Tire Upgrade

[apadyk]

My first post here and I would like to relate my tire decision. After much reading on this forum, I decided to replace the stock Goodyear tires on my 06 #5 white Prius with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S 205/60/15. The oem tires came off with only 205 miles and it has been 750 miles since adding the Michelins. I think the Pilots still have some breaking in to do but they have already smoothed out since brand new and have started to roll much better. I am running them at 40/38 and my last tank of gas, only the third in the car, measured (calculated) 44 mpg. But that was carrying a bike or two on the rear hitch mount for much of that tank. I also live in the mountains.

The Pilots are so much better than the stock tires in every way. Of course I haven't tried them in the snow yet but they corner very well on our curvy roads. Revs per mile are 850 compared to the stock 855 and I have had no issues with the larger sized tire on the car. I hope they get decent treadwear, but time will tell on that.

[nyprius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hybrid_Mutant @ Aug 29 2006, 05:11 PM) [snapback]311289[/snapback]</div>

My first post here and I would like to relate my tire decision. After much reading on this forum, I decided to replace the stock Goodyear tires on my 06 #5 white Prius with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S 205/60/15. The oem tires came off with only 205 miles and it has been 750 miles since adding the Michelins. I think the Pilots still have some breaking in to do but they have already smoothed out since brand new and have started to roll much better. I am running them at 40/38 and my last tank of gas, only the third in the car, measured (calculated) 44 mpg. But that was carrying a bike or two on the rear hitch mount for much of that tank. I also live in the mountains.

The Pilots are so much better than the stock tires in every way. Of course I haven't tried them in the snow yet but they corner very well on our curvy roads. Revs per mile are 850 compared to the stock 855 and I have had no issues with the larger sized tire on the car. I hope they get decent treadwear, but time will tell on that.
[/b]

How do the 205/60's look on the car? I bet great. I was going to put that size on my car since it would partly correct speedometer overread and raise ground clearance by about .1 inch. Also, it seemed clear there would be no problems with hitting the wheel wells. I went with the 195/60 since the treadwidth on the 195/60 and 205/60 TT is the same (6.4"). If I was getting a different tire, I probably would have gone with the 205/60. All else being equal, they would hold the road better than the 185/65 OEM. The only tradeoff might be mileage. But I bet that would be small. Slightly lower mileage, assuming this occurs, is a price I'd pay to have better looks, handling and safety.

[apadyk]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nyprius @ Aug 31 2006, 01:06 PM) [snapback]312233[/snapback]</div>

How do the 205/60's look on the car? I bet great. I was going to put that size on my car since it would partly correct speedometer overread and raise ground clearance by about .1 inch. Also, it seemed clear there would be no problems with hitting the wheel wells. I went with the 195/60 since the treadwidth on the 195/60 and 205/60 TT is the same (6.4"). If I was getting a different tire, I probably would have gone with the 205/60. All else being equal, they would hold the road better than the 185/65 OEM. The only tradeoff might be mileage. But I bet that would be small. Slightly lower mileage, assuming this occurs, is a price I'd pay to have better looks, handling and safety.
[/b]

They do look good especially with the mudflaps installed. There is no question that the car handles much better with the Michelins. I think the wider tire helps for sure, but the higher load rating of the 205/60/15 gives it a stiffer sidwall which may be even more important. They are very comfortable and quiet at 40/38 psi. I may have taken a 1-2 mpg loss over the Integritys, but I'm not too sure cause I changed them out at 205 miles. I'm currently showing about 46 of the mdf for lots of short trips on this tank. If there is a small loss of fuel economy it is certainly worth the trade for the handling and safety.

[GreenSpeed]

Well just a quick note:

I've installed the whole tire/rim package as stated in my sig. I DO notice 2 things.
1. Handling is MUCH more responsive. I can change lanes more accurately, less side to side 'leaning', better cornerning
2. Getting into 'Glide' (no arrows mode) is noticeably more difficult. I do know that the tire/rim combo that i have is heavier than my stock tire/rim combo (I carried them to my garage and back) so i'm assuming that this is the reason behind this.

So far, i've taken a .5 hit on mileage. I expect that to increase. But i wasn't averaging very good mileage anyways.

