New tires for 2006 Prius (owned since 8/06)???

[BetsyNC]

I went in to the dealership for my 25,000 mile maintenance, and was just told I need all four tires replaced due to "secondary rubber showing". I bought the car new in August 2006. How could I possibly need new tires this soon???

BetsyNC

[JimboK]

The Goodyear Integrity tires that come from the factory are not the longest-wearing in the world. A handful of owners have gotten considerably more mileage than you, but 25K is not surprising, especially if there's any hint of uneven wear from mechanical or inflation problems. Just like any tire, there are tradeoffs between handling, ride, tread life, and in this case, rolling resistance; Integritys are among the lowest rolling resistance tires on the market.

I'm not quite sure what "secondary rubber" means, though. I would take the car to a reputable tire shop for a second opinion. If you need new ones, they would likely charge less than the dealer anyway. Meanwhile, do a good search here for threads discussing tire options so you'll have a good handle on the best purchase for you.

Also, regardless of what tire you get, I strongly suggest keeping them at or close to their maximum specified sidewall pressure. It seems some of the poorer results with the Integritys come from those who keep pressures lower -- still within Toyota's specs but not the best for tread life. Higher pressure also helps with fuel economy.

Good luck!

[BetsyNC]

Thanks for your response. I'll do some research before purchasing.
Betsy

[BetsyNC]

Here are the selections the dealership is offering:
BF Goodridge (approx $503 w/o tax);
Goodyear Integrity (approx $464 w/o tax);
Yokohama Assembly (approx $442 w/o tax);
Uniroyal TPs (approx $429 w/o tax).

Any recommendations?

[Boo]

Originally Posted by BetsyNC

Here are the selections the dealership is offering:
BF Goodridge (approx $503 w/o tax);
Goodyear Integrity (approx $464 w/o tax);
Yokohama Assembly (approx $442 w/o tax);
Uniroyal TPs (approx $429 w/o tax).

Any recommendations?

Hi Betsy,

Here's the link to the excellent thread here about tires called "Tire Upgrade: Lessons Learned" started by nyprius. The thread is very long, but you should at minimum read nyprius' excellent initial post:

Tire Upgrade

Other than the Integrities, I'm not familiar with the tires your dealer is offering. In any event, I can tell you that judging from his price for the Integrities, his prices seem too high (even though presumably they include installation and everything except tax).

I would recommend getting a high quality passenger all season tire. Here is some info on three of the favorites here at PriusChat:

Goodyear ComforTred: OEM Size 185/65/15: $78 each. Wider Size 195/60/15: $79 each

Goodyear TripleTred: OEM Size 185/65/15: (unavailable). Wider Size 195/60/15: $92 each

Michelin HydroEdge: OEM Size 185/65/15: $99 each. Wider Size 195/60/15: $106 each

All three of these tires are wear warranted for at least 80,000 miles. The prices listed above are from TireRack.com, and exclude tax, delivery (usually less than $40 for four), and installation (usually about $60 - $100 for four).

Good luck.

[Tideland Prius]

I don't have the US prices but in addition to Boo's list:


Michelin Harmony (a bit cheaper than the rest and of course a bit less traction but still decent and a LOT better than the Integrity)

Michelin Energy MXV4 S8 (pricey but a very comfortable and quiet AS tyre)

Nokian WR (all-weather tyre that can be used in the winter as well as summer)

[lefat1]

my 08 touring came standard with bridgestone turanza's, which i believe are michelin, and if they are as good as the bridgestone dueller's i had on my rav4, i'll stick with them next time around

[northwest]

Originally Posted by lefat1

my 08 touring came standard with bridgestone turanza's, which i believe are michelin, and if they are as good as the bridgestone dueller's i had on my rav4, i'll stick with them next time around

Not likely/ While there have been some partnerships in tire world, Bridgestone and Michelin are still fierce rivals...

Also, unless you paid for a tire upgrade, the OEM tires on nearly all new cars are relatively, well, to be kind, somewhat "unique"....Mileage, traction, etc, are all sacrified for a smooth quiet test ride, and the lowest cost to obtain that ride.

The Turanza's you buy at the Firestone shop are a whole 'nother critter than the ones that probably came on your car....Case in point, the Potenza, which is a relatively OK tire normally, came OEM on my Camry...a total piece of .....well....I'll be kind, but poor wet traction, no snow and ice traction, mud scared it and it wore out at 17K.

In terms of a replacement, as the original question asked, The Goodyear ComfortTred and the TripleTred are really tops....probably one of the best if not the best all-season passenger car tires out there....But they go for About $115 a tire "out the door."

Surprisingly, and I don't want to sound too cheap, a number of the "off-brands" are doing tremendous things with their tires nowadays. Kumho and Nexen are making darn good tires for 2/3's to 1/2 the cost of the Goodyears/Michelins.

Indeed, since Kumho has now become known as a relatively good tire, they have decided to up the quality of their "secondary" brand, Marshal.

Several years ago, Marshal's were a relatively cheap tire with so-so traction and so-so durability. But I just bought a used Camry last year with a set of Marshals and have put "a few miles on them," and found ice and snow traction superb, mud "wallowing" pretty darn good, fanastic in the rain and the tires look like they'll go 40K, which considering the roads I drive is about 55-60K for most folks....

I've recently switched from the high-end, high-priced various incarnations of Toyo tires to Nexen and Kumho and am seeing little difference other than a much more reasonable price.....BTW, I'm in Oregon, where the Les Schwab chain of tire stores has a relative lock and Toyo is their premier tire...

[etkal]

I've had the Goodyear Integrity tires since April 2006 and have 42K miles on them. I was just told by the dealer at my oil change that they need to be replaced. The local tire place that I have gone to for years recommended Sumitomo HTR T4 for a good replacement, will run me about $400 mounted and balanced.

I would have gone for the replacement for the Michelin Arctic Alpins that I put on my old Camry for snows but here in the snowier-than-usual northeast they seem to be mostly out of snow tires this season. Besides, with the traction control I haven't had any problems at all getting around.

[dspguy]

I just put on a set of Nokian WR G2's, in the stock size. They are excellent.