New Shoes

Well I had to buy some new shoes for my silver bullet. The OEM Hankooks lasted right @ 35,000 with .1" left of tread. I ordered Michelin Defenders with the 90K warranty and had them installed this past Saturday morning. Great news! Quiet tire and much much much better ride quality. I am happy. P.S. the speed rating I ordered was T, not V... and thus, less $$$...

This link will provide you with some more spec's. Enjoy!

http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/category/passenger-car-minivan/defender/tire-details

Please report back on any impacts to fuel economy. I remember putting Michelin Pilot Exaltos on my Golf and loving the ride and low noise but taking a slight hit (2-3 mpg) to mileage.

I'm looking forward to new shoes. @20k I'll have to live with my B-stone Turanzas for a bit longer, but will likely go with some Michelins when I'm due. They make good stuff.

First tank on the new shoes earned me a 44.25 mpg with cool mornings (>/= 38*) @ 0530 a.m. CST on my long haul to work 5 days a week. I shift between 2200-2800 rpm's after car is warmed up, but when it's cold, I usually limp along @ 1800-2000 rpm's before I shift... I set my cruise @ 73-75 mph and turn on the tunes... no big deal... 36,000 miles and running strong. Great car thus far!

*Disclaimer* Your mileage may vary. "YMMV" for all you newbies out there...

I replaced my factory rims and tires when the car was new and I got the defenders. I now have 23K on them and all is well an excellent tire.

Tire size 225 50 18

Hmm, 35k you say? I'm actually excited that I need to go check our car which is at 30k miles to see how much tread is left. I can't wait to get rid of these Hankooks.

Affirmative.

Just dumped my Hankooks yesterday. I got 38k out of them and although they hadn't quite hit the wear bars yet I decided it was time. I might have driven them a few more weeks but Momma drives the Passat now and I can't have her driving on subpar tires. Went with the Michelin Primacy MXV4 and so far they are great. Car drives like a completely different car, much quieter and rides much better. Only driven one day so far but looking forward to see the impact on fe and other parameters.

My original tires are 215/55-17 and they are Hankooks. I am thinking of going a little wider on the same rim. Any one try this and do you have any suggested tire?

dee74 said:

My original tires are 215/55-17 and they are Hankooks. I am thinking of going a little wider on the same rim. Any one try this and do you have any suggested tire?

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Why are you looking for a wider tire, just curious.

^^^^^ I have put wider tires on most of my previous vehicles and always liked them. I am just on the fence on these because I do not want to lose out on too much fuel mileage.

dee74 said:

^^^^^ I have put wider tires on most of my previous vehicles and always liked them. I am just on the fence on these because I do not want to lose out on too much fuel mileage.

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Did you like them for performance, looks or what?

Generally wider means less MPG, for me I will stick with the stock size skinnys. Let us know how it goes for you if you decide to UPgrade.

I always thought they looked better and they have cornered better for me. I do not drive excessively fast but wider tires seemed to always add stability to my vehicles.

Couldn't take the hankooks. Replaced them this morning with mxv4's, no defenders in the area shops, and just completed 400 miles of very happy driving. Should have done this long ago.

One comment I wanted to leave here, on my previous car I had 245/40 18 front and 275/35 18 and I had 17 to 19 mph on daily driving and 26-28 mpg on hwy at 70-80 mph, and it was V8 4.8 L engine. So now I have 35-37 mpg on same commute and 42-45 mpg hwy, so yes VW is no argue better mpg, but my point is the tires size is very small contributor in the fuel economy. The most important thing is engine size and design and your foot.