What's this about rear suspension issues?

I put Sumitomo HTR200s on my HCHII, since they were supposed to be low rolling resistance and have great traction on dry and wet pavement.

The tire shop commented that they couldn't fully align the back right wheel and asked if I'd been in an accident.

Strange thing is that before the new tires I regularly got 55 mpg, now I get 45. The difference in traction is huge, so I chalked the drop in mpg up to grippier tires, but I wonder if my rear end is now mis-aligned.

In terms of tire wear, I got 60K miles out of the factory dunlops--mainly freeway driving with regular tire rotations and kept pretty well filled (above recommended but below max).

Could this be a control arm issue? Have you had the control arms replaced?

Matt in Moore Tafetta White 2008 HCHII

Not sure what it was; there was a specific part in my rear right suspension that the tire shop claimed could not be adjusted enough to get my tire into alignment; I assumed it was from bumping that wheel against the curb while parallel parking, but elected not to have it fixed because I'd previously gotten great mileage.

My coworker's daughter has a normal honda civic (same year) that went off the road, and when the tow truck winched it back to the road by attaching straps to the two rear wheels, it bent them way out of true and the entire rear suspension had to be replaced, so I think the rear suspension just generally really weak if pushed from the front or back of the wheels.

I went with the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tires, $592 for all four with lifetime balancing and alingnment, as well as road hazzard coverage. In addition to Tire Rack, these were rated very high in Consumer Reports, where one of the criteria is LRR (it rated very good). I will be watching to see how these compare with the Dunlops.

1978 Plymouth Horizon - 165,527 miles, still the longest lasting
1985 Dodge Daytona - 62,500 miles and the transmission gave out
1991 Mazda Protoge - A very good car
1997 Ford Contour - This one saved my life in a driver side impact accident
2000 Pontiac Grand Am - I have a bulls eye painted somewhere, this one was rear-ended
2004 Civic Hybrid - My first Honda, My first Hybrid, ran 88,300 miles before the tax rebates came calling
2007 Civic Hybrid - Going strong and a joy to drive
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Hi,

I replaced OEM Dunlops at 18k miles with Mich MXV4s in Dec 2007 - due to wear from the control arm TSM

Although the Michelins are "LRR" they really have reduced my FE by ~5% versus the Dunlops. I can tell by the coasting distance dropping off even with Mich at 50psi versus the Dunlops at 45psi.

On the other hand the Michelins are less harsh and are much better handling in any weather.

my 2 cents.

For the same cost, I tried these:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....nSpeedRating=S

I can't say enough good things about them. Had them for over 10k now and they are better than the stock tires in almost everyway. Most importantly, they are equal to the stock tires for LRR qualities. No significant drop in FE...

I remember my wife asking exactly what kind of quaility and durability do you think you are going to get for $250.00 tires!?! I can tell you now, that I have been nothing but pleased with my investment in these Sumitomo HTR 4's...

Where did you buy them, tire rack?

Matt in Moore Tafetta White 2008 HCHII

Hi

My new HCH II has Bridgestone - Insignia SE200.

http://highperformancetire.com/home....ction=0&page=2

How are they?

Rick

Since installing them 4000 miles ago, my FE continues to increase. It is currently 21% better than with the OE Bridgestone tires.

I bought mine at Costco. They currently have a $60 cash back promotion for a set of 4 Michelins. Price includes road hazard protection, a 45,000 mile manufacturers tread wear warranty and lifetime balance and rotate. Price for 4 was $524 net w/Tax.

Very good tire, I recommend them.

I got the Michelin X-radial about 4000k miles ago to replace the Dunlops.
My mileage had dropped from 47ish to 42ish. But the new tires are so much smoother than the OEM tires and handle much better. I just didn't want to get new tires for like 80k miles. Got them at Costco when they had a $60 rebate.