[ruzicka]

Hello all!

I just purchased a set of Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds for my 2000 Forester. While I appreciate the vast increase in handling and traction that I get from these tires, I've noticed that I'm now getting about 1-2 MPG less in fuel economy; no doubt due, at least in part, to the better traction.

I was wondering though if anyone here had some sage advice (I'm a bit of a newbie with Subarus) as to the "optimum" tire presures to use to maximize fuel economy. If it makes any difference, I live in the Denver area (high altitude), so I can expect any kind of weather ranging from blistering heat in the summer to deep freezes and snow in the winter.

Thank to all who offer advice!

 

[billh]

A 1 - 2 mpg loss is common with the increased rolling resistance with the wider tire over the stock Geo's. Depending on your requirements for road harshness tolerance, sidewall stiffness, fore / aft handling balance, etc., running higher pressures above 34 psi will improve performance & gas mileage in addition to a higher load rating & max speed capability - just don't exceed the max cold inflation pressure rating of your tires. The higher pressure will also help keep the tread channels from pinching in from water pressure in the rain.
I ran 36 psi in my Geo 900's & current B'stone G009's with the weight loading in the rear of my XT.

 

[SubaJew]

I had the Goodyear product as my second choice.
They were a bit pricey and so I went with the Bridgestone G009.
Keep us posted every once in a while and let us know how they wear.
Did you go with the stock size or one up (225/60/16 or 215/65/16)?

I second the 34psi (cold) opinion above.
Improves mpg and handling.
Enjoy the new shoes.

 

[ruzicka]

I simply got the stock size. I purchased the TripleTreds at a slight discount ($89).

 

[MountainBiker]

Max pressure will give you the best fuel economy. However, traction and tire wear will be worse. I try to set the pressure so that the tire wears evenly across the tread, and hopefully the traction performance is good.

 

[SKSTI]

I ran 34 psi for for my 06, but it's a bit too rough for my liking. I then dropped it down to 30 psi all way around and it now rides much smoother/quieter. Mileage dropped about 1 mpg, hardly noticable since I do 90% city (lousy mileage no matter what) and traction in the wet seems a bit better.

 

[Subifreak]

Hello all!

I just purchased a set of Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds for my 2000 Forester. While I appreciate the vast increase in handling and traction that I get from these tires, I've noticed that I'm now getting about 1-2 MPG less in fuel economy; no doubt due, at least in part, to the better traction.

I was wondering though if anyone here had some sage advice (I'm a bit of a newbie with Subarus) as to the "optimum" tire presures to use to maximize fuel economy. If it makes any difference, I live in the Denver area (high altitude), so I can expect any kind of weather ranging from blistering heat in the summer to deep freezes and snow in the winter.

Thank to all who offer advice!

We put the same tires on my wife's 2003 XS (I also have them on my 2001 Lexus). Due to the tires aggressive tread pattern (1st overall in a recent Consumer Reports testing of 18 all seasons btw), I'm afraid that is a 'necessary evil' of the tires to sacrifice slight fuel economy for excellent traction (which is more than worth it imo considering how good the tires are, along with the AWD system). I keep all 4 tires between 34 & 35 psi which I find works best.

 

[billh]

FWIW, I've never had adverse accelerated center tire wear bumping tire pressures in P-metric radials. However, Euro metric radials & bias plies from the 60's were very sensitive to tire pressure with respect to wear.

 

[Subyroo]

I'm running 36psi in my Michelin XM1's and they look 50% worn with 40,000 kms (24,854 US miles) on them and they still grip well in both Wet/Dry conditions.

 

[MountainBiker]

FWIW, I've never had adverse accelerated center tire wear bumping tire pressures in P-metric radials. However, Euro metric radials & bias plies from the 60's were very sensitive to tire pressure with respect to wear.

My Falken Ziex 512s became very worn in the center from running 36 psi.

 

[TAGXT04]

My Falken Ziex 512s became very worn in the center from running 36 psi.

I just "traded-in" my Falkens for another set after 30k miles (50k pro-rated.) I usually run 34/36 so the centers were worn about 1-2 centimeters more than the outer tread. They (Sears) fussed at me a little bit, and put my car on the alignment rack, but in the end honored the mileage warranty ($26/tire credit.)

I went with another set because I really liked the price, performance (dry/wet/snow), ride quality, and the low noise levels. If Sears keeps the 50k warranty on the H-rated tires I'll keep buying them!

 

[billh]

My Falken Ziex 512s became very worn in the center from running 36 psi.

Were you running oversize tires?

 

[MountainBiker]

Were you running oversize tires?

225/60-16, but on another vehicle with the same wheel size and weight as the Forester.

 

[billh]

225/60-16, but on another vehicle with the same wheel size and weight as the Forester.

225/60x16 have a significantly higher max load rating than the 215's which could account for the added center tread wear running the same pressures.

 

[SenorSubie]

I up'd my pressure from 30 psi all around to 34 psi all around tonight.. I'll see if I notice any differance....

 

[MountainBiker]

225/60x16 have a significantly higher max load rating than the 215's which could account for the added center tread wear running the same pressures.

Sure, but I wanted to report that as a contrarian viewpoint to the theory that higher pressures don't cause uneven wear. Especially since many people on this board are using 225/60-16 tires.

 

[lizardspeed]

i have run 512's up to 40/42 for road trips and i think i picked up 1 or 2 mpg improvement. the car was also more prone to wet pavement understeer so i no longer run it that high on a regular basis.

 

[jbleee]

^hmm maybe thats why i find my 512s understeer hard and have bad traction in the wet...
ima lower the PSI to see if there's a difference

I run 37F 39R on my 512s 225.50.16's
My shoulder/outers are worn more than the centers

 

[andrewhg]

Mmmm according to the pressure info on my door pillar I should be running:
29F 28R Empty
29F 36R Full of boxes and stick people
The 36R seems pretty high.

Things are not helped by this weird kgf/cm2 numbering, it took me ages to work out the psi.. I must be getting old.

 

[philbytx]

I am running 35 all around on stock Geosquealers.

Ride is firm but fine, handling is better and mileage averages around 28 at 70mph highway cruising in our FXS LLB and with the a/c on about 27.