LX and EX owners...are you happy with your OEM Michelin Energy Saver Tires???

Highlighting this post again about tires, since we have had so much rain the northeast lately. Am curious what others think of the Michelin Energy Saver tires. Of course, they are new for all of us but - as I listed in the original post - am curious how it might fare with "better" tires that some of you may have owned.

EX tires seem okay in the rain though my father's 2017 Accord EX-L OEM tires seem to hold the road better in bad weather. Unfair comparison there....I am sure!

I did go on a 1500 mile road trip for labor day and encountered lots of rain in the South East while driving up to NC. I was surprised that it did do well in the rain. Not amazing but acceptable. I am not too happy with the tires, for the reason as you said that it does not hold the road too well. Cornering is a bore and makes me slow down way too much to catch a light or something. Then attempting to use sport mode at a stop makes the wheels spin a little, so thats out the window as well.

I have an EX and after these tires are done for I will be upgrading my wheels and tires to 17" and just take the hit on MPG. I have already dealt with getting low mpg on my car when I got it with low air pressure and I didn't realize until 5-6 tanks later.

I was happy getting 45-48 mpg when that happened thought I am now getting 52mpg once I filled my tires a little above the sticker on the door.

Data,


Thanks for your response. Please elaborate on something: you have an EX but you will likely be upgrading wheels and tires to 17"? You and I might be thinking differently on one point: you are thinking about upgrading to 17" and I am thinking about staying with 16" rims HOWEVER upgrading the tires. Thus, both of us would take hits on mpg, but for different reasons. If you upgrade to 17" rims AND you get different tires, you would technically be taking TWO hits: (1) 16" to 17"; and (2) tires that are not as fuel efficient as the Energy Savers. Whatcha think? Maybe stay with the 16 inch but you upgrade to dedicated "all-weather tires" OR perhaps to a superior tire such as the Michelin Premier A/S, or Defender or Primacy? Also, consider that 16 inchers provides better ride than 17 inch.

My wife bought an '18 Civic the day after I got my Insight. I just noticed, today, that her tires are the exact same size as the Insight EX (215/55R16). They are Firestone branded. They are grippier than the Michelins, but I feel the LRR Michelins are more beneficial as I don't drive the Insight hard. I am a little concerned now that we're coming into winter as reviews for the Michelin LRR tires are not positive when it comes to snow. Fortunately, I'm able to work from home on really bad weather days

This video by one of our own forum members (@autotech) has a demo of Insight handling in light/heavy snow on plowed roads and OEM all-season tires. To be fair, the video is a 2019 Touring (215/50R17 91H Continental ProContact) versus 2019 LX/EX (215/55R16 93V Michelin EnergySaver).

All season tires is a misnomer....really 3 season tires. Unnecessary risk not to get a set of snows if you live anywhere you have to drive in snow....

I’d like to replace mine due to lack of grip, but they are quiet and probably add several MPG. They slide enough to be a slight safety concern. When the time comes, I’ll probably get the Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 that I put on my last Focus. They were very quiet, cheap, and super grippy (at least in FL driving conditions) - more like summer tires.

Started watching the video... had to stop, gave me the willies!

Deliberately trying to lose control should have a RED WARNING SIGN

DON'T TRY THIS!

It reminded me of kids daring each other to lick the frozen lamppost...a recipe for disaster! It brought back memories of skids and slides I have been in during snowy weather!

Can someone give a written summary of what the video shows? The bit I watched shows that the car handled well even when trying to lose control, although that might have changed later on.

I’d have to say the video is a accurate depiction of my experience so far. I also have a Touring with stock tires and have zero issues so far in a Minnesota winter. Last week we had 5-6 inches over night that it handled better than expected on unplowed streets the next morning.

J. Bond said:

Can someone give a written summary of what the video shows? The bit I watched shows that the car handled well even when trying to lose control, although that might have changed later on.

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The punchline is that the car handles excellently in all scenarios even with just the OEM tires. You'd be safe to watch the whole video, without further risk of the willies. :smile:

The roads were wide open in the video, and I think the demo by @autotech was intended to show people how it handles so that others WON'T have to try themselves before being in that actual scenario.

The video was for a Touring (17") wheels. If handling improves with smaller wheels (e.g. downsizing snow tire philosophy), I'd think the 16" wheels on the LX/EX should perform as well or better.

