This topic comes up again and again. Opinions are strongly held. But other than measuring tread wear patterns, we have not done the important experiments. Perhaps someone will set up an 'S-course' with traffic cones, next time a number of hybrid vehicles gather, and we can explore traction and braking vs inflation pressures on different tires.

I completely agree that safety comes first. Tire service life might be second, ahead of small changes in fuel economy, based on a 'cents per mile' analysis. Without compromising safety, controlling operating costs is a most sensible goal.

DAS