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Best replacement tires

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by csk47, Feb 17, 2013.

  1. The Dude

    The Dude Member

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    I've also searched and searched for reviews of the Energy Saver A/S and noted that overall, it scored a little bit less than something like the Defender. But, according to some of the reviews I've read (by regular folks like me), lots complained that it didn't "improve" their MPG...That's when I knew this was my set of tires. From my experience, MOST folks just don't know how to get great MPG. My thought on these reviews was that if they are still getting the "same" MPG as they did with their old, worn set of tires with a brand new set of Energy Savers with lots of grippy tread, then I figure it actually DID improve their MPG, they just needed more patience until the tires got a bit worn and smoothed out. People rag on any particular car all the time about "false" MPG advertising, such as for my other car which is actually a new Santa Fe rated at 24 combined I believe, but I'm consistently averaging between 26-27 MPG. I keep telling people about the lessons I've learned from my Prius, but I've found that most people just don't have the patience to learn proper techniques.
     
  2. swich2mac

    swich2mac Go Hard or Go Home!

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    KLD_Prius_PI_Synergy likes this.
  3. duhren

    duhren Junior Member

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    My Yoko's have 51000 miles on them and we just returned from a Florida trip 2500 miles at 48 mpg avg. Alas, they are worn out and need replacement.
     
  4. Chowdary

    Chowdary Junior Member

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  5. GBC_Texas_Prius

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    If your dealer says you need tire replacement after 18K miles, seek a second opinion. My opinion is that if the tires hold up to the penny test, keep driving on your originals. A Prius isn't a heavy motorhome. Never heard of a Prius owner having problems, such as a blow out, with a tire because of age.
     
  6. alanwagen

    alanwagen Member

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    Bridgestone EP20's have been great on my Prius. I have 55,000 miles and should get 60,000 miles. Quiet with excellent gas mileage. You can also get them at Discount tire on special order which is no problem. They do not have a mileage warranty but they are proven good tires. I checked directly with Bridgestone and they stated that the EP20s will get better mileage than the EP422s. My wife has ep422's on her 09 Prius and they are also very very quiet..
     
  7. Rivetjoint

    Rivetjoint Junior Member

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    Have to admit those Defenders held up well for me. Got 99,000 miles out of the set I replaced today. Mileage will drop but what a difference in noise and ride. Great tire.
     
  8. navguy12

    navguy12 Member

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    I installed a set of Michelin Premiers A/S (205/55R16s) 10 days ago and am now patiently waiting to "break them in" over the next 1000-1500 km's or so.
    Running 42/38 for pressures, my Scan Gauge II tells me that initial fuel use from stand-still has markedly increased.
    I know I'm taking a 10% hit in town right now, but steady state at 80 kph (50 mph) seems to indicate historical fuel flows.
    Tires are much quieter on the highway and they feel much more planted than the OEMs they replaced.
     
  9. ramattos

    ramattos Junior Member

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    I actually had a blow out with my gen 2 at 70k miles, empty car and normal pressure. Just blew out at 35mph. Likely due to age
     
  10. navguy12

    navguy12 Member

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    I've now got about 5000 km's on my set of Michelin Premiers A/S (205/55R16s).

    Very happy with them. Looks like fuel economy hit is no more than 1/10th of a L/100 kms......and MFD is now accurate to within 1/10th of a L/100 kms.
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ Sorry, what is "MFD".

    Also, is the size you mention non-standard, is that why you're saying the MFD is more accurate?
     
  12. navguy12

    navguy12 Member

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    MFD stands for the multi-function display (touch screen), where one can view the car's opinion of it's fuel economy since last MFD trip reset.

    The factory tire size for my '08 is a 195, so yes the 205 is a non-standard tire size for my car.


    Others have also stated that up-sizing from the 195 to the 205 will bring the MFD rating very close to real life (versus it's more normal "liberal" view of fuel economy)
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  13. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    Michelin defenders handle good with a quiet comfortable ride. Tread wear guarantee is 90,000 miles.
     
