Tire Upgrade

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by fruzzetti

Con:
They're still on 15 inch wheels
Expense; while not too pricey, they were substantially more than OEM tires.

~ dan ~

I think any tyre is substantially more than the OEM tyres.

[Boo]

Originally Posted by Prof

Seems that the consensus favors the TT's in the 195 size.

Anyone want to scream at me before I jump?

I don't think anyone here is going to scream "Don't jump!"

PriusChatters seem to recognize that the TTs are an excellent choice (beloved by a lot of PriusChatters, top rated by TireRack customers and Consumer Reports for passenger all season tires) among, and not to the exclusion of, other excellent choices.

BTW, to further refine the consensus, I think the consensus here favors the 195/60 size (as opposed to 195/65).

I say "Jump Now!" --- before you hydroplane yourself into an accident.

Good luck.

[Xen]

I'm still on the stock integreties with around 20K on them, they've always given me a poor ride - most notably was driving from Cali to TX in an ice storm and heavy rains - very, very frightening but we made it.

Being in Texas now I don't have need for snow rated tires, but do need ones that can handle lower temps (40s), rain and summer temps (100s + humidty).

What would be the recommendations based on the favs listed using stock wheels?

[nyprius]

What would be the recommendations based on the favs listed using stock wheels?[/quote]

As mentioned in several places on this post, I think you're best off if you upgrade to 195/60R15 tires. All things being equal, they will significantly improve handling, safety and appearance with little to no mileage loss. This size is closest to the OEM 855 revolutions per mile. So changes to odo readings and ground clearance are minimal.

Regarding tire type, almost anything is better than the Integrity. If I had to do it over again, I would replace the OEM tires before I left the dealer. The prime life of the Prius is when it's new. Why have garbage tires on the car when it's in its prime.

I've had great experience with the TT's. They are a huge improvement over the Integrity. I went from being very nervous on the highway in bad weather with the Integrities, to feeling safe and comfortable with the TT's.

However, I've got 30,000 miles on the TT's. The tread is still good. But I don't think I'll get the 80,000 miles claimed for the tire. The tire might last that long. But I think the tread would be too worn out to be safe when you're getting anywhere near 80,000 miles. Based on current wear, I might replace the TT's at 50,000 miles.

I might try a new tire too. There are many other excellent tires for the Prius mentioned on this and other posts.

[ad78]

Toyo observe they are the best!

[fruzzetti]

On my 2001 I used to use Dunlop SP Sport A2 tires in 195/65. On my 2006, as I've said, I'm using Continental 205/60s and I'm quite impressed with them. Still getting great mileage (remember, a Prius is a video game complete with a way to keep score ) and they don't stick out too much.

Now I'm looking into wheels though, and I am kinda peeved because I want bigger wheels (which means new tires even though my current tires have maybe 150 miles on them).

So if anyone's interested in a quartet of brand new 205/60R15s mounted on stock Prius wheels, let me know.

~ dan ~

[Prof]

Originally Posted by Boo

I don't think anyone here is going to scream "Don't jump!"

PriusChatters seem to recognize that the TTs are an excellent choice (beloved by a lot of PriusChatters, top rated by TireRack customers and Consumer Reports for passenger all season tires) among, and not to the exclusion of, other excellent choices.

BTW, to further refine the consensus, I think the consensus here favors the 195/60 size (as opposed to 195/65).

I say "Jump Now!" --- before you hydroplane yourself into an accident.

Good luck.

Bought them...appreciate all of the input on this thread...

[Wheelin1]

Found a neat chart to help pick tire sizes. http://www.csgnetwork.com/speedocalibcalc.html

[Boo]

Originally Posted by Wheelin1

Found a neat chart to help pick tire sizes. http://www.csgnetwork.com/speedocalibcalc.html

Yes. Also, here's the miata.net calculator that a lot of people use:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Funny thing I noticed about tire size calculators is that if you plug the same numbers into different calculators, the resulting calculations will slightly differ. I would have thought that there would be uniformity in the assignment/allocation of values to the same tire size.

* * * * * * * *

Also, I don't remember whether it was previously mentioned in this thread, but I believe that international guidelines permit car manufacturers to calibrate speedometers/odometers to over-read by as much as 10%. So if your car has the OEM tires, when the speedometer shows 55 mph you may actually be traveling at 50 mph, and if the odometer shows 55 miles traveled you may actually have traveled 50 miles.

[apriusfan]

Originally Posted by Boo

...Funny thing I noticed about tire size calculators is that if you plug the same numbers into different calculators, the resulting calculations will slightly differ. I would have thought that there would be uniformity in the assignment/allocation of values to the same tire size.

The calculators use a generic value for diameter and revs/mile (otherwise known as circumference) for each tire size. As you have observed, different calculators use different values for each tire size. The only way to get accurate fit for your particular application is to find the specification for diameter and revs/mile for the stock tires on your car and then look for tires that are as close as possible to the values for the stock tires. My personal decision criteria is not more than .1 inch in diameter and 3% in revs/mile off from the values for the stock tires.

Tirerack is a great resource for comparing tires since they maintain a database of manufacturer published specification data for each tire they sell.