Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires

[jerry33]

Rolling resistance is affected by tire pressure, tread pattern, rubber compound.

Not to mention casing design, belt construction, bead area design, and a few others.

Is it possible that the 19" Bridgestones are really THAT bad at rolling resistance compared to all those other wheels/tires?

Absolutely. There is a reason why tire manufacturers fought successfully to not have RR values as part of the UTQG.

 

[gtimbers]

I believe tire racks test on the 970's shows them to be the worst in the pack for fuel economy. Something like 3% lower than the others. I was looking at them as well. I have routinely seen 5% differences between tires of different grades (high performance - All season). I also believe the 970 is heavier than the equivalent sized Continental and Goodyear. They work great, but it is gonna cost you.

I am intrigue by the newly released 960AS Run Flat. The test results on it were excellent, including ride. It has a high tread wear number (400 or so) and it performed very well. It weighs a ton, however - like 33 pounds in the 19" size. Looks like I just can't win. It may be that the best solution is the Continental. It is available in the 91" size, has good tread wear numbers and is quite light. It performs well in the combination tests, coming in 2nd or 3rd to the Pilot but it will have a much nicer ride and better tread wear. It is also relatively cheap.

 

[GuyHall]

Any experience gained in the last year on this topic? I'm looking for a set of LRR tires, but don't know how to compare one brand against the next with respect to LRR. Hoping that over the last year, the collective wisdom of the group stepped up a notch and has ID'd a perfect winner. Or top two?

Guy "wishful thinking" Hall

 

[jerry33]

Any experience gained in the last year on this topic? I'm looking for a set of LRR tires, but don't know how to compare one brand against the next with respect to LRR.

Unfortunately, there is no way other than to run the tires and see or find someone who has used the tires of the same size. Even then there could be a difference in tire maintenance and alignment that would invalidate the results. Tire manufacturers believe the RR value is a trade secret. They fought hard, and won, to not have the RR value in the UTQG numbers (originally that was supposed to be a fourth value).

FWIW, I've found that Nokians have very low rolling resistance followed by Michelin. Pirelli has very high rolling resistance (Easily 30 Wh/mile). Note that I haven't used the Nokians on my Model S as there is a size problem, I'm basing it on other cars where I used both. The OE Goodyear tires seemed to have better RR values than the Michelin Primacy MXV4 but they gave up a lot of performance to do so.

 

[youlikeadajuice]

Jerry- Which Pirellis are you referring to? Or just the brand in general has higher rolling resistance?

 

[Matias]

At least Finnish car magazines are measuring rolling resistance in their tire tests. Im pretty sure other car magazines do that too.

 

[jerry33]

Jerry- Which Pirellis are you referring to? Or just the brand in general has higher rolling resistance?

The ones I personally used were the P-Zeros. Note that I only had them on for three days (~200 miles). I only put them on because they were the only tires Discount Tire had in stock at that location and I had a destroyed tire and two with the edge wear from bad factory alignment. I returned the tires and got Michelin Primacy.

My experience with Pirelli is that they often exhibit odd wear, so I normally don't purchase them. The rolling resistance could be particular to that tire.

 

[Kensiko]

Hey all I'll revive this thread. There were extensive tests on Priuschat (Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List )and it was pretty easy to choose, I was on Ecopia 422 on my Prius and on my Leaf, but this is not available for the Tesla !!

 

[Kensiko]

For winter tires, it's pretty simple, there is nothing better than Michelin X-ice for efficiency. I had those on my Prius.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Not in the least. Nokia Hakkepeliitta R tires are very low rolling resistance and they are one of the best winter tires you can buy. The WR-g2 is no slouch in the RR department either (I got up to 70 mpg over a tank full on my Prius with WR-g2), but unfortunately doesn't come in Model S size.

The WRG3 comes in 19", my plan is to put them on the S soon after delivery

 

[SomeJoe7777]

The WRG3 comes in 19", my plan is to put them on the S soon after delivery

If you're mostly just in cold temperatures and maybe very light snow, the WRG3's are awesome. I have a set and they make a great winter tire for milder climates, and looked to be very efficient. I would not recommend them if you get heavy snow or ice build-up, however. In those conditions, use a dedicated snow tire.

 

[jerry33]

If you're mostly just in cold temperatures and maybe very light snow, the WRG3's are awesome. I have a set and they make a great winter tire for milder climates, and looked to be very efficient. I would not recommend them if you get heavy snow or ice build-up, however. In those conditions, use a dedicated snow tire.

This is true if you're comparing them to snow tires like X-Ice, R2, or similar premium tires. Compared to most other snow tires they are about the same or even better.