# Fuel Saving Tires



## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

What is up with the fuel saving tires on my Chevrolet Cruze Diesel? For the 2nd time in a short period of time a tire has a problem. The first time I had a sidewall tear and it cost a couple hundred to replace the tire, I mean it was a very light brush against a curb and I had a tear .30 X .25 on the sidewall with the inner cord visible. 

Today I go out to take the Cruze to Seattle and I ended up driving my Buick Park Avenue on the 140 mile round trip. The left rear tire was flat and with no spare I will have to let the car sit until Wednesday to take the tire off and take it down to the tire dealer to have it repaired. I know I probably pickup a nail as the tire has a leak and was losing 1 pound every 5 minutes. That means for me to take the tire off and run it down as it is not safe to drive it way or I just contact on-star and have them take the tire down and fix it.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Personally...i would take it down there with the tire off the car somehow. You never know if it will damage something if something goes wrong. Its possible for a blowout to happen and that will royally screw things up. I doubt you want that. Either call onstar and have them get ahold of chevy roadside assistance to come get it, or you can even take it down there. Which ever is better for you.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

OH Onstar is getting this for sure on Wednesday. The car is safely parked in my 2nd garage and I will NOT drive it until the tire is fix and then I will go down to the tire store and see if these POS tires can be replace by Michelin Fuel saving tires. I personally have given up on these.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I would not buy any fuel saving tires, most are a trade off in some way. Looking at the goodyear fuel max your car is equipped with on tirerack.com, the weight of the tire is 2-3lb less than anything comparable in size. where is that weight gone? My guess is thinner side wall and overall tire with as many failures as I have seen on here.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

Yeah I know and I am going to get a good set of Michelins on it. My set on my Buick has 70,000 miles and I still have over half of the thread left and all I have done since I put them on the Buick is rotate the tires and add air when needed. The little bit lost in efficiency is more then offset by the fact the Goodyear tires are what I call gumballs.


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## DieselEnvy (Jun 22, 2013)

I'm interested someone else picked up on the "wimpiness" of the factory-issue tires. I posted about this in another thread just the other day:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/64-chevy-cruze-diesel/42345-diesel-trunk-space-3.html

Almost can't wait to wear these tires out, and get a better set...


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Gotta tell ya, nothing but success so far and I hope I didn't jinx myself by saying so.
Just crossed 10k miles, one rotation and only 1/32nd measurable wear.....I forecast well over 50k with 3 to 4/32nds remaining....I do operate at 45/50 psi.

Seems like you guys are just having a bout of the unluckys. 

Rob


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Robby said:


> Gotta tell ya, nothing but success so far and I hope I didn't jinx myself by saying so.
> Just crossed 10k miles, one rotation and only 1/32nd measurable wear.....I forecast well over 50k with 3 to 4/32nds remaining....I do operate at 45/50 psi.
> 
> Seems like you guys are just having a bout of the unluckys.
> ...


50k miles on these tires is perfectly doable. I've been running the same pressures as well and I am looking at the same tire life as well. That is, assuming they don't dry rot badly enough first.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I ran my Goodyear FuelMax Assurance for 40,000 miles. I had one that had a slow leak and I simply got tired of checking it every weekend. I went to Pirelli Cinturato P7 LRR tires. My one week report on them is here: http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/12-w...relli-cinturato-p7-all-season-plus-tires.html.


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## Chris2298 (Aug 1, 2012)

I got over 80K miles out of my first set without issue....


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## Garandman (Dec 31, 2013)

There are probably OEM tires that don't suck, but I haven't found them.

I took the OEM's off to put on snows with 38 miles on them, and will sell them here or eBay in the Spring.


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## ParisTNDude (Oct 7, 2013)

It's absolutely amazing that some find a given product almost worthless and others give them praise. I wish those on both sides good luck on their second set of tires. I have had zero issues on my Cruze and hope it remains that way through 150 or 200k miles I intend to keep it.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

The issues I am having with the Goodyear tires is due to the fact I live in the sticks and I hate changing/removing a flat tire in my garage. Yeah I have all the tools, air compressor, floor jacks, torque wrench, jack stands and the impact sockets for both metric and SAE. I have my hobbies and job and this takes me away from doing to remove the tire drive 20 miles to have a repair made and then come back and sticking it back on. 

It is not unreasonable to expect the original tires to at least last 30,000 miles not 8,300 miles and having 2 issues with these junk tires. I got quotes Monday and it likely will be either Michelins or Pirilli tires. Goodyear is not in the equation.


