according to Michelin). For folks here, the CC+ should also provide better fuel efficiency/range than the CC2 (again a greater priority for European drivers). The major plus for us is that the CC+ will provide superior performance to OEM on all aspects except range. BTW, the CC+ also has a higher load rating (important for a heavy car like the Clarity), temperature rating (A vs OEM's B), and speed rating (Y vs OEM's V) compared to the Energy Savers.
We're talking Clarity here. V is rated up to 149 mph and Y 186 mph. Perhaps a higher speed rating implies better quality, but Car and Driver measured the car's top speed at 101 mph so sticking with a V rating isn't going to result in tread flying off the tires due to beyond-rated G-forces.
before buying a 2018 clarity, i had a 2013 Prius V. ended up getting new tire for it. before the tire change i was getting 44mpg in 75% city driving environment. at the time, LRR tires were new type of tire, but they promised a 10% improvement on MPG's. well, they were also higher priced and will less then 50k on the OEM tires, i didn't feel the price justified the benefit. so i got regular tires. my mpg dropped from 44 do 40! yeah, 10% was a real #. after doing more math and calculating the price per gallon, tire life and price difference of LRR vs Reg. it end up being a wash! i'm at 40K on my clarity already. 3 OEM tires 1 reg are holding up ok, but i'll in the market for new tires before the year is up, for sure. i'll do the math again and see, but most likely i'll buy regular tires with 70-80K mi life. i lot of my cars get close or past the 100K mi mark, so i don't want to be buying tires every 2-2.5 years. --just looked on tirerack.com for 235/45r-18 tires: the factory tires are michelin green x=$275/tire x4=$1100 ( Size: 235/45R18 94V Different Tread, Honda Style: Blackwall Eco Focus: Green X Serv. Desc: 94VLoad Index 94= 1,477 lbs (670 kg) per tire Speed Rating “V”= 149 mph (240 kph)" UTQG: 500 A A what gets me is the low UTQG of 5x the regular wear. they don't rate is on miles anymore, but 5x is a bit on low side for high price of tire. Bridgestone TURANZA QUIETTRACK Grand Touring All-Season Size: 235/45R18 94V Style: Blackwall Serv. Desc: 94VLoad Index 94= 1,477 lbs (670 kg) per tire Speed Rating “V”= 149 mph (240 kph)" UTQG: 800 A A Traction: A Temperature: A" has a better rating, non eco, for $205/tire for total of $823
It will be interesting to see if the rounded contact patch leads to premature wear in the center of the tire, a problem that has been reported with the square contact patch of the OEM tires. Or if there is significant wear before reaching the 60K warranty figure. If I recall, the temperature rating of the CC is B, same as the OEM tires. Additionally, the load rating for the OEM tires is more than adequate for the Clarity at GVWR. Higher load and speed ratings are unnecessary for a Clarity. Perhaps they would be desirable on a heavier, faster Model S? Also of note, the traction rating is determined by a locked up tire on a wet surface. This is a situation unlikely to be encountered by anyone who owns an ABS equipped vehicle. It’s usefulness as a data point is questionable. The CC’s seem to be a reasonable choice for someone in snow country. We rarely have significant snow. When we do, or when we plan to travel in snowy areas we take the Grand Cherokee.
My OEM Energy Savers were replaced about 6 weeks ago at 30,000 miles. They were poor winter tires and I would not recommend them. After much research I went with Continental Pure Contact for a cash price of $630 after rebate. So far I am quite satisfied with these tires for ride, road noise, handling and winter conditions. Since these tires have more grip (hence better performance on snow), I did have to compromise a bit with maybe 5-10% reduced mileage.
Our 2019 has Michelin Energy Savers as OEM tires. They carry a 55K mile warranty, a 480 tread wear rating and a price of $220 at tire rack.
