Tire Upgrade

[apriusfan]

Originally Posted by mrblaise

Thanks for the info! Do you need to install both or can you just install the front braces for the steering?

I am not quite sure what you mean by your reference to steering?

If you want the handling improvement, then you pretty much have to go with the front and rear braces. Personally, I would also do the wider wheels & tires, but that starts to get into the $. The way that I 'justified' the expense is that I was able to vastly improve the handling of the Prius (got rid of the susceptibility to cross winds in the bargain) at no mpg penalty....

[Miss_Taz]

Man... Now I'm REALLY confused. I had reserved 4 Mich Pilot Exalto A/S tires at Sears to install them today, and the seeming contradiction in feedback is worrying me. I don't want to spend over $400 on tires that will kill my MPG and my handling! Maybe I should re-examine my other 3 choices?

195/60/15

Falken Ziex Ze 912
Continental ContiProContact (HR)
Kumho Solus KR21

??? Anyone have negative feedback on any of these 3?

-Vikki

[seasalsa]

My Kumho Solus KR21's didn't affect my MPG and give a great quiet ride.

[Miss_Taz]

Seasalsa,

Thanks for the input! Did you notice much change in your speedo/odo readings? How is the handling in wet conditions?

-Vikki

[Miss_Taz]

OK. I bit the bullet finally. Ordered 4 Kumho KR21's in 195/60/15 for $258 shipped, plus $72 installation. Total $330. I hope to get them by next weekend. I will let you know my experiences with them a few months down the road.

Thanks to all who provided the valuable input in this (and a few other) threads!

-Vikki

[seasalsa]

Originally Posted by Miss_Taz

Seasalsa,

Thanks for the input! Did you notice much change in your speedo/odo readings? How is the handling in wet conditions?
-Vikki

Very little change according to my GPS. They handle great in the rain and are rated #1 in the Standard Touring All-Season category by Tirerack.

[Highly ImPriused]

Here's a bit of early feedback on the Pirelli P4 Four Seasons in 195/60/15. Had them installed on 7/3 and left for a family vacation the next morning with a very full car (wife, 2 kids, and as much stuff as we could fit for 10 days). Traveled over 1200 miles in both dry and very wet (torential downpour) conditions. The tires handled great in all conditions. Just a huge improvement over the Intregrities, where I would have been very antsy and nervous in the downpours at highway speeds; I barely had to slow down with these Pirellis. They just hug the road.

I haven't noticed any significant hit to mileage. It's hard to compare though since we haven't done this exact trip before. But overall we averaged about 46 mpg (cruising in the low 70s mostly). This is with about 800 lbs of passengers and cargo I would estimate. I had seen similar results in the past with the stock tires under similar conditions. The only difference is that I had the Integreties at about 40 PSI at that time and went right up to 50 PSI with these Pirelli's. So perhaps there is a bit of a mpg decrease. I'll know better after a few days of commuting by myself where I can compare apples to apples and will report back later in the week.

[mrblaise]

Good luck on the Kumho's. I found Kumho's to be a bit hard with a lot of road noise. I had Continental Pro Contact's on my BMW 530i and they were great tires. In fact they're standard on BMW's.

Originally Posted by Miss_Taz

OK. I bit the bullet finally. Ordered 4 Kumho KR21's in 195/60/15 for $258 shipped, plus $72 installation. Total $330. I hope to get them by next weekend. I will let you know my experiences with them a few months down the road.

Thanks to all who provided the valuable input in this (and a few other) threads!

-Vikki

[seasalsa]

Originally Posted by mrblaise

Good luck on the Kumho's. I found Kumho's to be a bit hard with a lot of road noise. I had Continental Pro Contact's on my BMW 530i and they were great tires. In fact they're standard on BMW's.

All things change over time. The Kumho Solus K-21 uses new compounding technology which allows them a #1 rating in the Tire rack survey for Standard All-Season Touring tires. Mine have shown greatly reduced road noise and a much better ride that the OEM Goodyears.

[mrblaise]

I'm always suspect of tire surveys from stores that sell tires. It's my belief that they always point you to tires that they can sell for a high profit. I believe that they have to be better than the Integritys. These tire are one step over solid rubber trike tires.