Genii 205/55/16 Tyres -Long Discourse On Tyres With Test Results

[cootuk]

I've been sifting tyre info recently as I shall need four new tyres soon, and if I change tyre size this is the time to do it properly. It is possible to run different size tyres front and rear, but not really recommended.

In my opinion the standard 195/55/16 size has a very limited selection of tyres.

Changing to 205/55/16 gives a wider range of tyres at a lower cost, and the dimensonal 'error' adds about 1.8% to speedo reading so well within recommended error levels.

Plenty of people in the US have changed to 205/55/16 for their Tourer spec without problem.

The best site I have found so far for tyre reviews is www.rezulteo-tyres.co.uk

It has links to the German car magazine scores - those Germans love testing tyres.

Clicking on a tyre shows basic info about the tyre.

Clicking on 'tests and reviews' then brings up the magazines that tested the tyre, when, and what score it received.

Safety: Dry braking, Wet braking, Wet grip, Aquaplaning

Comfort: Dry handling,Irregularity absorption,Road noise

Economy: Wear life, Saves fuel

(I have edited to put a summary of the tyres and test results at the end of the thread.)

Onto tyres themselves:

I've previously wondered about cheaper tyres like the Falken ZE912 and GT Champiro 228.

The ADAC Summer Tyre Test 2011 shows these to have good dry grip, but really poor braking in the wet (relatively speaking), and poor wear characteristics.

Considering these cost around £50-60 then a premium brand may only cost £15 more per tyre.

If you are on a really really tight budget and don't mind the limitations then these are an option.

I've also wondered about an all weather tyre like the Hankook Optimo 4S. £80 per tyre.

This was tested in Auto Bild in 2008 and the test report is free on the Hankook website.

They are quite good in snow (but not as good as a proper winter tyre) and appear to be marked suitable for use in winter in Europe. For these wet handling and braking isn't far off that of a decent summer tyre. Rolling resistance isn't too far off a summer tyre either.

Dry braking is much worse than a premium summer tyre which puts me off for a general tyre.

For our few winter months then these may show a benefit over summer tyres in the UK as summer tyre performance drops off below 7degC.

If you need an all season tyre then these seem like a good option.

However - if you replace tyres, then you really need another similar tyre as mixing summer and all season tyres can really mess up handling. For this reason sourcing replacements may be harder so I discounted going to Optimos as future supply isn't guaranteed.

Moving on to summer tyres we have two interesting tests:

Auto Bild March 2011 205/55/16 : 15 summer tyres tested - subscription download

Auto Bild Eco Tyre test 2010 : 5 major eco tyres tested - free download

I won't give too much detail about the specifics in the subscribed download due to copyright issues.

The eco tyre test includes Pirelli Cint P7, Bridgestone ER300 eco, Goodyear EfficientGrip, Michelin Energy Saver.

The summer test includes the above, plus Vredestein sportrac3, Uniroyal Rainexpert.

The all cost out about £70-100 per tyre.

The eco tyres surprise in that the best low rolling resistance tyres (Goodyear, Michelin) have a poor dry character.

In fuel consumption litre/100km: Michelin 6.7 Pirelli 6.9 Bridgestone 7.1

I can understand that the ER300 is standard Prius fit as it has better braking characteristics in sacrifice for economy.

The fuel economy varies between different tests due to different tyres sizes and test vehicle used so is comparative only.

The summer tyre test:

Wet: top marks to P7, Sportrac, Rainexpert, ER300 : poor marks to Energysaver and EffGrip

Dry: top marks to all of them.

Fuel litre/100km: Range 4.8-5.1 with ER300 near bottom, Effgrip/P7/Energysaver all very good.

Wear: Energysaver and P7 way out ahead

(Rolling resistance: ER300 again near bottom, Effgrip and Energysaver way out ahead)

So where does this lead me?

I think the Effgrip and Energysaver get ruled out due to poor wet braking grip.

Rainexpert ruled out due to high wear.

