What Tires to get? 20's
Champion
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,313
Likes: 8
in just a few months
new tires will have new markings on the sidewall
that rates them for fuel economy due to rolling resistance,
but until then
here is a put together of how tire designs differ in rolling:
------
Several Cummins Diesel Ram owners have reported that buying special
wheels and converting to 19.5 Commercial truck tire designs have
improved both MPG and tire tread life - but these tires are generally
heavier. RicksonTruck is one such special wheel seller:
http://www.ricksontruck.com/
In May of 2008, Ford and Michelin put out press releases about their joint
effort to create a new low rolling resistance tire, saying:
"The two fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly SUVs boast a projected 1
mpg fuel economy improvement for both four- and six-cylinder models, thanks in
part to a new set of 16-inch Michelin Latitude Tour low-rolling-resistance
tires, according to the automaker.
Ford and Michelin collaborated to optimize the tires' mold design and
implement a new-generation tread stock for the new Latitude Tour tire.
Low-rolling-resistance tires are part of a multifaceted Ford approach to
improving fuel economy, the company says. Other initiatives include the
introduction of energy-efficient, six-speed automatic transmissions and more
fuel efficient engine technologies. The P235/70R16 tires are standard for all
Escape and Mariner models, including hybrids. In addition to improved fuel
economy, the new tire is quieter, and Ford engineers say it delivers more
precise handling, responsive steering and helps shorten braking distances.
Escape and Mariner drivers also will notice reduced road noise and tire wear
as well as better performance in wet and snow conditions, according to the
company."
Consumers Reports is the only organization I know of that tests for rolling
resistance of tires but even they do not report the Crr number.
Quote from CR:
" Fuel mileage at a price. Some tires roll with less drag than others. The
lower a tire's rolling resistance, the more fuel you can save. Those savings
can be significant. {Pickup and SUV} Tires with the lowest rolling resistance
delivered nearly 2 mpg more at a steady 65 mph in our highway tests {2003
four-wheel-drive Ford Explorer XLT 4x4} than those with the highest rolling
resistance. The catch: While some high-scoring tires had low rolling
resistance, most tires with the lowest rolling resistance also had lower
overall scores."
In their 11/2004 Pickup & SUV tire test CR the
lowest rolling resistance tires rated 'excellent' were the:
Bridgestone Dueler H/T (D684)
Michelin Cross Terrain
Continental ContiTrac
BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A
The Pickup & SUV tires with the worst rolling resistance were the:
Pirelli Scorpion STA
Kelly Safari Signature
Yokohama Geolander H/T-SG051
A tire with a 'very good' rolling resistance and high scores in other handling
and braking tests was the Hankook DynaPro AS RH03
Hankook recently announced that they had spent $10 million developing a
tire called the fx-Optimo that has even lower rolling resistance and can
give up to a 3% MPG improvement:
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/t_in...t&storyID=5961
Michelin has also recently introduced an ultra-low rolling resistance tire for
use on diesels in Europe that is available in 15 and 16 inch sizes:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/07/m...nserving-tire/
In another test of "All Season" tires in November 2005,
CR rated these tires as 'excellent' for low rolling resistance:
Michelin X Radial DT
Michelin Agility Touring
Michelin Harmony
Hankook Mileage Plus GT H707
Kumho Touring 795 A/S
Toyo 800 Ultra
Sumitomo HTR T4
In the same November 2005 issue
'All Terrain' tires were also tested
but only the
Continental ContiTrac TR
got an excellent rating for low rolling resistance in this group.
The California Air Resources board is pressing the tire companies to make
rolling resistance measurements on tires freely available to the public by
2008, one of the few reasonable things CARB has ever done in my opinion
The lower profile 17 and 20 inch tire designs used on the 2003-2005
5.7Hemi Rams have a 'sticker' tire tread and higher rolling resistance than
earlier year Rams. It is probable that if a manufacturer makes available a
235 85 R17 tire in Load Range E it would be lower rolling resistance
than the stock tires and might improve MPG by 1-2 at 70 mph.
The 2006 Ram press release says the new model will have 'low rolling
resistance tires.'
In April 2006 the "independent and non-partisan" US National Academy
of Sciences completed a report on the rolling resistance of tires and how
MPG for the entire country might be easily improved if tire makers
increased their research into how to make tires roll even easier.