Thanks, Insightfully! Just the summary I needed. Going with the EX, so the handling should be fine in snow!

Threeweight said:

700 miles in now, and I've had a few trips with lots of city miles pushing up into the high 50's (58.5 over about 10 miles is the best). Weather here has been very, very, very wet, leading to water-filled channels from years of studded snow tires that the car has to push through on my highway run. On dry days, w/ the speed kept around 60, she's gotten as high was 47 on a 25 mile highway run, but in the rain its been average more like 43-44.

Took a friend to lunch yesterday who has owned Priuses (Pri?) for years, and he was amazed by how quiet the car was. I'm now pretty convinced the Michelin Energy Savers would kick my Continental tires' butt on MPGs, but they are a really nice quiet, plush ride for a relatively inexpensive car. They handle well in everything but standing puddles on wet roads (haven't really had any snow to speak of so can't comment on that).

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I've found the Energy Saver Michelins to be pretty quiet. Other than the tire size, I'm wondering why Honda chose different tires between the trim levels.

Threeweight said:

I'm now pretty convinced the Michelin Energy Savers would kick my Continental tires' butt on MPGs, but they are a really nice quiet, plush ride for a relatively inexpensive car. They handle well in everything but standing puddles on wet roads (haven't really had any snow to speak of so can't comment on that).

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The suspension arms are connected to the subframe and to the body via front fluid-filled bushings (Touring models: front and rear), which significantly reduce the transmission of NVH into the passenger cabin. *NVH = Noise/Vibration/Harshness*

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The Touring model have not just front fluid-filled bushings(LX/EX) but rear ones, too. The Conti tires are grand touring tires vs the Michelin which are passenger tires. Grand touring tires usually excel in ride & comfort. I think Honda was going for ride & comfort with the Touring Insight vs fuel efficiency in the LX/EX Insight.

Two things I like about the original equipment tires. First is the "low roll resistance" feature (something people paid an additional $50 per tire years ago when they were available ). Second are the four groves in the tread, which remove water much quicker than the 3 grove designs, giving more grip on wet roads, yielding improved safety and better mpg.

I've not had any problems with mine, only have driven on wet roads so far. Waiting to try my LX out in the snow to see how it drives. Deep snow (over 4") I drive my 2010 Element in.

stevew said:

I've not had any problems with mine, only have driven on wet roads so far. Waiting to try my LX out in the snow to see how it drives. Deep snow (over 4") I drive my 2010 Element in.

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Fair to assume it's an AWD Element? I had a 2005 fwd Element, absolutely, hands down the most terrible vehicle I've ever driven in snow. Even with winter tires, I got stuck so many times in that stupid thing. Every other element it was great in.

The UTQG (uniform tire quality grading) ratings of the stock Michelins really are crap. 480AB. How does that translate to real world lifespan? When these get low, I’ve considered replacing them with Continental TrueContact Tours 800AA and are also LRR tires.

misterchief81 said:

The UTQG (uniform tire quality grading) ratings of the stock Michelins really are crap. 480AB. How does that translate to real world lifespan? When these get low, I’ve considered replacing them with Continental TrueContact Tours 800AA and are also LRR tires.

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Welcome to the forum. How many miles do you have on your tires, and have you experienced issues with the Michelin OEMs?

The Continental TrueContact tires are one suggestion in the Replacement Tires thread. Continental ProContact is the OEM tire for the Touring trim, and @franko1927 for one is not an advocate of Continentals.

I'm a relatively low-mileage driver, but have been pleased so far with the Michelin Energy Saver OEM tire. The UTQG rating wouldn't have drawn me to it, but this Tire Rack article also cautions that "[UTQG] grades don't always reflect their actual performance in real world use."

misterchief81 said:

The UTQG (uniform tire quality grading) ratings of the stock Michelins really are crap. 480AB. How does that translate to real world lifespan? When these get low, I’ve considered replacing them with Continental TrueContact Tours 800AA and are also LRR tires.

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Would I personally pick this tire? No. It's expensive and sacrifice a lot in other areas for low rolling resistance.
I don't really have much to complain about these tires other than on occasion I get tire spin when making a quick left turn and cornering isn't as good. It has got me through 2 New England Winters so far. You mainly want this tire for the low rolling resistance and it excels in that area compared to other low rolling resistance tires.