PIP/Gen3 and Michelin Defender LLR Tires

Fuel efficiency is lower than the Energy Saver A/S and lower than the OE tire but handling and treadlife are higher on the Defender. Which is more important to you?

 

The Defenders have a treadwear number of 820 - the highest I've seen so far on a tire... One could probably get some good fuel efficiency by making sure the tires stay inflated at max pressure.

 

The information is out there if you choose to look for it. Unfortunately it is not contained in a single test. The fact that you cannot have a tire that is ultra LRR and ultra long-lived and have excellent traction is a good indicator that the Defender is less fuel efficient than the Energy Saver A/S. you can only choose one corner of the magic triangle to perfect in. A few of us have tested the tires and have come to the same conclusion. The Defender is slightly worse than the OE tires in terms of fuel efficiency and the Energy Saver A/S is 2-3mpg better than the OE tire. You can stretch the Magic Triangle somewhat when exotic materials and construction are employed but you can only go so far and that raises the price of the tire.

FWIW, the 4 times I have contacted Michelin on this matter they adamantly stated the Defender is not replacing the Energy Saver A/S. If that has changed then it is news to me.

That being said, the Defender appears to be a great tire and safer than the Energy Saver A/S. I still prefer the later.

 

None of the newer 2009+ LRR tires in North America have been thoroughly tested on machines like they have done with older tires or is being done in Europe. Most of the tests here are done by Consumer Reports, TireRack.com etc.. Some of us have our anecdotal evidence as well. The few people who have tried the Defender in a 195/65/15 observed a drop of 2-3mpg over their worn OE Yokohama S33D tires. With wear, the Defender would likely come to within 1mpg of the OE tire but have much better performance and longevity. Unfortunately, when TireRack tested the Defender against other LRR tires, they didn't produce and fuel efficiency numbers that they could print so it left us in the dark. All we have to go by are user experiences and manufacturer information. Using the same anecdotal experiences, the Energy Saver A/S beats the OE tire by 2-3mpg even when brand new! I've observed this myself.

Here is an older test that included the Energy Saver A/S.
Tire Test Results : When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

My first set of Primacy MXM4s were used on my GenII and were GreenX labeled for LRR. They are a fantastic tire but not the most fuel efficient despite their LRR rating. I bought another set of 215/45/17s for my GenIII but returned them after observing a 7+mpg hit vs. my 15" Energy Saver A/S.
Tire Test Results : Testing New Grand Touring All-Season Tires

 

I try to maintain a list of relevant tire tests here.

New Tire Tests from Tirerack.com | PriusChat

 

I just put a set of Energy Saver A/S on my PIP. They are still listed on the Michelin website. The Michelin website also indicates that the Energy Saver A/S is more fuel efficent than the Defender tire.

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