Low Rolling Resistance replacement tyres (Europe)

I don't believe much in the EU tire rating system, I had Energy Saver+ on Punto and wasn't too pleased about them in the wet. On Hilux I have E rated Toyo's for wet grip, but they are like day and night compared to BF Goodrich with C rating.

I was hoping about more info through the whole tire life, I'm not really interested how they perform when brand new on some test bench. With Bridgestone EP001s I had superb wet grip through the whole (but short) tire life.

@Britprius, I like what you write about Hankook Kinergy ECO K425, will definitely consider them.

 

I hink the problem is similar as NEDC, manufacturers can stretch the numbers to their likings.

 

This is why I changed to 205 as well.

But a word of caution:

Do note that mixing them while e.g. the rears are not yet worn can lead to ABS issues (or better traction control issues). It at least did for me. At 100km/h the computer found the difference in circumference to be too big (assumption) and started flashing the traction-loss light (fact). So I had to replace all 4 in the same fortnight.

 

Sorry for the delay of my reply Gasper.

The experience of 35,000 km with those tires is quite good actually.
But the wet performance, a "C" class, is a "C" class, that is, the wet performance of an old school tire. The AutoBild results are in no way confirmed by the many users we have a feedback, really exagerated. Nonetheless, is something to bear in mind.
At 35,000 km, my tire shop defined the tires "as new" and really i have no idea when will be the time for a change! But have to say i feel the wet performance a bit worsened.

Quite a few excellent features this tires anyway: the FE improvement is absolutely mind blowing, through direct experience of quite a few members of our IT forum, myself included. Where tire resistance counts more, medium speed, i've mesured up to 14% improvement relative to the shitty Dunlop class "E". HWY will be in the area of +8%. Of course the numbers are relative to the stock option.
The glides are neverending. Incredibly silent, with 3 bar of pressure, quite high, the comfort is excellent and way better of the stock stiff Dunlop. Whether i do suggest to buy them? Yes, but only if you're a bit hypermiler.

 

Which nano? There's also the Nanoenergy 3, not very LRR, and moreover the class can vary with the size. Here we are talking about the Nanoenergy 2 that i think are "A" all over the sizes (for RR).

 

You're right for the unsatisfactory "C", not for the noise; they are very very silent, rated at one db more of the noisy original Dunlop. What db doesn't shows, is the frequency and tone of the noise, the real thing. I'm sure many had already experience about contradictory results relative to the silence class...

 

As I said earlier, EU tyre label has become the same thing as fuel consumption under NEDC. Look at any test (ADAC, Auto Bild, AMS ...) there are tyres rated A or B for wet grip but are at the bottom of tests (eg. Nankang Econex Eco-2, Energy Saver+, Kleber Dynaxer ..), it all looks like a big joke.

 

I can't complain about Energy Saver+, performs well on the wet (have it on a Carina E). Perhaps tyre dimensions, specific car weight/geometry make much difference...

 

Well, it's like a box of chocolate, you never know what you gonna get

Michelin Energy Saver+ all over the place in tests, from 1st to 8th to 15th

 

Here is an article from AutoBild from 2013, they tested low rolling resistance tyres (205/55 R16):
Sommerreifen 2013: Spritspar-Reifen im Test - autobild.de

the article can be bought for 1€, here are the results from fuel consumption at constant 60 kmh:
3.25 l/100 km Toyo Nanoenergy 2
3.47 l/100 km Conti EcoContact 5
3.48 l/100 km Bridgestone EP150
3.48 l/100 km Hankok kinergy eco
3.56 l/100 km GY EfficientGrip Performance
3.6 l/100 km Dunlop Sport BlueResponse
3.6 l/100 km Michelin EnergySaver+
3.66 l/100 km Nankang
3.66 l/100 km Pirelli P1 Verde

Bridgestone EP001s were not yet released in 2013, but I think they are up there with the Toyo.

Fuel consumption test from another AutoBild article (195/65 R15):
4.86 l/100 km GoodYear EfficientGrip Performance
4.88 l/100 km Pirelli P1 Verde
4.92 l/100 km Dunlop Sport BlueResponse
4.92 l/100 km Michelin EnergySaver+
4.93 l/100 km Conti EcoContact 5
4.95 l/100 km Nokian Line
4.96 l/100 km Yokohama C.Drive 2
4.98 l/100 km Vredestein Sportrac 5
4.99 l/100 km Fulda EcoControl HP
4.99 l/100 km Kumho Solus KH17
5.02 l/100 km Bridgestone Turanza T001
5.03 l/100 km Hankook Kinergy Eco K425
5.04 l/100 km Uniroyal Rain Expert
5.06 l/100 km Viking Pro Tech II
5.13 l/100 km Sava Intensa HP

Interesting what different size makes, but then again fuel consumption difference is not that big, Toyo is definitely in the class of it's own, but so is wet grip.

There are also completely new eco tyres from Continental, but they are available only in 16 and 17 and also come with the hefty price:
Conti.eContact™ Hybrid
Conti.eContact™ Electro

I don't have the guts to go with Toyo and EP001s are pricier and don't last that long. If I'm choosing from the others I don't see much benefit in 0.1 l/100 km difference. Pirelli, GY, Hankook seems like a good choice to me, medium lasting, good in wet, good price.

 

Looks like Nokian will join the A/A club with eLine 2 , available in the spring 2016:
Nokian eLine 2 class AA summer tyre - Advanced safety and greener mobility / Nokian Tyres

Interesting Nokian video from 2010, showing prototype tyre with class A rating, featuring Gen3 Prius :

 

I just got a Prius Plug-in recently and it needed new tyres - just got a set of Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance. Has anyone else here used these? They were a bit pricey (€85 each) but seemed to do well in the German tests - hopefully they'll be worth it.

 

That doesn't sound great, especially considering I have no spare with the Plug-in...

Regarding short life, I've heard similar with the other tyres I was considering e.g. Bridgestone Ecopia 001S/ER150 and Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco. I got the impression that all of these LRR tyres are somewhat soft...

 

It looks like there will always be compromise between grip, rolling resistance and wear. Note that EU energy label doesn't provide score for wear, so all recent tyres in my opinion are getting shorter life in order to get better energy label.

From my info I would say that longer life low rolling tyres would be:
- Toyo Nanoenergy 2
- Michelin Energy Saver +

But both with mixed results in the wet.

 

I'm sceptical about the EU tyre labels in general, especially considering how results can differ significantly from the German tests (ADAC, Auto Bild, etc.). Performance in the wet is a priority for me, living in Ireland