My OEM tires were Dunlops... but I didn't like them at all and have replaced them with a same size tire but it's more for 3 season driving. I have a winter set so I get the best of all worlds.

My replacement tires are:

185/70HR-14 Sumitomo HTR 200

The are listed as a good LRT tire. Anyway, we have had them on for the last several month and they are great. Especially in the rain... which the Dunlops were terrible in. Very quiet tires and we are getting the same if not better FE.

The price... $39 each. Good deal IMO.

 

mine say dunlop sp37as m+s. didn't know they were mud and snow. we don't get any mud or snow in san diego. i wonder how the rolling resistance of m+s tires compares to that of regular tires.

 

Matt - You sure you have the Dunlop SP37? I don't see that model on the Dunlop site anywhere so make sure it isn't a Dunlop SP31 like the rest of us have.

Also, almost every "normal" tire is listed as M+S anymore (even a Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position tire which is rated as an "Ultra-High Performance All-Season" tire or the highest-performance All-Season category). Hence the name "All Season" (the "as" in your Dunlop label) as this is the best match for most folks.

You can look for something in the purely "good weather" category if you want. In our size you have the option of a Sumitomo HTR 200, Kumho Ecsta KH11, Pirelli P-6000, or Michelin Pilot Primacy (info from TireRack.com).

• Sumitomo is 380 A A (hard) for $53
• Kumho is 320 AA A (medium) for $55
• Pirelli is 180 A A (VERY soft) for $113
• Michelin is 220 AA A (soft) for $117

I would suggest the Sumitomo for you as it will last the longest. The second letter are all the same so it doesn't matter. The "A" means they stand the highest temps which are good for you in S.D. The first letter is traction and not as important in our speedy cars but if you want a long-lasting tire then pick something with a high (close to or over 400 treadwear rating) but if you want handling then pick one slightly softer and with a AA traction rating.

 

i guess it is sp31. thanks for the info, darren.

 

I for one liked my Dunlop SP-20 FE's. I had them pumped up to sidewall max of 51PSI since new, and they wore evenly until last week when I had them changed for the same model after 88,000 miles. They wore down to the top of the wear indicator bar.

My new ones cost $61 at the dealer and since I have them set up the same way I haven't seen much of any MPG drop. I've been managing a bit over 60MPG this winter and have good luck with them.

 

Insignia SE200.
And if you live in a climate with snow for a good portion of Winter- get rid of these tires. They just plain suck in winter snow (especially when it is very cold). I felt like I was driving on bald tires on a freshly Zambonied ice rink.
I will eventually replace them but they definately are not meant for our Canadian climate.

 

I hated the dunlop's sp-20 in the rain. Totally sucked. I got another low rolling resistant tire with better dry/wet characteristic (which improved handling). 3 season tire essentially... and I have a set of snows so I'm got the best of both worlds.

 

Can you explain where you got these numbers and what they mean? Is it the UTQG rating? Is a higher number a harder tire, or do the letters at the end have some meaning as well?

The Dunlop SP20FE which are the OEMs i have on my HCH show 320 AB, Bridgestone B381 show 240 BB. How would you characterize this difference? The Goodyear Assurance Comfortred say 700 AB, is that tire made of concrete?

I am mostly interested in FE concerns in my tire shopping so I am assuming a harder tire is going to be lower rolling resistance, is there some way to interpret the stats to evaluate the LRR qualities?

 

fyi... tirerack has 2 version of the Dunlop tires. One has a 51 MAX psi... the other has a 44 MAX psi.

The 51 max psi version of the tire was the OEM tire.

 

Mine has "Dunlop SP Sport 300" 195/65 R15 91H, just like Tulip. 51 psi max (3.50 bar).

I don't see any of the bad handling and understeer some people have reported. In fact, handling is great. I haven't driven it hard much, but I think I can sense a bit of oversteer even, when pushed close to the limit in long turns. With a reservation that the car has VSA, and I haven't turned it off so it's hard to tell what is the true behavior of the chassis.