The car came with 17" silver Goal wheels wrapped in Continental ContiProContacts. Awful tires.... I was torn between trying a different set of 17's, or whether I should ditch the Goal wheels and get a set of VW 16" wheels. Was it the tire, or was it simply the wheel size?
Yes it is partially due to the rim size. Metal weights more than air and some rubber sidewall. More rolling mass means a very small change in MPG. However most people make the swap to new rim size at the same time as going from worn rubber to new rubber.... that is a factor.
Well, I went with a new set of 17" Michelin Primacy MXM4's. And I'm glad I did. They are a great tire. HUGE improvement over the ContiProContacts. Smooth and quiet, although not quite as quiet as a 16"........ One downside is that I lost 2mpg when I went back to the 17's.
I have 17" Goals with Michelin Primacy MXM4's. You really did not lose 2 mpg because of the tire make/brand difference, at least not all of it. You will lose about/approx, 1%-2% going from any worn out tires to new tires, same rim. 16" to 17" rims might lose another precent or so. On a TDI you can expect going from worn to new tires on same rims to lose 0.5-1.0 MPG. Why? Weight, new tires are wrapped in new deep tread; it's heavier. Second diameter - As your car tires wears, it not only gets lighter, the diameter gets smaller, so speed-O is reading un-conservative now. You are going further than it shows, therefore lower MPG. Yes due to drag (grip) of new tires vs. old, due to different brand compound or tread design, could scrub a little mileage, but not 2 mpg. Tire rack does side-by-side comparison of similar NEW tires and you will see very small differences.... Due to their short duration of their tests on a race track, driver variables, you have to take all MPG differences with a grain of salt. There are differences but not likely to make 2 mpg as a single factor.
I lost some MPG going from Hankook 16" to 17" (Goal Rims) Michelin Primacy MXM4's. Also it was summer/spring going to winte/ fall, so time of year, driving habits all had an effect on my MPG. Bottom line, I am happy with the 17" look but will likely go back to 16" when these wear out (in about 5 years if I still own the car).
As far as noise, the new Michelin's are acceptable, but the ride did get more harsh from the 16" to 17" Hankook to Michelin. Big buckles or potholes in the road (I avoid like the plague) are not pretty if I hit them, where 16" rims and rubber is less jolting and harsh. Also rim rash is more likely with 17".
I had 4 sets of Michelin's on my Mk4 Golf, and they were all excellent tires, so I've been a fan of Michelin's. They're more expensive tires, but worth it, in my opinion.
I am going to agree and disagree. Yes they are quality and made in North America (USA and Canada). Regardless the South Korea/South Asia tires are pretty darn good values, offer a lot of bang or miles for the bucks, with decent performance. When you by Michelin or Contentntal or Firestone or Goodyear you are paying for the name, and even some of these brands use imports with their branding (I think). Also more expensive tires can get nails and unrepairable road damage as easily as cheap tires. It might be a better move to buy cheaper tires with extended road damage insurance? Anyway these are my first Michelin's, glad I got them. I paid $170 each with free shipping no tax. I was able to finagle free mount and balance from the VW dealer who OWED me.... (They got even and mounted two of them on backwards, Doha!) If I would have paid to mount and balance it would have been +$30 a tire. So total is $200 per tire.... All local Michelin dealers wanted +$240 mounted and balanced. There is NO WAY I would have paid that, if there was not a lower price mail order option. I have had great luck with Discount Tires Falken brand. In the 225/45R-17 size there are four Falken's from $86, $96, $114 and $124.... That is a lot cheaper than $170, and again they are nice looking, quiet, good handling tires... I moved and there are no Discount Tires locally.
I'm just saying this because there are MANY brands and models of tires; there are no BEST.... I never was a "name brand" hound. I could care less about name brands. (BTW the OEM VW Hankooks that came with my car were decent tires for +50K miles, and they still had +15K miles remaining when I took them off. Got $80 selling them on craigslist.
) I do like value and quality. The Falken's I put on my old Acura Legend Coupe made a night and day difference to the car. Don't get Michelin blinders on. With that said, you can't go wrong with Michelin man, but don't expect miracles. They are just tires after-all. I suspect after spending a grand on tires, people tend to project their desire to justify the money. Some people hate OEM tire choices, just because they assume they are bad or cheap, when in fact they can be quite decent, chosen carefully and a good fit for the car. I considered getting another set of Hankook, but they were not cheap. There is a mind boggling array of choices in brands and models, not to mention deciding to go with 15", 16", 17" or 18" rims..... (20" spinners anyone, ha ha).
