There is no substitute over the original if you want the best possible mileage. If you are willing to give up some mpg there are other tires out there that offer better handling and less road noise.
Try the search thread as there have been some significant discussions regarding tires.
As for brand quality you may check out discount tire's website which lists user reviews. Also, below is a post I located that may be helpful regarding tire size if you have trouble locating originals:
OEM Insight tires are 165/65R14 Bridgestone RE92 and they have a diameter of 22.5 inches (of the top of my head because i'm a tire nerd).
These tires actually cause the speedometer to read 2% faster then reality.
185/60R14 tires actually increases the accuracy of your speedometer and odometer etc..
195/60R14 are a little bigger again but they fit without any problems.
195/55R14 tires have the same diameter as the OEM tires and fit great.
These are the best sizes for summer performance tires that fit well on an Insight.
If you want gas mileage, you have to use the oem tires. they are getting hard to find now, but there are some still available. Don't wait.
Rick Reece and I did a comparison test with the OEM tires and the Sumitomo tires that came with my car when I bought it and the difference is significant. Something like 12-13 mpg difference.
Here is what we found: http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... =tire+test
If the link doesn't go there, you can do a search for "tire and test" (without the quotes) and look for Tire Comparison Test.
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Robert Frost is "The original Bad Bob, not Dirty Bad Bob from New Mexico."
From the "Life and Times of the Judge Roy Bean"
2000 Citrus #2757 206,000mi.
If indeed "our" Bridgestone Potenza tires are discontinued, we may not have much of a choice in months to come...
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Driving on down the road in my 2001 CVT, going "Boogety Boogety" ...and until avatars are provided, my car looks just like the original silver Insight on the header, above... =)
Yea I broke down and got fr370s (175/65/14)
My tires were so bad I had to get them right away and I couldn't wait three weeks for the potenzas..... Damn am I feeling it
lost 10 mpg <--CVT
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77000+ miles
Factory Psi all around
Hybrid battery replaced 77000 miles
67 miles to work and back!
"My friend's brother works at Bridgestone corporate, so I had my friend ask him what's going on.
After asking her "What's she drive? A tricycle?" he said that the tires ARE still being produced, but they are not producing many and production is slow. If you've got any ordered anywhere, it will be a few weeks before you get them.
I'm looking to replace the tires with 175/65's (as opposed to 165/65) with either goodyear integrerity or reggatta's...anyone have an opinion to which would be better?
I recently ordered Kumho's latest model tire, the Solus KR21 all-season tire for my 01 CVT in the 175/65R14 size. They'll be arriving today or tomorrow and will be installed this week, along with a front-end alignment at the Honda dealer. This will be my first replacement set since I bought the car in August of '06 (had 57000 miles on it) and will replace the Bridgestones at around 75000 miles (I think it's the second set, as they are 175s). Their max inflation pressure is 44 psi, have a high treadwear rating and are cheaper than the getting-hard-to-find Bridgestones. Cost per tire at the Tire Rack was $42, and shipping was $42.56, which totaled $210.56. These tires were on back order for more than a month due to production needing to catch up and fill orders, so shipping and availability will vary from region to region.
I use Kumho Ecsta ASX all-season performance tires on an '88 RX7 GTU and had their previous model tire as well. I find Kumho to be a good value. Treadwear, due to my not sticking to a tire rotating schedule on that car due to storing winters (I promise to do better), isn't as good--typically around 20,000 miles on the rears. As for the Solus KR21, I'm hopeful they'll last 40k+ miles.
For reference: Due to winter and other conditions (including engine warm-up, having to accelerate up to 55, etc), mileage is currently hovering around 47MPG average (driving 30 miles a day, 15 in each direction on the highway) on the Bridgestones based on using the trip odometer reset at each refueling. I don't have inflation pressures since the tires are going to be replaced anyway. During spring to fall, MPG averages 55-56MPG, and I've gotten upward of 64 during one run on the highway at 55-60--again on the Bridgestones.
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My first car that I bought by my lonesome: 2001 CVT, blue exterior.
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Original or Goodyear?
