mhousealum

So I was in the market for a set of new tires as the Goodyear Eagles that were on the Q when I bought it had worn unevenly (front 5/32 tread left, rear 7/32). I have a '14 2.0t with about 33k on the odometer. It's a premium plus with tire size 235/55/19.

Anyways, I had narrowed my choices down to the Michelin Latitude Tour, Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus, and the Continental CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology. I decided on the Pirellis and got an alignment Tuesday and booked my appointment for installation with Discount Tire today. So, it was around 1:30 p.m. when they finished and I decided to take the highway home instead of going back to the office. I'm in Atlanta and this is one of the windows of time during the work week you can actually travel the perimeter without running into a wall of traffic. Long story short, the Pirellis feel great with very good handling. I took the interchange from 85N to 285E about 70 mph and it felt like it was on rails. But here is my main reason for posting: With the Goodyears driving around 75 mph for an extended period time and then a little bit of street stop and go traffic, I would get around 23-24 mpg per the computer. I noticed by the time I got to my exit, the computer was reading 28.7 mpg and by the time I got to my house, it had settled at 27.0 mpg. If this holds, the net tire cost will be significantly lower over time than was I paid for the set today (tire cost- fuel savings).

Pirelli markets the tire as fuel efficient with a 20% reduction in rolling resistance for improved fuel efficiency. I thought that was just marketing but I think I was wrong. They're also relatively quiet which seals the deal. Just thought I'd let you guys/gals know if you're getting close to needing new tires.

tomaszp72

I have the same tire, not much change in the fuel economy from my old Contis. Actually I think Contis were a little bit better over all, but no complains abour pireliss. I looked for a different tire because Contis lasted 25k, but this could also be my driving time will tell
I don't think you can go wrong with either.

BTW: I had my dealer install them because the dealer was the cheapest...go figure...

mhousealum

The dealer was willing to match DT on price but they charge for rotate and balance while DT includes lifetime rotate and balance. And when I say charge, the dealer was like $1XX for a rotate and balance (can't remember the exact figure). That's highway robbery.

Redd

Surprising amount of mpg difference. Do you regularly check the inflation of your tires? And have you checked to see if the new ones are perhaps overinflated to help give better mileage?

Tire buying would be so much simpler (or at least, more logical) if we could only test drive the damned things.

ex-quattro PETE

Yeah. I bet other variables are contributing to this, not just tires alone.

As far as my tire preference, when the OEM Contis are done, I will likely replace them with Michelin Premier LTX if they continue to gather great reviews like they currently are. Also considering upsizing to 255/50 from the current 235/55/19 in hopes of gaining more curb rash protection - wife has already mutilated one of the rims.

vutekho

I can tell you what not to get, the Yokohama Parada Spec 2, tires. Brand new, these tires produce a very annoying howling sound at speeds above 90mph. It's loud the first 10k miles. Afterwards, it's more tame. But definitely not getting them again.

ex-quattro PETE

I cant remember the last time our q5 was driven above 90 mph.

ParadigmDawg

I had my cruise control set on 104 mph last Monday coming back from Austin on some back country roads. After about 10 miles, I decided that was a bad idea and set it on 90 mph for the rest of the 2.5 hour trip.

A lowered Q5 just seems so smooth and capable at high speeds.

To stay on topic, my Goodyear Excellence tires that came with the car are about worn at 14,000 miles but I don't use the brakes much around corners.

vutekho

[QUOTE=ex-quattro PETE;24805622]I cant remember the last time our q5 was driven above 90 mph. [/QUO2TE]


What made it very annoying, is that it didn't matter if you were cruising above 90 or accelerating above 90. Once you get pass that approximate speed, it starts to "howl". The sound it made was like if you were driving through a metal tunnel. That's the best I can explain it.

Redd

Wait, I know that howling noise at high speeds. Doesn't it usually come from those pesky cars with the flashing colored lights that seem to keep popping up at those speeds, too? :-)

But thinking on tires, I've never met an OEM tire that wasn't worth pulling off and burning in the rubbish pile. Usually a short life and unimpressive specs in most ways unless they are part of an overpriced "dry weather sports handling" package, if that.

If a tire could give a carmaker a 5% boost in their mpg numbers, that would make a HUGE cash gain as it pushed their fleet economy numbers up, and they'd be standard equipment across every car they could fit on, wouldn't they?

I think we're missing something here.