Another round of 2010 tire testing is complete. Tire Rack tested tires from the Studless Ice and Snow category collecting fuel economy data while driving our fleet of BMW test cars on our Real World Road Ride -- a test drive on a circuit of highway and county roads in Indiana. The fuel economy results for the tires we tested are shown below.
The Dunlop Graspic DS-3 achieved the best fuel economy at 26.9 mpg in our BMW E92 328i Coupe which is 4ths of a mile better per gallon than the best Ultra High Performance All-Season tire.
This information is based on our team of test drivers completing approximately 500 miles per tire over several days on the same 6.6-mile test loop. I would recommend using this fuel data as a good tire buying tie-breaker since the mileage differences are small and would only result in a difference of a few extra fill-ups every year.
In our latest ice rink testing, we also did some acceleration and braking evaluations.
Notice that the Dunlop gets better fuel economy, but takes four more feet to stop from 10 mph.
You can read the full test results here.
The Dunlop Graspic DS-3 achieved the best fuel economy at 26.9 mpg in our BMW E92 328i Coupe which is 4ths of a mile better per gallon than the best Ultra High Performance All-Season tire.
| Studless Ice and Snow Tires | MPG |
| Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 | 26.2 |
| Continental ExtremeWinter Contact | 26.3 |
| Dunlop Graspic DS-3 | 26.9 |
| Michelin X-Ice Xi2 | 26.8 |
This information is based on our team of test drivers completing approximately 500 miles per tire over several days on the same 6.6-mile test loop. I would recommend using this fuel data as a good tire buying tie-breaker since the mileage differences are small and would only result in a difference of a few extra fill-ups every year.
In our latest ice rink testing, we also did some acceleration and braking evaluations.
| Studless Ice and Snow Tires | 60' Acceleration | 10-0 MPH Braking |
| Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 | 5.119 sec. | 24.0 ft |
| Continental ExtremeWinterContact | 5.149 sec. | 23.9 ft |
| Dunlop Graspic DS-3 | 5.422 sec. | 28.3 ft |
| Michelin X-Ice Xi2 | 5.186 sec. | 24.1 ft |
Notice that the Dunlop gets better fuel economy, but takes four more feet to stop from 10 mph.
You can read the full test results here.
Steel wheels do not even come close to providing enough clearance for your factory brakes. For best results, we do have replacement aluminum wheels you can use. -Marshall@tirerack.com