I ended up going with the 195/55-16 in the Michelin Pilot Super Sport and while that size may limit the fun factor, the upgrade over the OEM Conti run-flats is enormous and I expect that the MPG should also improve.

Thanks again for all of the feedback!

P.S. They also look pretty decent.

 

What made you finally decide on that size? I am looking at the same tire and still cant make up my mind on size.

 

I just switched from runflats to 205/55 -16 and they are noticeably heavier and taller tires so I have no problem recommending 195/55 size to anyone making an upgrade to non runflats. Since the traction over bumps is astronomically superior on the non runflats, I will be happy with my investment, but next time I think I might try 205/50 or even back to 195's.

BTW, I have been running them at 36psi, this weekend I will up it to 38psi and give that a try to see if it takes some of the "heaviness" out of the initial steering effort. Again, the usable performance of the non runflats over bumpy pavement far far outweighs anything I gave up in the steering. Its not even close, the runflats were quirky, darty and hilarious at times, but not confidence inspiring.

 

The decision to go with the OEM size tires was primarily to benefit from higher MPG.

That said I do not like padding Michelin's/Tire Rack's bottom lines due to the higher cost of this size tire vis-a-vis the other sizes that I was considering, however that was unavoidable.

 

Your description of the run-flats performance is spot on.

I'm going to test 34psi (cold) on the 195's to gauge performance and fuel economy.

 

I'm very happy with my 205/50/16 pilots. I've just run them at 36psi and rotate every 3000 miles.