I am unhappy with my stock Dunlop tires and plan to replace them with Goodyear Comfortreds. I would also like to put on a slightly wider tire, i.e. 205's rather than 195's.

Any cautions or thoughts appreciated.

Thanks.

Expect a possible drop in mileage. When I took off the stock tires and replaced them with Michelin all season tires, my 06 HCHII suffered a 4 mpg hit.

Don't go wider. I went with a dedicated "summer" set. They are LRR tires (sumitomo). And I have a set of winters (Blizzacks)

I posted this reply on another thread but after seeing your question, this response should help you in your quest.

stock tire is 195/65/15 @ 18lbs, 5.6 inch tread width. What makes this a low rolling resistance tire is the tread width. About 2 inches less tread width than any other tires in that size. The sidewall flares out to give it the 195 section width specification. That's why our cars slide/push so easily even when encountering very low speed corners, and why they have such low grip levels.

Replacing a used OEM tire which is down to 14lbs worn with a non-LRR (low rolling resistance)tire @ 20 lbs.new would net you not only 40% or more wider contact patch for the same size tire not rated as the LRR tire, but an additional 6 lbs of rotating mass per corner on the car also resulting in increased effort from the ICE and IMA. That will cause you to lose several miles per gallon. So, even though the factory tires are a bit more expensive and barely grip theroad, I'll be replacing them with OEM Dunlop sp-31's when the time comes.

www.tirerack.com sells them currently for 71.00 a piece + shipping, no tax.

While you may initially save $120 on the difference in price over some less expensive tires in the same size, their wider contact patch over 40k miles will cost you an additional $325 in gas over the same time period over the factory LRR tires.

Dave (former big name tire shop manager)

Why do you suggest not going with wider tires?

You don't need to go wider, getting a non-LRR tire will give you a 40% increase in contact patch already. It's simply not necessary. Remember that your supposed 195 OEM tires have the same tread width spec as the avg. 145 size tire. That's why they handle like crap. I personally think they are actually somewhat dangerous. But, I'm liking the Fuel Economy.

Dave

Thanks for your clear and helpful explanation.

I am not trying to save money on tires; the tires I am thinking of are actually more expensive than the Dunlops.

I am interested in better wet traction and a smoother, quieter ride. That is why I am looking at the Goodyear Assurance ComforTreds which get very high marks on Tirerack.

Of course, I want to lose as few mpg's as possible, but understand that I will lose some, hopefully no more than 10%. My mpg is consistently 48-50.

Ok, I see where you're coming from now. The best water evacuation for wet driving comes from the V shaped tread designs, which can also be noiser than their all season counterparts. Getting a tire with 4 or 5 circumfrential grooves with non aggressive tread design will produce the most quiet tire. What you are looking for is going to be a little bit of a compromise between ultimate wet weather traction and most quiet ride. I'm glad price is not an issue, just remember that the best tires don't always cost the most. Tire rack is a great place to get tires. I also would cross check them with www.discounttiredirect.com

They have free shipping but charge a bit more for the tire to compensate. Check them both for the best price.

What do you plan to do with your old tires?

Dave

I hadn't decided what to do with them yet. They have only 2500 miles on them, but I really don't like their wet weather performance. Is any one here interested in purchasing them?

I live in a small apartment so the price would have to be right. I drive nearly 3k miles per month in my hybrid, so I'm sure I'll be needing them soon enough.

Shipping through DHL looks to be about $17 per tire. You can save about $10 on a set of four tires by shipping 2 tires together by taping them together, using some rope or twine, etc.