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## Garandman (Dec 31, 2013)

Mikeske said:


> The issues I am having with the Goodyear tires is due to the fact I live in the sticks and I hate changing/removing a flat tire in my garage. Yeah I have all the tools, air compressor, floor jacks, torque wrench, jack stands and the impact sockets for both metric and SAE. I have my hobbies and job and this takes me away from doing to remove the tire drive 20 miles to have a repair made and then come back and sticking it back on.
> 
> It is not unreasonable to expect the original tires to at least last 30,000 miles not 8,300 miles and having 2 issues with these junk tires. I got quotes Monday and it likely will be either Michelins or Pirilli tires. Goodyear is not in the equation.


It's the OEM part of the equation, not the Goodyear. OEM tires are always a compromise.


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## PanJet (Jun 18, 2013)

Honestly I preferred the OEM Firestone FR710 tires on my 2011 Cruze more than these Goodyears. They were smoother and quieter, and even when I traded the car at 50,000 miles, they still had 6/32 left. They lacked in winter traction, but so do these Goodyears.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I can't wait to burn through those Firestone tires. I'm buying hankooks or pirelli tires or not to tires. 

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## PanJet (Jun 18, 2013)

chevycruze2012 said:


> I can't wait to burn through those Firestone tires. I'm buying hankooks or pirelli tires or not to tires.


You have Firestones on your Eco? Are they OEM? I thought all Ecos came with the Goodyears.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

PanJet said:


> You have Firestones on your Eco? Are they OEM? I thought all Ecos came with the Goodyears.


Sorry nvm...they are good year tires. I was thinking of when I had my lt cruze. Those had Firestone tires. Mine on my eco is the Goodyear assurance tires. The hankooks or pirelli tires I want are 600.00 for a set of pirellis and about 550.00 for a set of hankooks. I'm having a hard time deciding. .

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## ParisTNDude (Oct 7, 2013)

I really like Pirelli tires P Zeros. Had them on my 2010 and 2012 Camaros. Lots of stick in the right places...they didn't last very long, but hey...look how I used those two cars. I actually ran a 1.79 60 foot time using them which is better than some who use DOT street radials.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Im not sure what tires to get yet. Im still searching...But i atleast have some brands. Im going to do some searching here before long so i can narrow down tires and ill know which ones im wanting when the time comes lol.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

I have always had good luck with both Pirelli and Michelins and as such I have a couple quotes from several tire stores and I am now looking into tire rack online for pricing info. It will be a couple weeks as I have to generate the cash flow to do the deal but those Goodyears are going to be gone by the end of the month.


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## Cruze2.0Diesel (Jun 30, 2013)

I picked up a plug repair kit for a couple bucks and put it in the trunk next to the air compressor, I have a set of cheap side cutters and pliers in a bag with jumper cables. If I ever pickup a nail I can pull it out and plug it and air it up and move on, later I can put a patch in it. That's pretty much the same thing you get (or use to get) with a lambo, a plug and can of fix a flat.


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

It's looking like the Kumho Ecsta PA31 will be my next set of tires for the Diesel. They're not labeled as LRR, but they outperformed the Perelli and Continental LRR tires for fuel economy in Tirerack's tests, so I'm not concerned about the MPG dropping. I'm very happy with the Kumho KR21s on my wife's van and the KL61s on my Jeep, so thinking I'll give these a try. 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+PA31


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## Cruze2.0Diesel (Jun 30, 2013)

Haven't had any issues with the tires but when it's time to put on new shoes I'm going to get the Goodyear RS-A.


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

Had those RS-A Goodyears on my Jeep as the OEM tire. I can imagine they'd be alright on a passenger car - just not sure who thought they'd be the right tire for a Jeep with 210HP and 235 lb-ft of torque going to a 3.73 rear end gear. I had to put it in 4WD just to pull away from stoplights in the rain without spinning. Once I moved up north, I didn't even keep them through the first winter before putting on something else.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

I'm looking into buying the nitto motivo tires. That's if they are a LRR and fuel efficient tire

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## Cruze2.0Diesel (Jun 30, 2013)

chevycruze2012 said:


> I'm looking into buying the nitto motivo tires. That's if they are a LRR and fuel efficient tire
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


I had a set of Nitto's and loved um, but that was a long long long time ago.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

How was the ride and comfort and performance?


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## Cruze2.0Diesel (Jun 30, 2013)

chevycruze2012 said:


> How was the ride and comfort and performance?


