[stoner]

I have had my alternative to an Insight - a diesel Civic for about a month now. Very pleased with it and it is returning good mpg averages on my commute to work, at the moment between 60 and 66 (imperial).

When I come to replace the tires I am wondering if anyone has tried alternatives to the RE92's that come on the Insight that I might find in a size suitable for my Civic, offering similar economy advantages (low rolling resistance/Energy/Economy). I did a search on the forum but did not find much.

I am also considering increasing the pressure on my current tires (Potenza RE88's) in a similar manner to what you Insight owners do, but I want to be sure it is okay to do so, are low rolling resistance tires the only type that are okay to over inflate? I've read on various websites that over inflating tires can cause reduced grip and uneven wear.

 

[Resist]

Many people has use other tires besides the OEM ones on their Inisight's. I'm glad you are getting great mpg on your Diesel Civic but, wonder how accurate your mpg numbers are. The Insight actually shows us what we are getting in average and instant numbers. I have known many people to claim to be getting great mpg but in reality are over estimating those numbers.

 

[originalbadbob]

My Insight (used) came with Sumitomo H200 165/75 14's.
There is some info on the site about the different tires, but I don't remember where exactly. I did a number of searches and came up with a list of different tires and their rolling resisitance. The Sumitomo's if I remember correctly are the second lowest as compared to the re92.
I'm still able to get pretty good mileage (at 48psi) and they handle well. Rick Reece and I will be doing a tire swap this week in order to come up with some mileage comparison figures.
Robert

 

[Rick]

LRR tires I know of.... at least in the States:

Bridgestone Potenza RE92 165/65/14 <---- Insight tire
Bridgestone Potenza RE92 175/65/14 <---- Prius classic tire
Michelin Proxima 175/65/14 <---- GM EV1 tire, not available

Goodyear Integrity 175/65/14 <---- smallest available
There could be some debate to this tires LRR-ness. The 185 series is used on the new Prius. I've read a little study done by an EV person with a friend who owned a tire shop. They built a rig that would give a car an always equal push. They mounted many different tires on the car and pushed it with the rig and the Integrity yielded the longest roll from the push. A friend who used to own an Electric S-10 had to replace the tires on it and the original LRR tigerpaw tires were not available so they put Integrities on it and they lost no range.

The tire companies don't regularly advertise low rolling resistance. What you have to look for is a tire that quotes something like superb fuel efficiency features. I think the Potenza RE92's are going to be your best bet though. Keep in mind only the two sizes I listed are LRR.

 

[stoner]

I'm glad you are getting great mpg on your Diesel Civic but, wonder how accurate your mpg numbers are. The Insight actually shows us what we are getting in average and instant numbers. I have known many people to claim to be getting great mpg but in reality are over estimating those numbers.

Like many EUDM cars nowadays the Civic has a milage/mpg computer. It doesn't have as many features as on the Insight but it displays average mpg over trip distance. I think it is accurate. Note though that the figures I stated are UK gallons - so that's 63 mpg compared to the UK average of 83 mpg for the Insight. I expect my figure to rise as the warmer weather approaches and with over inflated LRR tires maybe I will see 70 mpg?! **EDIT** I just switched fuel brands and have been getting 70mpg 2 days in a row!
However I didn't choose the diesel Civic for fuel consumption alone. If I wanted that I would have got a Citroen C2 HDi or a Renault Clio DCi.

I suspect, if I were doing the same journey in an Insight, I would be well over the claimed average - I recon in the 90's easy. I would still love an Insight.

Thanks for the advice, the Goodyear Integrity sounds good although I cannot find much info on them. I didn't realise you can get RE92's in an alternative size. Can anyone give advice on tire pressures?

 

[Armin]

summer tires

To get back on topic, I'm currently looking to a replacement for the OEM tires.

I have Nokian Hakkapeliiita 2 for the winter, they are outstanding! Now I need someting for the summer that follows the environmental spirit of the car. There is a boatload of options available in Europe, including tires made from more friendly materials (i.e. no HA oils, silicone, cornstarch, etc..) Lots of LRR tires, ... Only one problem: you can't get any of them in the US!

After looking around in the market, I found the reason for this: In Europe, tires are divided in three categories: Winter, Summer and all-season.
In the US, there are also three categories: All-season, Winter and High-performance. Notice the change in name for the summer category. So you're more likely to find a 255/35R18 slick for a racecar than a 165/65 LRR tire for a small car.

Anyhow, I'm now seriously considereing to buy a tire in Europe and have it shipped over. I like the Continental ECO Contact 3. It's got great reviews. Another one is Goodyear GT 3, which may be even better on the raw materials side, but not quite as good in road tests.

Isn't ity odd, that these are bot US brands, but you can't buy their products in the US?

Edit: ok, Conti is a Greman brand. But they sell other tires in the US. Just not the good ones!

 

[Guest]

Hi Stoner:

___The HCH here in the states is equipped with the Bridgestone B381’s which have been tested to have lower rolling resistance then others in this somewhat ancient Greenseal – LRR Tires report. The B381’s have 51 #’s MAX sidewall ratings as well. 60 #’s should be a piece of cake if max FE is what you are interested in.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:360nd6px][email protected][/email:360nd6px]