ER300 ruled out due to poor economy compared to remaining tyres.

Top of list for me would be P7 (£74) and Sportrac (£65)

The P7 and Sportrac are neck and neck in most tests, with the P7 edging ahead in fuel consumption and wear.

Maybe this focussing on LRR and eco tyres isn't the right way to approach things as the German results show.

If Bridgestone could improve their fuel economy then that tyre would be a real winner.

Please remember these are my interpretations of the test results and subject to my bias and prejudice.

If you get a good deal then most premium brands will be good.

You can argue that emergency braking is important as it is rarely used, but, when needed, there's a car length between the tyres. You may also consider thatif you stop too quickly a vehicle behind you on poorer tyres may end up rearending you. Quite a good advert for keeping a decent gap.

Here's a summary table of the publicly available results from rezulteo-tyres

......................P7...ER300...Effgrip...Energysaver...Sportrac3...Rainexpert.....ZE912

Dry braking......7........8.............7..........7.....................6...........7..............6

Wet braking.....7........7.............6..........7.....................7...........8..............3

Wet grip..........9........8.............6..........7.....................8...........8..............5

Aquaplaning.....7........9.............7..........6.....................9..........10..............6

Dry comfort......9........9.............8..........9.....................9...........8..............8

irregularities.....7........7.............9..........7.....................7...........8..............6

road noise.......8........8.............8..........8.....................7...........7..............8

wear...............9........5.............5..........9.....................6...........6..............6

fuel.................7........4.............9..........9.....................5...........6..............6

If we ignore the Falkens, then the subscription download ADAC test showed :

dry braking from 100km/hr - a range of 2m difference from Michelin (best) to Goodyear/Vredestein/Bridgestone (worst)

wet braking from 100km/hr - a range of 3m difference from Pirelli (best) to Goodyear/Michelin (worst)

cost euro/1000km- from 10.4 to 14.3 from Pirelli/Michelin (best) to Uniroyal (worst)

fuel economy litre/100km - from 4.8 to 5.1 from Goodyear/Pirelli (best) to Bridgestone (worst)

tyre life - from 37000km to 22000km from Michelin/Pirelli (best) to Uniroyal (worst)

[acetip]

I've been sifting tyre info recently as I shall need four new tyres soon, and if I change tyre size this is the time to do it properly. It is possible to run different size tyres front and rear, but not really recommended.

In my opinion the standard 195/55/16 size has a very limited selection of tyres.

Changing to 205/55/16 gives a wider range of tyres at a lower cost, and the dimensonal 'error' adds about 1.8% to speedo reading so well within recommended error levels.

Plenty of people in the US have changed to 205/55/16 for their Tourer spec without problem.

The best site I have found so far for tyre reviews is www.rezulteo-tyres.co.uk

It has links to the German car magazine scores - those Germans love testing tyres.

Clicking on a tyre shows basic info about the tyre.

Clicking on 'tests and reviews' then brings up the magazines that tested the tyre, when, and what score it received.

Safety: Dry braking, Wet braking, Wet grip, Aquaplaning

Comfort: Dry handling,Irregularity absorption,Road noise

Economy: Wear life, Saves fuel

Onto tyres themselves:

I've previously wondered about cheaper tyres like the Falken ZE912 and GT Champiro 228.

The ADAC Summer Tyre Test 2011 shows these to have good dry grip, but really poor braking in the wet (relatively speaking), and poor wear characteristics.

Considering these cost around £50-60 then a premium brand may only cost £15 more per tyre.

If you are on a really really tight budget and don't mind the limitations then these are an option.

I've also wondered about an all weather tyre like the Hankook Optimo 4S. £80 per tyre.

This was tested in Auto Bild in 2008 and the test report is free on the Hankook website.

They are quite good in snow (but not as good as a proper winter tyre) and appear to be marked suitable for use in winter in Europe. For these wet handling and braking isn't far off that of a decent summer tyre. Rolling resistance isn't too far off a summer tyre either.

