Back in Dec 2008 I was planning on buying a set of Primacy tires. The OEMs held out ok. I looked at the Goodyear Fuel Max vs Michelin's Energy Saver. Here is the comparison for the 215/60R/16 tire.

energy saver, utqg 480, tread...9/32, 21 pounds, T speed rating. 8% mpg increase, 44 max psi

fuel max........utqg 580, tread 11/32, 20 pounds, H speed rating. 4% mpg increase, 51 max psi

Your right they fuel max is lots cheaper. The mich.saver tires claims to save about $200 gas over 5 years use. I may go the fuel max next time due to the low price.

I had read some customers comments on tire rack about the fuel max tires being a little noisy. I found out some of those were driving lower priced cars that would be noisy with any tire.

I do remember looking at the Yokohama AVID tire as being low rolling resistant. It shows to be very long lasting, although the tire weight was 26 pounds.

A good way to compare is to find a recent car magazine that has some new tire test including quiet and LRR ratings. The www.tirerack.com/ tire reviews and ratings are also helps a lot on tire choice.

 

The Pirelli P4 tires cost $232.16 from Discounttires (including shipping). Got em mounted /balanced for $12.25 each, plus $8.00 tire disposal fee, plus $5.27 tax. Total for mounting/balancing $62.27. Grand total for everything $294.43 for a set of 4 tires which I think is amazing for a tire that has a UTQG of 760AB.

The weather is getting warmer so a near term MPG comparison would be biased in favor of the new tires. Remind me in a year if you want mileage data.

 

In spite of the claim:

The P4 is noticeably worse for mileage than stock LRR tires.

At 32 psi my mileage plunged over 10%. It was like driving in sand. Pumping them up to 44 psi helped a lot but they just don't roll like the old tires.

Originally I didn't think that LRR tires were much more than a gimmick but the proof is right there on the mileage display.

 

I've seen lots of posts and articles about LRR and every time I ask the same questions and haven't gotten any answers yet...

• How much more do LRRs cost versus normal tires?
• Do LRRs have the same expected tread life as normal tires?

If they cost the same and last as long as regular tires, it seems that there'd be no reason to ever make or sell a non-LRR tire, so logically there's got to be a trade off between the two. What are the negatives (cost, etc.) of LRR tires?

 

I have about a year and 3 months on my Michelin MXV4 S8 tires. Tire pressure 36-37. The car handles beautifully and the noise level is ultra low ( of course my hearing is not as good as it used to be), and the ride is excellent. I also got 4 tires for $411 when a special discount came up with Bing. I'm pleased to save money and get the ride I wanted. Tread is like new and is even as well.