Oh man, well it was on a Datsun 200sx, they were inexpensive, the grip was awesome, and they didn't wear out really fast. After that the memory fades, but I remember I was happy with the grip and the price.


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## vwgtiglx (Jun 13, 2013)

revjpeterson said:


> Had those RS-A Goodyears on my Jeep as the OEM tire. I can imagine they'd be alright on a passenger car - just not sure who thought they'd be the right tire for a Jeep with 210HP and 235 lb-ft of torque going to a 3.73 rear end gear. I had to put it in 4WD just to pull away from stoplights in the rain without spinning. Once I moved up north, I didn't even keep them through the first winter before putting on something else.


I agree 100%. These are the worst OEM tires that exist IMO. I and some of my family members had them on a variety of new cars. We all could not wait for them to wear out so that we get something decent on our cars to ride on.


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## Cruze2.0Diesel (Jun 30, 2013)

vwgtiglx said:


> I agree 100%. These are the worst OEM tires that exist IMO. I and some of my family members had them on a variety of new cars. We all could not wait for them to wear out so that we get something decent on our cars to ride on.


I thought Continental was the worst OEM tires that exist, yes I think that's right, they are the worst. The RS-A is used on the Police Interceptor, and I believe the jeep had the AT/S wranglers not eagles.


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## revjpeterson (Oct 2, 2013)

The Wrangler AT/S was the OEM tire on the Liberty with standard 215/75-16 tires, but the ones with the upgraded 235/70-16 tires got the Eagle RS-A. I still have one of them hanging on the tailgate as the spare (it's never touched the pavement), but next time I get tires, I'll either rotate one of my current tires into that position or if I do a 2" lift and upsize even further than I already have, then I'll have to just buy 5 tires.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

*Im looking into one of these as an option when I need new tires. Pirelli Cinturato p7 all season plus from discount tire direct. These are a fuel efficient tire that is a low rolling resistant tire. Not bad for pricing. $135.00 a tire....I can probably get them a little cheaper from Tires Plus here in iowa. A buddy of mine is an advisor there so ill talk to him. If not, ill buy them from discount tire direct.*


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

chevycruze2012 said:


> *Im looking into one of these as an option when I need new tires. Pirelli Cinturato p7 all season plus from discount tire direct. These are a fuel efficient tire that is a low rolling resistant tire. Not bad for pricing. $135.00 a tire....I can probably get them a little cheaper from Tires Plus here in iowa. A buddy of mine is an advisor there so ill talk to him. If not, ill buy them from discount tire direct.*


http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/12-w...relli-cinturato-p7-all-season-plus-tires.html


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

obermd said:


> http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/12-w...relli-cinturato-p7-all-season-plus-tires.html


So what would you say about getting these tires?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

They're quieter than the OEM Goodyear FuelMax Assurance. On dry and wet pavement they handle just as well as long as you boost the tire pressure closer to max sidewall. I ran my Goodyears at 45 PSI. To get the same handling characteristics I run the P7s at 48 PSI. The P7s also tramline slightly on grooved pavement. Nothing serious but definitely noticable. They're not quite as good in the snow and ice however. Had I known about the lower snow/ice traction I would have replaced the OEM Goodyears with the non-OEM version of the FuelMax Assurance. I think the fuel economy of the two tires is close enough to be "noise" in my daily commute's fuel efficiency.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

So it would be a great tire choice then I take it?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

If you don't mind switching to snow tires in the winter then yes.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

I ended up having a screw in the thread area of the left rear tire. What a hassle. Take the tire off, buy the car 4 new Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Seasons Plus tires. Have the tire shop mount the one tire. Take the new tire home and put it on the Chevy. Drive the Chevy back down to the tire shop and have them sell me a after market aluminum wheel and have the 3 other tires mounted and installed the tires on the Chevy. Have the right rear Goodyear tire mounted on the aftermarket aluminum wheel and place that in the trunk with a set of 5 lug nuts. I now have a spare.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

That's the hard way to get a spare.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

obermd said:


> That's the hard way to get a spare.


Only way to get a spare with the diesel, no compact spare exists.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

That may be the only way to get a spare as the aftermarket aluminum wheel was $106.00. With the fact that Chevrolet makes it difficult to impossible to get a spare for this car I decided to get a spare and when I travel I will have the spare with my jack and spinner in the trunk. I get a flat tire I at least can change the wheel and continue on without having to get onstar to send someone out.

I did ask what the tire shop did with the old tires and they are going to a company that recycles the rubber. The other Good year tires are being scrapped.


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