theogeor
Active Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2011
- Messages
- 246
- Location
- Greater London
- Car
- B180 SE (w246), A160 (W169) Avantgarde, Porsche 911 (997 C2)
I was always skeptical about how much impact different tyres have in the fuel economy. And to be clear I was not looking or thinking budget tyres but more the differences between Premium or top Mid range tyres.
A couple of weeks ago I replaced the tyres of my wife's A160. The previous tyres were the Continental Premium Contact. I was never impressed with them but they are supposed to be a perfect match for the blue-efficiency settings and improve fuel economy
After a lot of research which was made easier by the new regulations from late last year where the tyre manufacturers have to declare noise levels , rolling resistance and wet grip and going through the testing results of the latests tyres available ( mostly done in Germany ) I came to the conclusion that the Dunlop SP Blueresponse was a prime candidate. In most of the testing it score highly and as the price I found was very competitive I decided to go for them. The size I am referring is 195/55/R16 by the way
Now after over 400 miles with them I would say I am surprised and impressed. All miles were done in a mixed environment with more than 30% of it in London heavy traffic and the computer indicated fuel economy is more than 10% better than before. I know the conditions i.e. temperature are about right now for good fuel economy but again the difference is massive. Also over the weekend we did over 110 miles through London with a lot of start and stop and slow moving traffic and the average for the whole trip was 43.4. Before we hit the traffic I saw 46MPG which is as high as I have ever seen it in the two years of ownership and close to the officially quoted one.
I know is too early to tell but first indications are very positive. What I do not know about the tyres is how durable they are and how many miles we will get out of them. So far the noise and rolling resistance ratings looks like they tick the box. There is very little report on them as they were only release in the market earlier in the year.
By the way the original tyres are now rated as rolling resistance E compared with B of the Dunlops so the theory behind that says that I should expect a better fuel efficiency...
I will keep monitoring this and see over the long term how the fuel efficiency change and provide you with updates but I would be interested to see what others have observed or experience in this specific area.
Regards
Theo
A couple of weeks ago I replaced the tyres of my wife's A160. The previous tyres were the Continental Premium Contact. I was never impressed with them but they are supposed to be a perfect match for the blue-efficiency settings and improve fuel economy
After a lot of research which was made easier by the new regulations from late last year where the tyre manufacturers have to declare noise levels , rolling resistance and wet grip and going through the testing results of the latests tyres available ( mostly done in Germany ) I came to the conclusion that the Dunlop SP Blueresponse was a prime candidate. In most of the testing it score highly and as the price I found was very competitive I decided to go for them. The size I am referring is 195/55/R16 by the way
Now after over 400 miles with them I would say I am surprised and impressed. All miles were done in a mixed environment with more than 30% of it in London heavy traffic and the computer indicated fuel economy is more than 10% better than before. I know the conditions i.e. temperature are about right now for good fuel economy but again the difference is massive. Also over the weekend we did over 110 miles through London with a lot of start and stop and slow moving traffic and the average for the whole trip was 43.4. Before we hit the traffic I saw 46MPG which is as high as I have ever seen it in the two years of ownership and close to the officially quoted one.
I know is too early to tell but first indications are very positive. What I do not know about the tyres is how durable they are and how many miles we will get out of them. So far the noise and rolling resistance ratings looks like they tick the box. There is very little report on them as they were only release in the market earlier in the year.
By the way the original tyres are now rated as rolling resistance E compared with B of the Dunlops so the theory behind that says that I should expect a better fuel efficiency...
I will keep monitoring this and see over the long term how the fuel efficiency change and provide you with updates but I would be interested to see what others have observed or experience in this specific area.
Regards
Theo
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