Dry braking is much worse than a premium summer tyre which puts me off for a general tyre.

For our few winter months then these may show a benefit over summer tyres in the UK as summer tyre performance drops off below 7degC.

If you need an all season tyre then these seem like a good option.

However - if you replace tyres, then you really need another similar tyre as mixing summer and all season tyres can really mess up handling. For this reason sourcing replacements may be harder so I discounted going to Optimos as future supply isn't guaranteed.

Moving on to summer tyres we have two interesting tests:

Auto Bild March 2011 205/55/16 : 15 summer tyres tested - subscription download

Auto Bild Eco Tyre test 2010 : 5 major eco tyres tested - free download

I won't give too much detail about the specifics in the subscribed download due to copyright issues.

The eco tyre test includes Pirelli Cint P7, Bridgestone ER300 eco, Goodyear EfficientGrip, Michelin Energy Saver.

The summer test includes the above, plus Vredestein sportrac3, Uniroyal Rainexpert.

The all cost out about £70-100 per tyre.

The eco tyres surprise in that the best low rolling resistance tyres (Goodyear, Michelin) have a poor dry character.

In fuel consumption litre/100km: Michelin 6.7 Pirelli 6.9 Bridgestone 7.1

I can understand that the ER300 is standard Prius fit as it has better braking characteristics in sacrifice for economy.

The summer tyre test:

Dry: top marks to P7, Sportrac, Rainexpert, ER300 : poor marks to Energysaver and EffGrip

Wet: top marks to all of them.

Fuel litre/100km: Range 4.8-5.1 with ER300 near bottom, Effgrip/P7/Energysaver all very good.

Wear: Energysaver and P7 way out ahead

(Rolling resistance: ER300 again near bottom, Effgrip and Energysaver way out ahead)

So where does this lead me?

I think the Effgrip and Energysaver get ruled out due to poor wet grip.

Rainexpert ruled out due to high wear.

ER300 ruled out due to poor economy compared to remaining tyres.

Top of list for me would be P7 (£74) and Sportrac (£65)

The P7 and Sportrac are neck and neck in most tests, with the P7 edging ahead in fuel consumption and wear.

Maybe this focussing on LRR and eco tyres isn't the right way to approach things as the German results show.

If Bridgestone could improve their fuel economy then that tyre would be a real winner.

Please remember these are my interpretations of the test results and subject to my bias and prejudice.

If you get a good deal then most premium brands will be good.

Hi great posting,very interesting.

[cootuk]

Like most things it's a tradeoff.

If I lived out in the sticks then I would seriously consider the allweather tyres like the Optimo 4S (or the new Vredestein Quadrac Lite) simply for their ability to cope with poor road conditions.

The cheaper brands like Falken can save you a few pounds if you accept you need to back off in poor weather and keep good braking distances.

The Sportrac3 isn't classed as an eco tyre, but comes out quite well against the tested eco tyres, maybe because some of the eco tyres (like the ER300) aren't particularly fuel efficient.

The Michelin and Pirelli are miles ahead for tyre wear and lifetime running costs. I can see why some people like the Energysaver as, before the P7 came out, they are miles ahead if you accept slightly poorer wet braking.

Relatively speaking, there's not much between all these top brands, so it can come down to tyre cost,convenience, and personal favouritism - I hated Pirelli P6000 so am wary of that brand. I've always considered Uniroyal to be a bit antiquated, though the Rainexpert is surprisingly good here and changes my opinion. Their Sportexpert is highly regarded too.

The Turanzas surprise in that they are a good allround tyre, but not the most fuel eco.

[sjrainsford]

Not the main point of your post I know, but when mine are due a change I will be going to a 205mm width too as like you say they area a lot cheaper as it's obviously a more common size. Plus, I think they'll look slightly nicer on the car.

Also, it needs a slightly larger diameter in my opinion as the speedo is so far out on these.

