BEST MILEAGE TIRES ~ What brand and size were your best?

[jeg]

Hello All!

Given how many have logged into either the 100k or 200k mileage clubs, new tire purchases are something that all of us Prius owners are faced with many, many times!

Well, after 180,000 miles, I am getting ready to purchase my 5th set of tires for my 2005 Prius. My current set are Falken Ziex ZE-912, 185/65R/15 88H. I purchased them at DiscountTireDirect.com in March of 2009 and have about 55,000 miles on them currently. They are rated as a 65k mile tire. These Falkens were $59 ($64.77 today) a tire when I bought them and DiscountTireDirect.com offers FREE shipping (& no sales tax too). While they look like they have another 10k on them, we are also approaching Fall / Winter. While Southern CA does not historically get that much rain, we might receive more this year due to the seasonally cool summer that we've experienced. Hence, I want to be safe and order soon!

Here's the question.... With all that said, I would like to know what your best "tire purchasing" experience was?

• Brand?
• Size?
• How many miles did you get on the set?
• Where did you purchase them?
• What was your cost per tire?
• If online, was FREE shipping offered?
• Any additional suggestions that would be helpful?

Many thanks to all that respond!

P.S Here is a shot of my 2005 with my sand tires on...

[Patrick Wong]

Brand: Bridgestone Ecopia EP100
Size: 185/65HR15
Miles on Set: 10K miles so far on 2004, extrapolation suggests at least 50K mile useful life
Purchased From: Discount Tire for 2004, Costco for 2007
Cost per Tire: current price at Discount Tire is $96 plus install/tax. Costco doesn't show that tire on it's website. $75 on TireRack website. I don't recall what I paid, but it was probably <$400 for the set of four tires installed net of rebate.
Additional Suggestions: Wait for the $70 Bridgestone rebate to come back, if possible. This is a summer tire so don't buy it if you want to drive in winter snow.

[seilerts]

Well, after 180,000 miles, I am getting ready to purchase my 5th set of tires for my 2005 Prius.

Is 45-50K miles typical? I've got a few thousand miles on Kumho Eco Solus tires (via TireRack), rated for 100,000 miles, and would like to know if there are any abnormal wear patterns intrinsic to Gen II to watch out for.

[Jerry P]

I put Ecopia EP422 all-season tires on my 2004 about 1100 miles ago. The tires are very quiet, track well, wet traction is excellent and my mileage has increased from 44-45 to 48-50. Excellent tire in my opinion but I had to wait 3 weeks to get them.

[uart]

Originally Posted by jeg

• Brand?
• Size?
• How many miles did you get on the set?
• Where did you purchase them?
• What was your cost per tire?
• If online, was FREE shipping offered?
• Any additional suggestions that would be helpful?

Dont forget to also factor rolling resistance into your calculations.

A low rolling resistance (LRR) tire could easily make the difference between say 50 MPG and 45 MPG for a higher rolling resistance tire. Over a life of say 55000 miles that's a difference of $367.00 in fuel costs! (@ 3.00 per gallon, and of course more if gas prices rise as expected over the next few years). Definitely something worth considering.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by seilerts

...would like to know if there are any abnormal wear patterns intrinsic to Gen II to watch out for.

The most likely abnormal wear pattern is that the tire shoulders tend to wear out first, if you observe the recommended tire inflation pressures of 35/33 psi front/rear. If you would like longer tire life (not to mention improved mpg) then inflate to the maximum tire pressure shown on the tire sidewall (typically 44 psi but check to see what is the rating with your tires.) Many owners use 44/42 psi front/rear to take into account the 2 psi differential.

[wick1ert]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

Brand: Bridgestone Ecopia EP100
Size: 185/65HR15
Miles on Set: 10K miles so far on 2004, extrapolation suggests at least 50K mile useful life
Purchased From: Discount Tire for 2004, Costco for 2007
Cost per Tire: current price at Discount Tire is $96 plus install/tax. Costco doesn't show that tire on it's website. $75 on TireRack website. I don't recall what I paid, but it was probably <$400 for the set of four tires installed net of rebate.
Additional Suggestions: Wait for the $70 Bridgestone rebate to come back, if possible. This is a summer tire so don't buy it if you want to drive in winter snow.

I thought I saw in my most recent Costco coupons, the $70/off per set of 4 on Bridgestone? Maybe it was another brand....I tossed the coupons because based upon rated tire tread life, I'm about 63k miles from my next set. Of course, this is only really beneficial to those PCers that are Costco members too.

[Patrick Wong]

Discount Tire also had a Bridgestone rebate several months ago when I bought the tires for the 2004. I don't know whether this rebate happens semiannually, quarterly, or ??

The latest Costco coupon book contains a coupon offering a $70 discount on four Michelin tires. Usually each book will show a tire discount on some brand, whether Michelin or Bridgestone, etc.