The stock Dunlop tires are a joke.

[firsthonda]

What do you guys think about going with a 195 65 R 15 as opposed to a 195 60 R 15? The reason I'm asking is because my local tire shop has a deal on Cooper touring tires in 195 65 R 15.

[jcbesq]

that's a considerable step up in size and i think classified as a plus one upgrade ... using the 175/65/15 size as a baseline it is roughly 4/5" wider, 1" greater diameter and will read 2.5mph slower on the speedo ... plug the numbers in yourself ... i'm not sure anyone around here has tried this upgrade yet, but ultimately it will come down to the hard cornering on a bumpy road test - if there isn't any rubbing on metal or interference with the suspension then you're ok

Tire Size Calculator - tire & wheel plus sizing

[firsthonda]

Originally Posted by jcbesq

that's a considerable step up in size and i think classified as a plus one upgrade ... using the 175/65/15 size as a baseline it is roughly 4/5" wider, 1" greater diameter and will read 2.5mph slower on the speedo ... plug the numbers in yourself ... i'm not sure anyone around here has tried this upgrade yet, but ultimately it will come down to the hard cornering on a bumpy road test - if there isn't any rubbing on metal or interference with the suspension then you're ok

Tire Size Calculator - tire & wheel plus sizing

Thanks. That calculator is awesome and according to it, the absolute max I want to go is with a 195 60 R 15.

[firsthonda]

Now that I have the size down, I'm debating whaich brand tire. Up by me, the Michelins run around $580 after rebate; instaled. (which is more than I want to spend) The other two brands I'm considering are Cooper CS4 and Toyo's; both for around $450-$475 installed. Any suggestions?

[thomas_j]

I replaced my Dunlops last week on the occasion of: 1. the approaching winter and 2. coincidentally down to 5/32" after driving nearly 58K miles on them. I settled on the Bridgestone Ecopia 422.

First impressions:

The Good:
- Car feels more "solid" on the road, better on bumps, corners better
- No squealing in turns
- Road noise isn't that much less, but is lower in frequency, which makes the noise less annoying

The Bad:
- Bigtime drop in fuel economy -- near 10%. I'm a conservative driver and hypermile, but I noticed right away that it takes more effort (i.e., foot on gas) to get the car up to speed and then keep it there. I'm lucky to get to 60 mpg on trips that easily got into the lower 60s on the Dunlops. I'm guessing the Bridgestones are not as lightweight (?) as the Dunlops, or the drag is greater from more rubber laying on the road?

More Good:
- Since the car now "naturally" slows down more, I don't have to tap the brakes as often!

I suppose safety is paramount, but man, I didn't expect the MPG drop to be this dramatic.

[firsthonda]

Originally Posted by thomas_j

I replaced my Dunlops last week on the occasion of: 1. the approaching winter and 2. coincidentally down to 5/32" after driving nearly 58K miles on them. I settled on the Bridgestone Ecopia 422.

First impressions:

The Good:
- Car feels more "solid" on the road, better on bumps, corners better
- No squealing in turns
- Road noise isn't that much less, but is lower in frequency, which makes the noise less annoying

The Bad:
- Bigtime drop in fuel economy -- near 10%. I'm a conservative driver and hypermile, but I noticed right away that it takes more effort (i.e., foot on gas) to get the car up to speed and then keep it there. I'm lucky to get to 60 mpg on trips that easily got into the lower 60s on the Dunlops. I'm guessing the Bridgestones are not as lightweight (?) as the Dunlops, or the drag is greater from more rubber laying on the road.

Did you go with the 175 65 or a wider tire? Also, it is totally normal to loose some fuel economy when going from a worn tire to a new one. New tires have more rolling resistance than worn ones.

[thomas_j]

Originally Posted by firsthonda

Did you go with the 175 65 or a wider tire? Also, it is totally normal to loose some fuel economy when going from a worn tire to a new one. New tires have more rolling resistance than worn ones.

I went with the original tire size 175 65 15.

Thanks for the info on new tire fuel economy. At least I have something to look forward to!

[firsthonda]

I ended up going with Yokohama Touring S Tires in 195 60 R 15. I'm happy I did.

Yokohama Avid Touring S 195 60 R 15 Review