The 'meat' of this report starts about page 50 at this weblink:
http://www.trb.org/publications/sr/sr286.pdf
if you spot additional information about pickup tire rolling resistance,
including which tires are on the
SFE versions of the 2008-2009 GM & Ford pickups
and what tires is original equipment on the
2009 Ram
please post that info
new tires will have new markings on the sidewall
that rates them for fuel economy due to rolling resistance,
but until then
here is a put together of how tire designs differ in rolling:
------
Several Cummins Diesel Ram owners have reported that buying special
wheels and converting to 19.5 Commercial truck tire designs have
improved both MPG and tire tread life - but these tires are generally
heavier. RicksonTruck is one such special wheel seller:
http://www.ricksontruck.com/
In May of 2008, Ford and Michelin put out press releases about their joint
effort to create a new low rolling resistance tire, saying:
"The two fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly SUVs boast a projected 1
mpg fuel economy improvement for both four- and six-cylinder models, thanks in
part to a new set of 16-inch Michelin Latitude Tour low-rolling-resistance
tires, according to the automaker.
Ford and Michelin collaborated to optimize the tires' mold design and
implement a new-generation tread stock for the new Latitude Tour tire.
Low-rolling-resistance tires are part of a multifaceted Ford approach to
improving fuel economy, the company says. Other initiatives include the
introduction of energy-efficient, six-speed automatic transmissions and more
fuel efficient engine technologies. The P235/70R16 tires are standard for all
Escape and Mariner models, including hybrids. In addition to improved fuel
economy, the new tire is quieter, and Ford engineers say it delivers more
precise handling, responsive steering and helps shorten braking distances.
Escape and Mariner drivers also will notice reduced road noise and tire wear
as well as better performance in wet and snow conditions, according to the
company."
Consumers Reports is the only organization I know of that tests for rolling
resistance of tires but even they do not report the Crr number.
Quote from CR:
" Fuel mileage at a price. Some tires roll with less drag than others. The
lower a tire's rolling resistance, the more fuel you can save. Those savings
can be significant. {Pickup and SUV} Tires with the lowest rolling resistance
delivered nearly 2 mpg more at a steady 65 mph in our highway tests {2003
four-wheel-drive Ford Explorer XLT 4x4} than those with the highest rolling
resistance. The catch: While some high-scoring tires had low rolling
resistance, most tires with the lowest rolling resistance also had lower
overall scores."
In their 11/2004 Pickup & SUV tire test CR the
lowest rolling resistance tires rated 'excellent' were the:
Bridgestone Dueler H/T (D684)
Michelin Cross Terrain
Continental ContiTrac
BF Goodrich Radial Long Trail T/A
The Pickup & SUV tires with the worst rolling resistance were the:
Pirelli Scorpion STA
Kelly Safari Signature
Yokohama Geolander H/T-SG051
A tire with a 'very good' rolling resistance and high scores in other handling
and braking tests was the Hankook DynaPro AS RH03
Hankook recently announced that they had spent $10 million developing a
tire called the fx-Optimo that has even lower rolling resistance and can
give up to a 3% MPG improvement:
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/t_in...t&storyID=5961
Michelin has also recently introduced an ultra-low rolling resistance tire for
use on diesels in Europe that is available in 15 and 16 inch sizes:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/07/m...nserving-tire/
In another test of "All Season" tires in November 2005,
CR rated these tires as 'excellent' for low rolling resistance:
Michelin X Radial DT
Michelin Agility Touring
Michelin Harmony
Hankook Mileage Plus GT H707
Kumho Touring 795 A/S
Toyo 800 Ultra
Sumitomo HTR T4
In the same November 2005 issue
'All Terrain' tires were also tested
but only the
Continental ContiTrac TR
got an excellent rating for low rolling resistance in this group.
The California Air Resources board is pressing the tire companies to make
rolling resistance measurements on tires freely available to the public by
2008, one of the few reasonable things CARB has ever done in my opinion
The lower profile 17 and 20 inch tire designs used on the 2003-2005
5.7Hemi Rams have a 'sticker' tire tread and higher rolling resistance than
earlier year Rams. It is probable that if a manufacturer makes available a
235 85 R17 tire in Load Range E it would be lower rolling resistance
than the stock tires and might improve MPG by 1-2 at 70 mph.
The 2006 Ram press release says the new model will have 'low rolling
resistance tires.'
In April 2006 the "independent and non-partisan" US National Academy
of Sciences completed a report on the rolling resistance of tires and how
MPG for the entire country might be easily improved if tire makers
increased their research into how to make tires roll even easier.
The 'meat' of this report starts about page 50 at this weblink:
http://www.trb.org/publications/sr/sr286.pdf
if you spot additional information about pickup tire rolling resistance,
including which tires are on the
SFE versions of the 2008-2009 GM & Ford pickups
and what tires is original equipment on the
2009 Ram
please post that info
Professional
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 190
Likes: 0
I think I'm going to need some new tires before the end of the year or before winter, so I am going to start to compare. I have the 20" rims, and the size is 275/60-20. What did you guys put on your 20" rims? Im on my second pair of Goodyears, last time i got new tires (in 2005) i didn't have much of a choice, so i went OEM.
How many miles did you get out of the 20" tires?
