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2007 Prius Tires

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by gajacobson, Oct 24, 2014.

  1. gajacobson

    gajacobson New Member

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    I am new to the chat. I have a 2007 Prius that will need new tires before winter in Minnesota. I currently have Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 on the car and we have loved them for winter driving. However, the warranty is 65,000 miles and we purchased them 2 years ago and got about 30,000. They are 195/55/16.
    Any ideas on good All-season tires but for driving in the snow?
    Thanks in advance for the comments!!
     
  2. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Welcome to PC.
    The EP422 do seem to be the all seasons tyre of choice. Your car is the touring version and has the same size wheels as all the UK versions. If the US tyres are priced along the same lines as the UK tyres I would go up one size to 205/55/16 as these are about 25% cheaper and improve the handling of the Prius.
    The only downside is that the MFD will report a lightly lower mpg. This is because the tyres are slightly larger about 2.5% and travels this much further than the car reports. Calculating the mpg adding 2.5% to your millage will show no loss of mpg.

    John (Britprius)
     
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  3. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Check out F8L's post on this subject. The material is rather dated, but still applies in a lot of aspects and is educational for those who are researching tires.

    You definitely have the touring model unless someone modded your Prius due to the 16" wheels. Best bet, look for a good LRR tire that comes in the size that is marked on your tire placard which can be found on the drivers side behind the door on the pillar.

    Tread Wear Warranties are what the manufacturer thinks the tire will give. Maximum wear can only be achieved if you rotate tires regularly, maintain tire pressure, maintain wheel alignments, maintain suspension, and several other things.

    It all boils down to how well you take care of the machine.

    Also "Welcome to Prius Chat"!

    Best of luck to you,
    Ron (dorunron)
     
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    1. Will your tire retailer give you a warranty credit? That would potentially get you a nice discount on the next set of tires.
    2. Since you are driving in the snow with those tires, I personally would be hesitant to increase the tire tread width.
    3. I got around 50K miles on EP422 installed on the 2004, 185/65-R15 size.
     
  5. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The OP has the touring version with 16 inch wheels. This size comes as standard right across Europe, and is fitted OEM 195/55/16 tyres. On snow wider tyres work better giving more not less grip, somewhat the opposite to wet roads where aquaplaning comes into the equation.
    As "dorunron" suggests wheel alignment,rotation, and pressures all play a part in longevity, but the OEM pressures are a little on the low side as far as ware is concerned particularly on the fronts.
    These will ware on the edges of the tyres, and raising the pressures to 40 or 42 psi definitely helps and improves handling. On snow however the lower pressure increases the contact patch along with grip.
    The EP422 in the US seems to be the best choice for all seasons tyres giving good snow traction with reasonable fuel economy.

    John (Britprius)
     
  6. PriusGuy32

    PriusGuy32 Prius Driver Extraordinaire

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    I have regular all season tires mounted on my alloy rims, and a separate set of Michelin X-Ice tires mounted on black steel rims, that I install & use every winter.

    I highly recommend - if within your budget - a separate set of winter/snow/ice tires. Not only does it keep the miles off your main set, but they perform much much better than the all seasons during the winter snow season. (y)
     
  7. Classic_pri

    Classic_pri Former 2001 Prius 0wner

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    I like Continental's Pure Contact with Eco Plus Technology. Conti says it's an LRR tire, but the thing I like best about it is the way it handles in snow. Continental has put out some excellent winter-handling tires recently (like the DWS) and this tire is no exception.

    One fly in the ointment is that I don't see a 195/55-16 on the tire chart, so you'd have to jump to 205/55.
     
  8. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Do not be afraid to jump up one size. You will be glad you did, and you will never go back to 195's. There are many advantages to the 205's apart from substantial price difference.

    John (Britprius)