Has anyone used this as a replacement for the stock oem tires? My wife's Dunnies have about 40K on them and they are getting near the end of their useful life. Right around the same price as the Dunlops and look to be a bit of a better tire based on reviews on Tire Rack. She wants to keep the 185 55 size as she is loving the mpg she was getting with the OEM shoes. (40+)

So......anyone giving these tires a whirl and if so reports on mpg, wear and road noise?

 

Better Idea.

Get 205's on your wife's wheels and put them on your car, give her your tires. Chances are, the amount you save by going to a 205 tire (more available and cheaper) won't be made up in economy.

for example, looking at the two big online retailers (DiscountTireDirect & Tirerack) There are Hankook Ventus tires (ultra High Performance All Season) for $80 shipped with a $40 Mail in Rebate (50K mile warranty rating). If you ahve a Discount Tire Direct Credit Card it's an additional $30 off too. That's $70 or $63/tire. the Bridgestone Potenza Grids are about $104/tire shipped. You are looking at a savings of just under $140. that's about 40 gallons worth of gas. If you have a DTD Card, it's almost 50 gallons worth of gas or $170 in savings.

~SB

 

I agree and the Hankook 205's are actually 2 lbs each lighter than the Bridgestone G019 185's so expect any mpg difference unmeasureable.

Only comment on the Hankook's is winter/snow rating is lower than G019's. For me not an issue but noticed OP is from the north so might need to consider. However the Hankook's are rated higher for winter/snow than either OEM tire.

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if you upsize and go 205, don't be surprised if you get worse gas mileage.

 

I had a set of these on my 8th gen Civic and they were not too bad considering the price. I went through the OEM Bridgestones in 20K so I expected these to get at least 30K. Sticking to the same size, I was getting about the same mileage. Performance-wise was better than stock in terms of handling in the dry around corners and in wet weather. Noise was about the same and the tread pattern isn't as aggressive as others so over time, they should be OK. My .02.

When my OEM Dunlops go in another 10K in my Fit, I'll probably go with these if they're still around and the price is right.

 

I went to 205,s and only "lost" 1mpg.

 

And this varies by each tire model not just by size. Some 205's weigh 24 lbs and lowest 185's weigh 18 lbs. Other 185's (like the G019) can weigh 22 lbs or more while some 205's weigh as low as 18 lbs.

Tire weight, contact patch, rubber optimized for rolling resistance or for traction, tread pattern, etc. Many factors effect mpg not only width.

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I really love my Conti Extreme Contact DWS in 205/50/16.

I still routinely get 38mpg and the grip is really nice.

 

The Conti DWS's are the highest rated all season tire. Especially shine in the snow and ice according to reviews. They also only weigh 19 lbs. each

but....

$129 each including shipping versus $72 each including shipping & rebate for the Hankook's so no real comparison for me, almost half the price. However if I lived in the Great White North I would probably reconsider.

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I understand. I live in North Texas, so not a lot of snow but quite a bit of icy and wet days in the winter--hence why I got them. They still look brand new after 20k and 3 rotations. I love these tires and will probably buy again. Not that I'll need them for a while.

 

For BBerry, I'd say for the winter, get snow tires and cheap wheels like I did. saves the rims with decent ties on the car and is safer on the road. Plus with the hankooks you get some flexibility on when to change back to your "summer" wheels as they are all seasons.

for reference purposes, my Bridgestones and Stock sport Alloys were right around 36lbs combined. I think the OEM alloys are 16-18 lbs so the tires should be 18-20 lbs. anything in that range will probably perform just about the same as the oem tires. +/- 1mpg.

~SB