I mounted a set of RSI’s for the winter season and so far have been very pleased with them. Before the snow fell I ran a few coast down tests to compare them with the RE92's and came to the conclusion that their rolling resistance is the same.
They appear to be superior in all conditions except glare ice, in which case studded tires would be better. I personally don’t like studded tires because of the noise and reduced traction on dry roads.
So far my winter mileage is about 14% better than previous winters and my only change is the RSI’s. I’m getting mileage in the high 50's instead of the high 40's. Temperature’s run 10̊F to 20̊F most of the winter. This winter we’ve been getting a lot of snow. Had to clear my driveway three times yesterday as it kept coming down.
One negative, strange as this may sound, is these tires pull through anything. I had turned down a side street that had not been plowed and as I straddled a windrow of heavy snow it caught the plastic aero panel underneath the passenger side of the car and partially ripped it off. (Another thread told of someone doing the same thing blasting through a deep puddle of water.) Only other complaint is the RSI’s get tossed around by rut’s in the road. Some of our roads that need refurbishing have some fairly deep ruts and the Insight’s track is narrower than them.
I can out accelerate almost anything from a stop. I’ve heard big trucks start to spin their tires as I pull away from them. Even with their studs, trying to get all that mass moving on snow is tough. Braking and cornering are also greatly improved in the white stuff.
I don’t drive it in all inclement weather up here. With this big dump of snow I drive my pickup until the roads have been cleared. Also when it gets below 0̊F the Insight will barely get up to operating temperature, even with the radiator blocked off. I think if you drove around in -20̊F temperatures you could probably totally bypass the radiator, the heater core would supply enough engine cooling keeping the cabin warm.
James Baker
Anchorage Alaska