Costco warns about replacing OEM tires

[Ian MacDonald]

I took my Prius into Costco on Saturday to take advantage of their latest $60 discount on Michelin tires. My OEM Goodyear Integrities were pretty worn out after 42K miles and I wanted to replace them with the Michelin X Radial DT. I had to leave the car with them for a while since they were really busy this weekend due to the $60 discount coming to a end on Sunday.

I got a call about an hour later from them where they wanted to let me know that "Costco has learned that some folks are experiencing a reduction in fuel economy after replacing the OEM tires on a Prius". They said that they didn't yet understand why this was happening and wanted to know if I still wanted to have my (worn out) tires replaced. I told the installer that I did my due diligence and was aware that some folks see a small reduction in fuel economy before the new tires break in and that I was comfortable it would be fine to continue with the tire replacement.

I'm curious if anyone else has had a similar experience with Costco or another tire dealer recently.

Cheers,

-- Ian

[dogfriend]

So their other option was to leave the old tires on until you get a blowout?

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

Originally Posted by dogfriend

So their other option was to leave the old tires on until you get a blowout?

Actually, that just goes to show how conscientious Costco is with their members . . . not just treating you like a number by selling you a product and kicking you out the door.

Costco has very liberal return policies.

[mingoglia]

Originally Posted by Sufferin' Prius Envy

Actually, that just goes to show how conscientious Costco is with their members . . . not just treating you like a number by selling you a product and kicking you out the door.

Costco has very liberal return policies.

I agree. This is good to hear. Kudos to Costco!

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by dogfriend

So their other option was to leave the old tires on until you get a blowout?

Their other option would be to use Goodyear Integrity tires.

Tom

[bbald123]

And just let them know that any new tire will drop your MPGs for the first few K miles.

[jdenenberg]

Originally Posted by qbee42

Their other option would be to use Goodyear Integrity tires.

Tom

The GY Integrity tires available as replacements are not the same as the ones that came with your Prius (Made in US vs Made in Japan). I have seen reports of lower MPG with those as well.

There are true LRR tires available that match MPG with the GYs in the summer and get better MPG, but still less, in the winter. My favorite at this time is the Nokian WR or WRg2 (some of their summer tires are LRR as well).

JeffD

[ThePackage]

Frankly, I think it is irresponsible for any tire retailer, or anyone else, to plant a negative "seed" without explaining & showing plausible evidence to substaniate the reasons for their opinion. Oversize tires can increase the rolling resistance which could result in slightly lower gas mileage. My guess is that low or high tire pressure has a more significant effect.

[hyo silver]

I would have considered Costco for my recent tire replacement, but read that they refuse to install anything other than the original size. Having found the Integrities to be sadly lacking in grip, I wanted a different tire in a larger size, and was more than willing to give up a bit of mileage for improved safety. Now they're not even willing to change tires, let alone sizes? I'm not sure insisting on installing such a poorly rated tire is in their customer's best interests.

[Picasso Moon]

I had Costco replace the stock Integrities with Michelin X Radials just about a year ago and really didn't see any hit in mileage at all. At the time the tires were replaced I was averaging 56.6 mpg over the life of the car. As winter came the mileage went down as usual but now 1 year later my lifetime average is right back up to 56.6 mpg.