Cheers all! Oh, and my RIMs look AWESOME. Once the gallery is fixed i'll upload them. Or goto markwei.blogspot.com

[00Silverado]

Do any of you have the Michelin MXV4's or the HydroEdges on your Prii? The stock GY's are worn out and need replacing ASAP. Thanks

[Recovering Gas Guzzler]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(00Silverado @ Sep 1 2006, 12:15 AM) [snapback]312602[/snapback]</div>

Do any of you have the Michelin MXV4's or the HydroEdges on your Prii? The stock GY's are worn out and need replacing ASAP. Thanks
[/b]

I posted my review of the MXV4+'s a few pages back (either page 3 or 4, I believe).

[Claudia]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hybrid_Mutant @ Aug 29 2006, 05:11 PM) [snapback]311289[/snapback]</div>

My first post here and I would like to relate my tire decision. After much reading on this forum, I decided to replace the stock Goodyear tires on my 06 #5 white Prius with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S 205/60/15. The oem tires came off with only 205 miles and it has been 750 miles since adding the Michelins. I think the Pilots still have some breaking in to do but they have already smoothed out since brand new and have started to roll much better. I am running them at 40/38 and my last tank of gas, only the third in the car, measured (calculated) 44 mpg. But that was carrying a bike or two on the rear hitch mount for much of that tank. I also live in the mountains.

The Pilots are so much better than the stock tires in every way. Of course I haven't tried them in the snow yet but they corner very well on our curvy roads. Revs per mile are 850 compared to the stock 855 and I have had no issues with the larger sized tire on the car. I hope they get decent treadwear, but time will tell on that.
[/b]

I went to the Michelin site and cannot find reference to the Pilot Exalto in that size - closest I see is a 205/55/15. I'm confused.

[ralphbongo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(00Silverado @ Sep 1 2006, 01:15 AM) [snapback]312602[/snapback]</div>

Do any of you have the Michelin MXV4's or the HydroEdges on your Prii? The stock GY's are worn out and need replacing ASAP. Thanks
[/b]

I have hydroedge that I put on two weeks ago. 900 miles on them so far and about a 2mpg hit. 40/38 psi front /rear and I love them. The handle is MUCH better and wet roads are no longer unstable. The tires realy grip the road. Not as much noise as the stock tires and I wish I had done this when I bought the car. The hidden + is the 90,000 mile tire life. Hope this helps

[Claudia]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ralph b @ Sep 9 2006, 08:34 AM) [snapback]316905[/snapback]</div>

I have hydroedge that I put on two weeks ago. 900 miles on them so far and about a 2mpg hit. 40/38 psi front /rear and I love them. The handle is MUCH better and wet roads are no longer unstable. The tires realy grip the road. Not as much noise as the stock tires and I wish I had done this when I bought the car. The hidden + is the 90,000 mile tire life. Hope this helps
[/b]

I'm down to trying to decide between the Hydroedge and the Pilot Exalto.
I don't have a clue as to how to figure out which one would best suit my needs. Time to throw a dart, I guess.

[theorist]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Claudia @ Sep 7 2006, 09:00 PM) [snapback]316073[/snapback]</div>

I went to the Michelin site and cannot find reference to the Pilot Exalto in that size - closest I see is a 205/55/15. I'm confused.
[/b]

Perhaps you looked at the Pilot Exalto PE2 (a summer tire) rather than the Pilot Exalto A/S (all season tire) that he referred to, http://www.michelinman.com/specs/pil..._a_s/3332.html ?

I seriously considered the Pilot Exalto A/S in a size 195/65-15, especially during Costco's additional $60 off offers. I'm glad that they've worked well for you, Hybrid_Mutant.

As for Claudia's choice between the tires, if you wan't tires that may last nearly twice as long (for much less than double the price), the Hydroedge has the edge. For tires that give an edge in both dry and wet traction (despite the Hydroedge name) go with the Pilot Exalto A/S. If you want uncompromised fuel efficiency and low noise, may I suggest the Continental ContiProContact. All three are outstanding tires without any serious defficiencies. But whatever you do, drop the Goodyear Integrities .