LRegvall

The best I'm getting is still around 22 on the hiway and around 16 in the city. My best with a steady 65mph and minimal throttle movement was 26. The only way I'm going to get 28 is if I carry the car on my back. I think I've improved marginally by mashing the pedal a little harder and faster on accelerating. I used to use the egg-on-the-pedal theory. In the end, it probably doesn't matter how I drive. The only thing that seems to matter is how many times I lift my foot off the gas and put it back on. I still think there's something wrong with it but SOA has convinced themself that there's no problem. I'm curious what would happen if you took 100 random LGTs and put them through the same EPA city/hiway runs on a dyno what the mileage variability would be.

Are there ultra high perf tires (with treadwear ratings in the 300s) with stiffer sidewalls? Is the price of stiff sidewalls a 200 treadwear rating (and 10,000 to 15,000 mile tire life)?

It seems like the reviews for all ultra high performance tires talk about mushy steering feel, and most extreme performance tires report good steering feel. Could it be the lower treadwear rating (200 vs ~300-340) with a softer tread compound contributes to that? Is there a reason that extreme tires would generally have stiffer sidewalls? Anyone have experience with a longer wearing extreme performance tire?

I'm running at around 37lbs and my only other change is a 20mm AVO RSB. I wouldn't have thought of them as mushy but it may be just perceptions. I do think there is some vagueness in the front that I attribute to the suspension (caster?) and not the tires. Maybe it is the tires. I thought the re92s were pretty mushy and overall pretty awful so I don't have an altenative point of comparison. In general, I feel very confident tossing the car into a corner and knowing where it both ends will go. BTW, off the tire topic, which coil overs do you have on? I'm thinking of putting some on (e.g., tein basics).

What pressures are you running at? Do you have any other suspension changes? I've got them in 225/45-17 and agree that they are noisy but haven't found them to feel mushy.

My gas mileage still sucks. The absolute speed doesn't seem to matter. I did two tests where I actually got 26mpg on the freeway. One was at 65mph and one was at 80mph. Both involved filling the tank before getting on the freeway and then refilling as soon as I got off. Tried to not use the accelerator pedal in the meantime (not exactly the EPA hiway paradigm SOA). Otherwise, in town, with conservative driving, 16mpg, and with agressive driving, 15mpg (this is closer to the EPA city model). My freeway driving with some use of the go pedal is usually 22mpg. I'm running an 18mpg average with a mix of driving styles.

Are there reasons not to go with a 225/45-17 size? For me the extra tread width was worth the slightly taller sidewall. I also think it looks better. But curious if anyone sees reasons to the contrary.

I'm probably missing something here, but if RaGe asks about the three tires, isn't that like asking someone to post the 6-point info on the three tires? Not consistent with the thread? Anyway: 1) BFG GForce KDW2, 225/45-17 Summer UltraHighPerformance. They were around $125 from Tire Rack. I've driven around 6,000 miles on them. 2) Located in Southern California, near twisty canyon roads, twisty Santa Monica Mountain ridgelines, creative on ramps and off ramps and them stinkin freeways (and not too far from the Sierras). 3) No track driving. Business and recreational driving. 4) 20% City 45% Freeway and 30% mixed 5) I had only the RE92s on the LGT. I agree with the consensus - they enhance all the bad qualities of the OEM chassis. 6) These tires are very sticky (especially compared to the Pirellis, Michelins, Dunlops I've had in the past). I've had the KDW1s on my other car (SVT Contour) since I got it (on my third set). The Tire Rack tests are very positive about their dry adhesion and response and I agree. Their rain stick is also incredible. I feel very safe in the rain with them. They are very resistant to hydroplaning (I've taken them progressively to north of 80mph in a driving rain storm with standing water and they stayed glued) and they stick well in the rain. No snow experience but wouldn't expect too much. They last well. I've gotten around 45,000 on the KDW1s and will see how the KDW2s hold up. Their biggest downside is noise. They have a bit of howl to them. Most of the time this doesn't bother me. I attribute this to being a sticky tire that lasts a long time (or maybe they're just a little noisy). I shopped the Kumho Ecsta SPT and the Avon Tech M500 at the same time (the Tire Rack guy said the General Exclaim UHP tested well initially but dropped off quickly; would be curious about the experience on this, but I'll be sure to search it first) each of which sounded pretty good. In the end, I just wanted to try the new version of the KDW.

Is this poll supposed to represent city, highway or combined? It would make a difference. 21mpg isn't great for highway but would be for city or even combined. I agree with unclemat's premise on another thread that there is variability in the cars, i.e., that some cars get better mileage than others irrespective of individual driving styles due to differences in the cars' engine management systems. I've been having at this with my dealer and Subaru for a while, with no resolution at this point (the glaciers may have all melted by the time there is any). I was searching and found this thread in preparation for having back at it with them. I think there's just too much variation in people's reports on this website. I also have a brother with an '06 LGT who gets spot on the EPA figures without too much variation. The best I get in town regardless of driving style is 16mpg with hard driving giving 15mpg. I've tried to replicate the EPA City cycle under which most of our cars were calibrated (23 start/stops in a 31 minute period peaking mostly at 30 mph with two bursts to around 55mph) and I still get 15-16mpg. I've made similar efforts with similar results for highway driving (consistent 22 mpg). Either Subaru cooked the test or there is something in the car setup that allows for large mpg variations.