I just put Primacy MXV4 tires on my 06 HCH and have noticed my MPG drop almost 6-7 points! Has anyone had this issue?! What is the max PSI I should put in these tires to get good MPG but not compromise safety? I think the tire shop put in what they said was an OEM recommendation of 31 or 32 PSI. Any help is appreciated guys, because seeing 39 mpg right now, makes my stomach hurt!

 

What PSI did you use on your former tires? The subject of FE and PSI has been extensively discussed... suggest you do a forum search here to evaluate what's best for you. I run 42/40 PSI and average 47 MPG – but YMMV. Primacy is a decent LRR tire. Also suggest you do manual calculations since the diameter of a new tire will vary from that of a worn tire.

 

It is common to see a drop in mileage with new tires for the first 1000 miles or so. They need to wear in a bit before you see the mileage you were getting before. As Steve mentioned, the new tires will have a thicker tread and slightly larger diameter so the odometer readings will be a little different.

I have to admit that a 7 mpg hit seems a bit much. Check your pressures when the tires are cold. As cooler weather comes, the pressures will naturally drop also.

You have bought some excellent tires. I would be interested to know if you notice better handling and wet weather traction with them.

Cheers,

Roger

 

Assume this is your first replacement set of tires?

Honda chooses OEM tires first and foremost for LRR, in particular with their Hybrid I would think. So:

1. Any replacement tire is following a tough act. I would suspect the Primacy's rolling resistance is slightly worse.

2. You're going from a well-worn, and slightly smaller diameter (due to the wear) tire, to a brand new, deeper tread and stickier (at least at the outset) tire.

My guess is with these tires you'll never regain the Rolling Resistance of the OEM's, but you will get closer. And, it won't take much of a stretch for these tires to improve your wet/light snow traction, comparing to the originals.

Here's an interesting read, a recent TireRack review of LRR contenders:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...irePageLocQty=

Purely guessing, I would think your Primacy's are in the same ballpark as the Michelin Hydroedge in the review, at least for rolling resistance.