[cootuk]

Looking at prices on Blackcircles £

...........................195/5R16V.......205/55R16V

Falken ZE912..................62..............64

Champiro GT228..............68..............65

Uniroyal Rainexpert...........94..............72

Bridgestone ER300..........113..............76

Pirelli cinturato P7..............---..............89

Micheline Energysaver........131..............92

So the cheaper tyres are about the same price for the wider size, but the premium tyres are up to 30% cheaper.

Some of the online sites also offer a Quidco cashback.

Voucher sites also sometimes have a deal for certain brands (but not as good as the Costco deals in the US).

eBay can also give you a pointer to companies that have good pricing (I found Hotline Motorsports in Manchester).

I eventually got the Pirellis for £74 each fully fitted from Hotline Motorsports.

Production date on the tyres was late 2010.

The P7 cinturato are fairly quiet, maybe just very very slightly louder than the ER300s we had, but in a soothing sort of way.

Even though it's a new tyre fuel economy doesn't appear to have suffered round town.

On the motorway we are about 8% down but that could just be due to a new tyre having 8mm tread rather than an old tyre with 3mm. Plus it was pouring with torrential rain when I went for a run so that would affect economy with the roads being rivers.

Overall I paid £296 for four tyres compared to the dealer quote of £450 for the 195 Bridgestones.

[wizzlon]

Very interesting- as I have been quoted £150 each for the recommended tyres for my 2010 prius. Can't recall what they were as I was a bit taken aback! Would going up a size require notification to the insurance co as a modification?

[Sagitar]

Very interesting- as I have been quoted £150 each for the recommended tyres for my 2010 prius. Can't recall what they were as I was a bit taken aback! Would going up a size require notification to the insurance co as a modification?

You don't say which wheels and tyres you already have fitted. The standard Gen3 17" wheels already have wider tyres (they are 215/45) than those quoted above.

[capnbirdseye]

I shall be looking for new tyres for my Gen2 spirit shortly, the current Bridgestones have got very noisy as they have worn down, so much that it spoils my enjoyment of the car, quiet tyres are important for me

[cootuk]

Toyota Insurance don't load the premium for going from 195/55/16 to 205/55/16 as I've rung them and asked.

They are only interested in performance enhancing mods.

I know some companies do load premiums if you fit winter tyres with a lower speed rating.

As for the GenIII 215/45/17 then I guess you might try 225/45/17 - best to check clearances in the wheelwell but I believe some on Priuschat say it's ok.

Then you could get something like a Cinturato P7 for 110 fitted from Blackcircles, and that's before ringing round or vouchers/cashback.

As for noise - the german autobild test does rate driveby noise at 50/80km/hr

Goodyear/Hankook and Vredestein came out best.

The rest of the field are around the same, apart from Pirelli who are noisiest.

There a 1dB difference (double the noise) from about 69-70dB at 50km/hr between the best and rest of field, with Pirelli at 71.5dB.

To be honest i thought the Pirelli were quite soothing on the motorway, so not an aggressive booming exhaust type noise which is intrusive

[Ancient Nerd]

I shall be looking for new tyres for my Gen2 spirit shortly, the current Bridgestones have got very noisy as they have worn down, so much that it spoils my enjoyment of the car, quiet tyres are important for me

I strongly recommend the Michelin Energy Saver. My previous Gen II, still in the family, had the original Bridgestones replaced with these.

Not much obvious difference when the front tyres were replaced (swapped around so that the new Michelin ones were on the back, and the old Bridgestone back ones moved to the front.

But when the remaining Bridgestones were replaced, the difference was very noticeable. The car was much quieter. The first of the Michelins look as though they will need replacing towards the next service (100,000), so comfortably over 50,000 miles.

My opinion, unbiased by any facts, is that quiet running tyres probably give low wear and improved fuel consumption, because the noise equates with the tyre scrubbing the road.

[cootuk]

Ther's an update on braking from Autobild

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Autobild-50-Tyre-Braking-Test.htm

[johalareewi]

For quiet tyres, there is a thread running about the Yokohama dB range....

http://www.toyotaown...pic=133296&st=0