Many tire companies claim their tires are eco-friendly, but recent Tire Rack testing revealed just which brands deliver real-world performance.

Following extensive testing at its South Bend, Ind., test facility, Tire Rack published a comprehensive report analyzing the effectiveness of low rolling resistance tires. In the report, Tire Rack confirmed that using LRR tires is an effective way for consumers to save money while reducing carbon emissions through increased fuel efficiency.

“Low rolling resistance tires represent the most environmentally-focused development in tire technology today,” said John Rastetter, director of tire information at the Tire Rack. “Every gallon of gasoline saved not only reduces each driver’s personal fuel costs and America’s dependence on foreign oil, but it also releases 20 fewer pounds of CO2 gas into the atmosphere from the tailpipe. Our tests proved that vehicles equipped with these tires can achieve better fuel economy.”  

Tire Rack conducted a Real World Road Ride Economy Run to determine whether lower rolling resistance tires are effective at increasing fuel efficiency.

The test used a small fleet of Toyota Prius hybrids outfitted with the Goodyear Integrity all-season radials as a baseline. Then it compared the fuel efficiency and traction of other eco-friendly and standard tires against that baseline. Each tire was driven more than 550 miles on expressways, highways and side roads.

Tire Rack said the baseline Prius achieved 51.4 miles per gallon.
 

Tire Line                                                 Test MPG*    % vs. Baseline
Michelin Energy Saver A/S                        53.8              +4.74%
Bridgestone Ecopia EP100                        53.5              +4.12%
Yokohama dB Super E-Spec                     52.8              +2.81%
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max                 51.6              +0.37%
Goodyear Integrity                                     51.4                  —
Michelin HydroEdge with Green X             51.1              -0.59%
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred             50.0              -2.64%
*Calculated based on GPS distances and ScanGage II recorded consumption
(offset 6% for Prius Summer E10 regular grade fuel).

In the case of the Prius, the difference between the lowest and highest recorded miles per gallon would result in an annual difference of about 21 gallons of regular gasoline consumed at a cost of about $52.50 (at $2.50/gallon) for drivers traveling 15,000 miles a year, Tire Rack said.

The fuel economy recorded for each tire and its relative position compared to the Integrity tire’s average is available at www.tirerack.com/mpgtest.      

“While tires have always played an important role for all types of drivers, our test results show tire manufacturers have successfully added some green to the traditional round and black,” said Rastetter.