Given
64%
while driving a
Ford Fiesta mk7
(195/45 R16 V) on
a combination of roads
for 32,000
average miles
I fitted these tires to my Ford Fiesta 1.4TDCi Titanium 3 years ago. My original reasoning for choosing these tires was for their ability to increase your fuel economy, and claims over how quiet they were (66dB on this wheel size). The car's OEM tires were Continental Sport Contact 2s which, to me, seemed like an odd choice given the 67bhp 1.4 diesel engine which is aimed at fuel economy, and has a ‘leisurely’ (putting it diplomatically) 0-60mph time of 15 seconds!
The Good:
From the moment these tires were fitted, I saw an instant increase in fuel economy. I noted a 5mpg gain on the first full tank of fuel. The car has continued to provide excellent fuel economy on these tires over the past 3 years, easily averaging 65mpg, with 70+mpg on occasions in the summer months – I never got close to this on the Sport Contacts.
Wear has also been fantastic. The tires have now completed 32,000 miles (rotated at approx. 22,000), and there is still around 5mm tread on the front tires, and 4mm on the rear. 40-45k miles is looking realistic.
Grip levels are completely fine with the car handling roundabouts in the wet at speed, and no major loss in feel when driving sensibly - although I am starting to notice a slight decrease in grip in wet conditions now.
The Bad:
When first fitted, they were relatively quiet, although not as quiet as I expected, but still acceptable. As they passed 20,000miles however, they started to get noisier and noisier. On rougher roads, there is now a lot of road roar/rumble. I noted some reviewers below state that they experienced a noise like a wheel bearing wearing out on these tires, and I have also found this too, especially from the rear of the car – almost like a humming sound at around 60mph.
The noise levels are becoming so bad, it is making me consider replacing them early. Comfort levels are therefore not fantastic in the long term.
Grip levels in snow are very low, even by summer tire standards, and they are defeated by even the gentlest of slopes, but I get the feeling this is generally the case for all low rolling resistance tires.
Overall:
These tires have worked really well on the Fiesta, with fuel economy and wear being fantastic – a definite 10 out of 10 on those front. Comfort though does deteriorate badly as the tire wears. Also bear in mind this Fiesta engine develops a lowly 67bhp. The Efficient Grips are definitely at their best on ‘normal’ family cars with engine power approx.