Bridgestone Ecopia 422 and Michelin Defender now available in 185/60-R15 ...

[Hershey]

Go here if interested . http://www.bridgestonetire.com/productdetails/QuickSearch/Ecopia_EP422_(eco) and http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/category/passenger-car-minivan/defender/tire-details#techspec_table . Go to Tirerack and Tirebuyer ( free shipping ) for prices , reviews , etc.. Have the 422s' on the '11 Fit . F.E. is better over the Dunlop SP31s' that came on it . Go here if curious of the gas mileage for the Fit with the Ecopia 422s' , http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38953 . May get the 422s' next for the sedan .

[mryaris]

I put a set of Defenders on my Yaris a couple of weeks ago. I only have about 1000 miles on them, but so far I am very impressed......much better than the stock Goodyears they replaced!

[Hershey]

Good to see . Any gain in gas mileage ?

[mryaris]

Mileage has pretty much remained the same. I had been getting 42-45 MPG prior to the new tires and the 2 tanks after the new tires have been 42 & 43 respectively.

[schume]

I put a set of Defenders on my Yaris a couple of weeks ago. I only have about 1000 miles on them, but so far I am very impressed......much better than the stock Goodyears they replaced!How many miles did you get on the Goodyears? What do you like about the Defenders?

[Hershey]

The F.E. may improve with the Defenders after a 1,000 miles or so . Keep us updated . Thanks .

[mryaris]

How many miles did you get on the Goodyears? What do you like about the Defenders?

It's hard to say......my Yaris had 56K miles when I installed the Defenders, but I use dedicated snow tires in the winter during storms. I swap them out before the storm and them immediately after it melts.....my mileage drops like a rock with the snows on! The Goodyears probably only had 45K miles on them and they were almost slicks....no tread left.

I like the the Defender for the 90K mile treadlife and Michelins are top shelf tires too. They are updated versions of the Harmony which got rave reviews over the years, so I figured they would be just as good.

It would be great if my mileage increases as they wear.....I'm hoping they do well enough in light snow so I don't have to swap the snows over so much this winter. The Goodyears were scary in the snow! I even lost control and hit a curb last winter (bent the wheel) because I figured it was only an inch so why waste the effort and put the snow tires on. Lesson learned!

I'll update fuel mileage as I put more miles on them.

[schume]

Thank you for the info! I'm approaching 30k on my Goodyears and I just want to plan ahead. I look forward to hearing about any mileage differences with the new tires. How is the road noise? Any difference?

[Hershey]

The 422s on '11 base model Fit with the 5 speed automatic have got us more 40+ tanks of gas ( 6 out of the last 7 ) compared to last year with the original Dunlop SP 31 A/S tires . When the Contimental Eco + tires are running low on tread will likely replace with the 422s' . Here's the FIT gas mileage since installation of the Ecopia 422s' , http://www.fuelly.com/driver/cinder/fit . Took these pics earlier on a fill of the Fit . Calculated was 41.12 m.p.g..The '08 base model Yaris with a 4 speed auto is slightly ahead of the FIT for overall gas mileage .

[Nicfin]

I bought a set of Michelin Defenders a few months back. Hopefully, they will last the rated 90K miles. I did not notice any improvements in gas mileage.

http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp205/Woody35722/100_5773.jpg

[Hershey]

Sharp ! :thumbsup: . Like the 1st generation hatch a bit better .

[mryaris]

I just filled up my 3rd tank since getting the Defenders (~1300 miles) and my mileage is back to where it was before.....it did drop a little bit after installing the tires. The 3 tanks prior to the new tires were: 46.0, 44.7 & 44.7 The 3 tanks after the new tires were: 41.8, 42.6 & 45.1

Only time will tell if my average continues to increase, but I am happy that it didn't decrease (I've bought tires before on other cars where I lost mileage and never got it back).

As far as road noise.....I think it is quieter than the Goodyears, but it's hard to quantify since I can listen to teh new tires and can't go back and listen to the old ones. I do know that wet traction has inproved and it feels more confisent in corners (but again....hard to quantify). All in all I really like these tires and would recommend them to anyone looking for a good replacement tire.

I'll update again when I get a few more tanks run through her.