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Did anyone else notice the OEM tires for the Energi are changing?


Fat Fusion
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At two years and 40k it's time to buy tires.  With the prediction of El Nino being at 95% right now, it's definitely time!  

 

Anyway, TireRack.com shows two different Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires in the 225 50 17 size.  I ended up going out and looking and I had the 93V tire, which is .700" wider than the 94V tire in the same name and size.  I don't know for sure that they're changing, but I figured I'd stay with "tried-n-true."

 

Here's the link to the tires I got.  I'll probably bring them to Custom Alignment in Mountain View to get them mounted and road force balanced.  It'll be a treat to have new tires in this thing.  I have ONE good clover-leaf on-ramp on the way to work where you really want to get on it and get up to speed for a hectic merge over 3 lanes in about a hundred yards.  That's where most of the tread went, LOL.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Energy+Saver+A%2FS&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=25VR7ESAS&tab=Sizes

 

And Custom Alignment is the best tire/suspension place ever, and priced accordingly!  Joe, the owner, is an avid open tracker- as is several of the shop guys.

 

http://www.customalignment.com/

 

 

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BadRock put on Michelin Premier A/S tires. You might want to go to the thread below and ask how he likes that tire now. Seems like a pretty good upgrade from the OEM. I am going to seriously consider that tire when its time to replace. 

 

http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/3286-what-tires-did-you-get/?p=21600

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I bought the OEM's since I was only buying 2.  I never got around to rotating the tires... Does anyone know where the jacking and jack stand points are on this car ???

 

I'd like to see someone weigh the various tires and see what the differences are.  You'd have to weigh both brand new, but someone could bring a bathroom scale to the tire shop.  I'm pretty sure the energy savers weigh less, giving better mileage.  After driving a Boss 302, I have no illusions that the Energi is anything but a soft pig when it comes to handling.  The new OEM fronts make it drive very, very smooth again.  So smooth in fact that I can now hear the imbalance in the back tire or two and should have had them balanced.  Someday I'll have a nice work shop, and when I do I'll surely get a set of good tire machines.  I HATE HAVING OTHERS WORK ON MY CAR!!!  Of course when I came back to pick the car up the new tires were on the back, even though I specified put them on the front...

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Of course when I came back to pick the car up the new tires were on the back, even though I specified put them on the front...

AFAIK, this is done for safety reasons. Since the front of a car has more weight when braking the newest tires are usually placed on the rear axle for better handling. I've been told by our local Discount Tire store that when selling only 2 tires to someone, they will only ever put them on the back. If they didn't & the person lost control & had an accident, they could sue Discount Tire for putting the new tires on the front & compromising the stability/handling of their car.

Edited by Hybridbear
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The jack points are indicated by arrow heads (triangle) on the rocker panel.  A U shaped lift point is required that can lift the car without crushing the edge of the weld seam.

 

Thanks!  I was under there at least twice and didn't see much access to the pinch welds.  I'll look again.

 

AFAIK, this is done for safety reasons. Since the front of a car has more weight when braking the newest tires are usually placed on the rear axle for better handling. I've been told by our local Discount Tire store that when selling only 2 tires to someone, they will only ever put them on the back. If they didn't & the person lost control & had an accident, they could sue Discount Tire for putting the new tires on the front & compromising the stability/handling of their car.

 

Yet another reason I'd like to have my own equipment.  My single biggest concern right now is hydro-planing on standing water.  El Nino is coming!  FWIW, the backs are not bad at all since they do almost no braking and no acceleration.

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AFAIK, this is done for safety reasons. Since the front of a car has more weight when braking the newest tires are usually placed on the rear axle for better handling. I've been told by our local Discount Tire store that when selling only 2 tires to someone, they will only ever put them on the back. If they didn't & the person lost control & had an accident, they could sue Discount Tire for putting the new tires on the front & compromising the stability/handling of their car.

Can you explain the reasoning behind this? Seems counter intuitive?

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My single biggest concern right now is hydro-planing on standing water.  El Nino is coming!  FWIW, the backs are not bad at all since they do almost no braking and no acceleration.

This is why the new tires should NOT be on the front axle. See links below for more info. The Allstate link is the shortest and specifically focuses on hydroplaning, but all three mention this as the reason why two new tires should never be on the front axle.

 

Can you explain the reasoning behind this? Seems counter intuitive?

Links:

http://blog.allstate.com/new-tires-rear/

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a3121/6-common-tire-myths-debunked-10031440/

Edited by Hybridbear
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Well, here's the relevant section from Allstate:

 

Here’s why that’s bad: Rear tires provide stability. If the worn rear tires are riding on top the water, they can’t offer stability — even if the new fronts are providing plenty of steering ability. So, you can easily end up spinning out.

