2006 with the pretty bits upgrade package. OEM were the Contitrack ecos? and now I have Continental CrossContact LX20s. I've found the speedo reads about 3-4mph higher than my actual speed.

I have previously worked in calibration and I wonder what the DMV/HTSB/whoever's tolerance is on speedo calibration as I'm certain someone in the gov't regulates it.

In other news, last weekend we got hit by a nice snowstorm of heavy wet super duper snowball making snow. The LX20s did very well in my opinion for a LRR tire. I had some slipping problems for a few minutes in a mix of packed and unpacked snow about 5" deep on pavement with a slight incline. I made it through but I had to be very very careful on the throttle. However, other than that, they did very very well. In fresh snow and consistent hard pack they seemed good so, I think it was the mix of hard pack and fresh that they had trouble with. Either way, they were MUCH better than the OEM Contis and I would assume much better than the Latitude Tours since I've read they're similarly awful in the snow. The OEM tires couldn't find any grip in similar snow only 2" deep on gravel!

 

Are you 2WD or 4WD? I have a 2010 FEH Limited 4WD. I live in coastal Maine and we've gotten our fair share (and more) of snow lately. My latitude tours are doing just fine. And the last set on my 2006 FEH 4WD, did too. In fact, very well. I've no complaints. I'd be hard pressed (tortured?) to call them "awful". Not even close.

The Ford Escape has such terrific clearance (the most for a vehicle of this type, I'm told) that that helps with reduced drag in deep snow. I recently went up my driveway (not long) with 8-12" and plowed right thru it without problems. Getting out of the car was a bit more difficult.

 

I have the normal Michelin Latitude Tours (P235x70x16 - inflated to 36psi) and my GPS says I'm going a wee bit under the speedometer at 60mph. A mile or two at most but nothing like 2.5 mph. I wonder how much difference it makes between full, new tread and then down to 3/32?

 

New article about LRR tires in the Scientific American just out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/au...20130219&_r=1&

 

Oops. Sorry. Make that the NY Times and not Scientific American. My bad.

 

Good article, and the best part is said in the first paragraph!

"Those solutions may include the use of hybrid powertrains, adopting lightweight materials, cutting aerodynamic drag and minimizing the friction losses of moving parts."

I've said tire and rim weights are the key for a long time now. In addition, I've stated how my dirty FEH has better aerodynamics than a clean and waxed FEH. The bottom line is being able to know what works to get the best MPG.

Take the LRR tires and put the tire psi to the max. You'll see what I've said will give you the best MPG, tire wear, and handling you'll get out of your vehicle.

GaryG

 

Well, my Grabbers are at 68k miles and are really past due for replacement. I don't have good records for my mpg over the entire life of the OEM Continentals, but I've never gotten as good mileage from the Grabbers as I know I got on a couple tanks when I had the Continentals on a younger car. I'm really debating on what to buy now. I'll be looking at Goodyears and Continentals though.

 

I highly recommend the Latitude Touring. I've had them a week and already I have seen a 1-2 MPG increase. These LRR tires are great.

 

Just wait as they wear some of that rubber off and they get lighter. I got a 65mpg tank putting the worn Latitude tires and rims from my '05 FEH. The standard hybrid rims are lighter than my '09 Limited rims. I'm running my Latitudes at 55psi now and have no plans to change that with the mileage and wear I'm getting. Handling is much better also.

GaryG

 

I have owned several cars with on board mpg calculation, as well as rented over a dozen different makes and models in the past 5 years.

ALL OF THEM OVER-ESTIMATE MPG. ALL OF THEM.

so yes, it is on purpose!