  14. navguy12

    navguy12 Member

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    I'm very happy with the Michelin Premiers
     
  15. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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    IMHO and does not reflect the views of the management at this station

    So far the EP20 and Goodyear assurance OEMs have given me good wear and MPG at 42PSI on Fl roads. I have been burned 3 times on other tires that were claimed to be better than OEMs. 4-6MPG drop (4 Civic Hybrids and 3 Prius' in past years/once you go Prius you will never go back). Be sure they are MIJ OEMs (as I bought some USA ones that did not work well/tirerack.com for MIJ) and at 42PSI I doubt you will find a tire that gets better MPG. That is why I bought a Prius is to get great MPG.

    35K on my 2012 and 50K on my 2011. Both sets of tires show about 28% (plenty of tread left) wear at 42 PSI. However I am thinking of getting a set of 4 for blow outs as after a few years you may need to change them out. Tires get old like us.:LOL::ROFLMAO:

    If you keep 40-42 psi in your tires and they are wore out you need an alignment (not in your case/maybe). Also never trust the service dept at any dealer. Check your oil and tire pressure before leaving (I even look under the car for oil pouring out and under the hood for missing oil caps). Many dealers let the air out of your tires and when my new car was delivered it had 24PSI hot. My wife was complaining that I was weaving all over the road at 65MPH and I was sober.

    Whenever I insist on 42PSI I get an argument from the service rep. I state Prius Chat recommends 40-42PSI and then he shuts up. Never go above 44PSI cold for this particular tire. If you had 50PSI tires then you could try 44-46PSI. But that is too rough a ride for me unless you are on smooth city streets all the time. Some folks run above 50PSI but you chance a blow out if you hit a pothole.

    38-42 PSI is not a bad range for these tires for your best MPG. If you live on rough roads then try 36PSI.

    http://priuschat.com/threads/lets-talk-tire-pressure.130201/


    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?tireIndex=0&autoMake=Toyota&autoYear=2012&autoModel=Prius&autoModClar=Four&width=195%2F&ratio=65&diameter=15&sortCode=38050&skipOver=true&minSpeedRating=S&minLoadRating=S&tab=OE&filterType=oe
     
    #35 ETP, Jun 28, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2014
  16. wbray123

    wbray123 Junior Member

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    Looks like it's been about a year with no additional responses and I see no answer to my question. My 2013 needs new tires soon at about 37,000 miles (Goodyear Assurance). Sam's Club is out of stock on my first choice, Michelin Energy Savers, but they have two choices (both out of stock) and I have only seen discussion of the AS tire. They have one Michelin Energy Saver 195/65R15 91H that does not indicate all season. It's $139.22 each, and has the following rating:
    Treadwear: 400
    Traction A
    Temperature: A.

    The second is the AS all season,
    P195/65R15 89T. It's $113.02 each and has the following rating:
    Treadwear: 480
    Traction A
    Temperature: B


    So, there are two Michelin Energy Saver tires out there. The one with a lower treadwear rating is about $26.00 more expensive. Any reason to even consider that one (unless you live in a very hot place for the better temperature rating)? Thanks.

    Am re-posting this in the sticky tire list review area now.
     
    #36 wbray123, May 11, 2015
    Last edited: May 11, 2015
  17. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Walmart.com and Tirerack are your friends. I have bought 6 more EP 20s MIJ. Outstanding tires.
     
  18. DanOx

    DanOx New Member

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    We just purchased a set of Michelin Premier A/S & they are amazing. The previous owner had General brand tires on the car, and they had insanely loud road noise. The Michelin Premier A/S are very quiet, comfortable, and have outstanding traction. The only downside is that we went from near 50mpg to around 45mpg average. But it's a tradeoff I'm willing to make, especially here in Minnesota where we have extreme seasons all year long. I'd rather have the safety, comfort & traction vs a few more mpg, poor handling, and unbearable road noise on an economy tire. But that's just my $0.02. ;)
     
    Okinawa likes this.
  19. navguy12

    navguy12 Member

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    Once you put on about 8000 km's (5000 miles), the tires will wear-in and you will get a bounce back of your fuel economy (in my case, the bounce back is so close to the historical fuel economy, it is a rounding error). Cheers. Mike
     
  20. DanOx

    DanOx New Member

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    Cool. We're about 2k into our Michelin Premier A/S - be interesting to see if mpg increase after 5k miles.