However, if the new tires are on the rear, the fronts will lose grip before the rears – which can be an easier situation to cope with. Release the accelerator, leave your hands where they are, and wait for the traction to return. Avoid turning the steering wheel more or applying the brakes.

I'm not buying it.  They're essentially saying the you're better off losing control of the front tires than the rear.  I disagree.  They say that "CAN" be easier to cope with, again I disagree.

By putting the better tires on the front, you're blasting the majority of the water in your path out to the sides, right?  That leaves LESS WATER for the tires with the LESS TREAD to deal with, right?

If we put the LESS TREAD tires in the front, you not only are more likely to lose control- since by definition you have less traction/tread, you are dealing with a much worse situation in my opinion than letting the ass end slide out a little.

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Well, the video shows 2 Tauruses traveling at the same speed around a corner, one with worn tires on the front, one with worn on the back, and the one with the old tires on the back consistently spins out.  Remember, when you turn a corner, each tire has its own path.  The rear tires do not completely follow the fronts - that only happens in a straight line.

 

Michelin has put in the research to determine where the safest place to put 2 new tires is, plus the insurance companies have too.  I suppose if you don't buy it, you could always experiment on a wet track (since you know where a race course is).  Just make sure you don't do it near a wall. :)

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I bought the OEM's since I was only buying 2.  I never got around to rotating the tires... Does anyone know where the jacking and jack stand points are on this car ???

 

I'd like to see someone weigh the various tires and see what the differences are.  You'd have to weigh both brand new, but someone could bring a bathroom scale to the tire shop.  I'm pretty sure the energy savers weigh less, giving better mileage.  After driving a Boss 302, I have no illusions that the Energi is anything but a soft pig when it comes to handling.  The new OEM fronts make it drive very, very smooth again.  So smooth in fact that I can now hear the imbalance in the back tire or two and should have had them balanced.  Someday I'll have a nice work shop, and when I do I'll surely get a set of good tire machines.  I HATE HAVING OTHERS WORK ON MY CAR!!!  Of course when I came back to pick the car up the new tires were on the back, even though I specified put them on the front...

 

 

I always had the understanding if two needed to be replaced it is just safer to buy all four. I always rotate the tires about 10k maybe sooner depending on the oil change. I learned the hard way that it is cheaper to rotate than to buy new tires.  

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Well, the video shows 2 Tauruses traveling at the same speed around a corner, one with worn tires on the front, one with worn on the back, and the one with the old tires on the back consistently spins out.  Remember, when you turn a corner, each tire has its own path.  The rear tires do not completely follow the fronts - that only happens in a straight line.

 

Michelin has put in the research to determine where the safest place to put 2 new tires is, plus the insurance companies have too.  I suppose if you don't buy it, you could always experiment on a wet track (since you know where a race course is).  Just make sure you don't do it near a wall. :)

 

LOL yes sir!  I've spent time behind the wheel of a "drift car" with the hydraulically controlled casters that allow either over steer or under steer.  I know exactly what happens in any given situation.  Hell, I've driven cars with zero front tread and NO front brakes!

 

Then maybe when you have an accident due to your wrong decision your insurance company won't pay since you didn't follow instructions.

 

Have you submitted a claim lately?  Unless you kill someone, there is no investigation.  Follow instructions? LMFAO.

 

I believe it is always best to replace the rear tires if only two new ones are bought. In a FWD car, the rear tires have less weight over them, and need to have the best grip to avoid losing control when coming out of a turn.

 

Yeah, cause the 88 HP or so is really going to cause a "Scandanavian Flick!"  There is so much understeer in the Energi there's really not much risk of oversteer.

 

I always had the understanding if two needed to be replaced it is just safer to buy all four. I always rotate the tires about 10k maybe sooner depending on the oil change. I learned the hard way that it is cheaper to rotate than to buy new tires.  

 

That's exactly what I do in most cases.  I've probably bought 20 or 30 sets of tires in my time.  However, in this case the back tires are essentially new and are barely discernible from the fronts in terms of wear.

 

Thanks for the concern guys!  Just tried to let people know if they buy these tires there are two different versions using the same size numbers.

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Have you submitted a claim lately?  Unless you kill someone, there is no investigation.  Follow instructions? LMFAO.

 

 

 

Not trying to drag this out, but depends on what is being submitted to the insurance co.,  most will send out a field rep or the car to their claim center. I know GEICO and sure others will send someone out to check out the car for most claims. Dont have to kill someone for an investigation... You might know this and that, but somethings, I just wouldnt have posted on the forums. Sometimes KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is better :future:

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  • 11 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I replaced the OEMs with Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires at 38K and I'm pleased with their performance and have seen no reduction in gas mileage. The OEM Michelins had maybe 3-4K left on them but were getting louder and I had trips planned.  

 

 http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tire/ecopia-ep422-plus 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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