Michelin Defender

I am in the market to replace my Ecopias. I went to Discount Tire and inquired about the Energy Saver AS and the tech told me he would go with the new Michelin Defender tire. He said they are almost as efficient as the energy savers and will last much longer and provide much better traction. How many mpgs can I expect to lose? Any suggestions? Also my Ecopias EP20 have only 23,000 on them. I have rotated every 5,000 and they are at 4/32. They also are wearing on the outer edges? Is this normal?

I highly doubt they are close to the efficiency of the Energy Saver A/S but they seem to be a good tire. Lasting longer doesn't always translate into saving money either. If the Energy Saver A/S provides a 2-3mpg gain over the Defender which we believe it should then it would cost less to run despite it not lasting as long. If you value handling over mpg then get the Defender, if you value mpg and comfort over handling then get the Energy Saver A/S. If you don't mind a small mpg hit and want the best wet traction possible in a LRR tire then get the Continental ProContact with EcoPlus.

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No one has reported fuel efficiency with the Defenders. As expected, discussing the topic of fuel efficiency with your typical tire tech will get you laughed out the door.

The Defender is a more well-rounded tire than the Energy Saver A/S, at least on paper. Most aftermarket tires will cause you to lose 5-7%, perhaps a tad mode under certain circumstances (hilly terrain) so I would plan on this as a worst case scenario.


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i just got a set of defenders in 205/55r16. im putting them on 16" 19# wheels. i will report back in a very critical review after a few thousands miles and some break in. i am replacing the original yoko s33. i have ~10,000 miles on them, the care was purchased off lease. my mpg is as varied as 45-52 mpg on the yoko's avg prob about 49 mpg on the cars computer. even if i take a hit in mpg, 2%-5%= i will still get 42-mpg worse case scenario which is still much better than what i got in my 25mpg ford. according to my calc, the 16" will be slightly smaller than the stock 195/65r15 (24.8 vs 24.9") so it will throw the wheel sensors off a bit, inc mpg slightly. i dont get in a lot of P&G commute and am usually focused on other things rather than how leaded my right foot is. im not too interested in hypermiling, either. sorry if this isnt so scientific, im putting this out there as straightforward as possible.

i disagree with tire techs laughing you out the door. everyone has very specific needs for their vehicle. if a professional tire tech cant help you with you specific and various needs, then they need to leave the customer service field. every tire manufacturer is incorporating LRR into every tire they make now, and if your tire techs dont know anything about them, you probably need to find a more professional shop. there are plenty

You are correct, but unfortunately most tire "professionals" I have talked to have little interest in LRR tires nor are they convinced that it can make a meaningful difference.


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I would love to get more feedback on the Defenders in terms of MPG. I am really needing a set of tires (48K with original Ecopias). The Ecopias have been fine and I get great mileage but I wouldn't mind a bit better winter traction. If I am going to take a huge MPG hit that is definitely something to consider. With the current Costco specials they are about $160 in difference installed with tax OTD. Can't make up my mind.

Assuming those are Ecopia EP20 (and you don't have separate snow's), I would get those swapped before winter. When new they're not bad in light snow, but once they're well worn the siping and cross tread is basically gone, making them treacherous.

I bought the EP422 yesterday for 402 OTD. I didn't want to wait until winter with those for sure.

Please , keep us informed on the gas mileage , ride , noise level , and handling . Thanks .

Here's another tank of 40+ with 422s' since installation on the '11 base model Fit with the 5 speed auto . Have 5 straight fills 0f 40+ . 41.1 calculated ( 241.6 mis. / 5.89 gals. )

How is this relevant to this forum?

Perhaps you should post this in the general automotive or off-topic section.


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I have 750 miles on the Defenders. Solid 3 MPG decrease vs. the stock Yokohama Avid S33 OEM with 40,000 miles they replaced. Compared vs. the worn Yokohamas the Defenders are very quiet, the ride is much more confortable (very plush, best feature) and handling is better. My commute has been the same for the last 3 years, I monitor closely Trip A (reset every fill) and Trip B (reset every service). MPG has always been 49.5-50 mpg. MPG drops a little in the mild SoCal Winter to 48.5 MPG. With the Defenders I am getting 46 MPG driving the exact same route. I also noticed acceleration is a little more sluggish.

The Defenders are great if you want a quiet, conformable tire which is what I was after. I was hoping the MPG hit would be less but it seems you cannot have it all.

" How is this relevant to this forum?

Relevant to post above by Geeter .

Disappointing MPG drop but not unexpected I think. Thanks for posting this.

I am in the market to replace my Priusc 3rd Gen tires (with 47K now).. It seems this post only talked about Energy Saver AS and Michelin Defender ... is there other options out there ?

Scroll up to the second post in this thread you will see the link. It is the low rolling resistance tire list link.

Bruno, new tires always induce a mpg hit unless you buy a superior LRR tire. Even if you had purchased the same exact model at OE you would have observed a hit. I have a feeling you'll get back to your original numbers once these tires break in. Or you'll get close to it.

As I am writing this, 4 new Michelin Defender tires are being installed on my 2010 Prius IV . I will comment further after I have had the opportunity to test them out and see the difference in MPG (from Yokohamas) and how it drives/handles. I am especially interested to see how they handle in rain/snowy conditions. For heavy snowfalls in Chicago, I drive an SUV, but have found for most of last winter I could drive the Prius daily. I purchased my Michelin Defender tires at Sears Auto Center in Vernon Hills and the price installed with tax OTD, including additional Road Hazard Plus Assurance, was $615. In addition, Michelin is offering a $70 rebate for the purchase of 4 new tires so I think the cost is excellent.

I am having the same tires (and same pricing/rebate) as lovemypriustoo through Discount Tire Service this week. I need the tires now. However if you can wait a month, Costco tire service will have the $70 rebate and their price is $40 less for the set of 4. Thank you, BrunoS, for your review. That is the info I was looking for.