How do I make my car the most eco friendly.

Defenders has to be one of the best for this right now (at least of the LRR tires) at 90k, correct?

 

Hi Markabele,

I'd like to think so, but I'll wait for CR and F8L to chime in for more informed opinions.

Michelin says the tyre has RR 15% less than this

The treadwear is stupendous, just like the hydroedges on my Prius. I'm not sure about the comparison tyre for LRR.

 

While in principle I agree with you in practice we all know these ratings are almost meaningless. The ratings are fixed by the manufacturer and have little or nothing to do with how long the tyres will last.

I have had tyres rated at 260 that have outlasted others with a rating of 400 on the same car in the same conditions.

If the tyres did last for say 80,000 miles they would not really be safe in the latter years of there life for someone that only does 10,000miles a year. Some tyres have ratings of 100,000 miles but are often very expensive and a simple puncture can ruin even the "best" tyre.

Even the LRR tyre at the moment is a lottery as standard test figures are not generally published. This will change at the end of this year within the EU as all tyres sold will be required by law to publish detailed specifications as to, rolling resistance, noise, and grip

 

Excellent news, thanks

 

Surprisingly I have just been on the UK Michelin web site and they list the average life of the ,Energy saver and other Michelin car tyres as 28,000 miles and they quote an internal source for this figure.

 

So far as I know 'gaming' the treadwear number happens at the other end.

Enthusiasts with little practical knowledge assume a low treadwear number mean more grip, so the manufactures under estimate their 'bling' tires so the wannabees think they are getting good grip. This is not illegal as the tire meets the lower number as a minimum.

(this is similar to 'increasing the horsepower' of your Prius by making it louder)

 

I learned today that my advice has a caveat, since my 90k mile Michelin Hydroedge tyres have developed dry rot (sidewall cracking) that requires replacement even though lots of treadwear remains. I probably should not be too surprised since I live in a dry desert climate and the car is not garaged. My next set will not set high treadware rating as a priority.