My new Eco Diesel

[Draigflag]

I decided to get some better rims, the others were ok but I always thought they could look better. So sticking with the gloss black theme, I bought these tasty Calibre rims, 17" again but went for some ECO tyres this time. They are rated C for both fuel efficiency and wet braking, so considering they are at the lower end of the price market, they perform well. I should hopefully see better fuel economy now, I'm running them at about 10% higher pressures than recommended.

Couple of phone snaps, will do some better pics in the daytime and when the car has been cleaned!

[LDB]

That's an interesting sticker. We don't get the 3 ratings the graphics give you. That would be nice to have for comparing tires. Good looking wheels too.

[rfruth]

I hadn't heard of Mazzini tires before (not sure what that says about me) but yea that tire/rim combo looks good !

[Draigflag]

Yea the efficiency labels were bought in by the European Union a few years ago, thier aim at reducing fuel consumption across Europe by helping motorists make better informed choices and encouraging the purchase of more fuel efficient tyres.

Believe it or not, the difference in fuel consumption between A and G can be up to 7.5% so can save a fair bit of fuel and money in the long run. I think every appliance sold in the EU now has a similar label, from refrigerators to houses (my house is rated B which is impressive for a house nearly 200 years old!)

So how do you guys chose tyres with nothing to compare to? Tyre manufacturers must spend a fortune on marketing out there?

[benlovesgoddess]

The Dunlop Sport Bluresponses I now sport on each wheel are rated B for economy (the best available for my tyre size) and A for braking in the wet. Cost £65 a corner, fitted on steel rims and plastic wheel trims for a nice "stock" look...!

[Draigflag]

I don't think I can get anything higher than a C with this profile. Usually what you find is tyres that are good for wet braking are bad for effeicncy, and those that are more economical and have a lower rolling resistance are terrible in the wet. Yours are pretty good by the sounds of it. Mine were only £40 a corner.

[LDB]

We get treadwear, traction and temperature ratings like 480 AA A or 600 A A or 320 A B etc. but we don't get the fuel efficiency, wet performance or noise ratings on the tires. The treadwear rating is only partly helpful because each company does their own rating. It helps when you compare all the tires from Michelin to each other but it is meaningless to compare a Michelin to a Bridgestone or Dunlop.

[Draigflag]

Sounds like a bit of a free for all. What with tyres being the only safety part of your vehicle to touch the road, and the fact that tyres alone account for 20% of your fuel consumption alone, you'd think things would be a bit more black and white.

[LDB]

Yes, it would be nice if the treadwear rating were mandated to match so tires from all makers could be compared equally. It would be nice to get the extra information you get as well. I'd really like to have noise ratings when purchasing tires.

[Charon]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

Sounds like a bit of a free for all. What with tyres being the only safety part of your vehicle to touch the road, and the fact that tyres alone account for 20% of your fuel consumption alone, you'd think things would be a bit more black and white.

Can you show a link to that information that tires account for 20% of fuel consumption? I can see that being valid only at extremely low speeds where aerodynamic effects are negligible.