Need advice about replacement tires for Gen III

[yadax3]

I'm sure this issue has been discussed before but one of the first things I noticed when I bought my 2007 Gen II Prius was how lousy it handled on snowy/icy roads. Replacing the original tires with all-season tires made a world of difference but I lost 3 mpg.

Anticipating the same problem with my new Gen III Prius, I entered my make, model, and year into Costco's tire search and here are the results: Costco.com - Shop for Tires

Any thoughts? Does anyone know if the Michelin Energy Saver tires make any difference on a Prius? If I change to all-season tires, I'm guessing I'm going to take a hit on my mpg no matter what.

[jay_man2]

There's a discussion of energy saving tires in the thread below, and specifically the Michelins. There's also a $70 coupon for a set of 4 Michelins at Costco, valid until Oct. 4 I think.

Tire Rack pits Integrity against Energy Saver, Ecopia and Fuel Max

[yadax3]

Excellent. I didn't see that thread when I searched. Thanks!

[FreakinToddles]

How snowy is it in N. Nevada?? I don't mind losing 3 or 4 MPG knowing I am getting excellent traction on ice. Go with the Blizzak snow tires, they perform extremely well and you will not be disappointed.

[yadax3]

Originally Posted by FreakinToddles

How snowy is it in N. Nevada?? I don't mind losing 3 or 4 MPG knowing I am getting excellent traction on ice. Go with the Blizzak snow tires, they perform extremely well and you will not be disappointed.

We get enough snow to need to good all-seasons. I also have a long commute to work through a windy valley which tends to get the worst of things. And then we sometimes venture 'over the hill' to Sacramento in Winter, but that usually requires chains.

I'd never heard of Blizzak but I see they are snow tires rather than all-seasons. I'm assuming my gas mileage would take an even bigger hit with those but I certainly agree with you about the trade off being worth it.

[a priori]

Originally Posted by yadax3

I'm sure this issue has been discussed before but one of the first things I noticed when I bought my 2007 Gen II Prius was how lousy it handled on snowy/icy roads. Replacing the original tires with all-season tires made a world of difference but I lost 3 mpg.

Anticipating the same problem with my new Gen III Prius, I entered my make, model, and year into Costco's tire search and here are the results: Costco.com - Shop for Tires

Any thoughts? Does anyone know if the Michelin Energy Saver tires make any difference on a Prius? If I change to all-season tires, I'm guessing I'm going to take a hit on my mpg no matter what.

What tires do you now have on your Prius IV? I thought all of the 15" tires offered were all-season radials. Are you concerned they aren't a high-enough quality (like the Integrities on the Gen2), or do you believe the design is not enough "all" season to really help in the winter?

[yadax3]

Originally Posted by a priori

What tires do you now have on your Prius IV? I thought all of the 15" tires offered were all-season radials. Are you concerned they aren't a high-enough quality (like the Integrities on the Gen2), or do you believe the design is not enough "all" season to really help in the winter?

Good question. I guess I just assumed they'd be as bad as the ones on my Gen II, especially since I remember a salesman at the dealership saying something about Toyota putting cheap tires on their cars. But when I took a close look at my tires last night they seem to have a decent tread. I really don't know much about tires so I generally rely on ratings from CR and the like. My Gen III came with Yokohama Avid S33 tires. From what I can tell they are rated okay. I suppose I can wait to see how they handle this winter before replacing them.

[venom700]

Originally Posted by yadax3

Good question. I guess I just assumed they'd be as bad as the ones on my Gen II, especially since I remember a salesman at the dealership saying something about Toyota putting cheap tires on their cars. But when I took a close look at my tires last night they seem to have a decent tread. I really don't know much about tires so I generally rely on ratings from CR and the like. My Gen III came with Yokohama Avid S33 tires. From what I can tell they are rated okay. I suppose I can wait to see how they handle this winter before replacing them.

According to the Tire Rack customers, they don't like the tires it seems. I agree that most tires from the factory suck & that is why I went to 17's right away (not just for the looks, but better handling & better tires for rain/light snow).

Yokohama AVID S33

[Buckeye]

Originally Posted by jay_man2

There's a discussion of energy saving tires in the thread below, and specifically the Michelins. There's also a $70 coupon for a set of 4 Michelins at Costco, valid until Oct. 4 I think.

Tire Rack pits Integrity against Energy Saver, Ecopia and Fuel Max

Costco Michelin $70 coupon effective through 11 Oct 09

[digitizer]

Prius 2010 GEN III comes with ALl-season tires.
below is from Tire Rack:
AVID S33D radial are tires on our new 2010 Prius II.
...I do not know quality of these...

The AVID S33D is one of Yokohama’s low rolling resistance Passenger All-Season tires developed to match the Original Equipment (O.E.) needs of third generation (2010+) Toyota Prius hybrids, as well as for the drivers of other small cars using the P195/65R15 89S size looking to reduce their vehicle’s fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions while retaining all-season traction. The AVID S33D is designed to accommodate dry, wet and wintry conditions, including occasional light snow.
The AVID S33D combines traditional energy efficient tire technologies (low rolling resistance tread compound, narrow tread width, shallow tread depth and optimized internal construction) to maximize vehicle efficiency and driving range.