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Another Tire Thread (specific to my situation)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by flippo, Jul 31, 2013.

  1. flippo

    flippo Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2013
    20
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    It's tire replacement time for my old Prius, and I was hoping for advice between three choices in my pricerange, and TPMS advice.

    First, do I need TPMS service (like all the tire joints sell)? I just had the tires replaced 3 years/75000 miles ago, and TPMS was serviced then.

    The tire choices. Indianapolis area, so winters exist, but tend not to be severe. All claim to be LRR tires, but of course, there are no good comparisons of these LRR brands for rolling resistance.
    1) Kuhmo Ecowing KH30
    - $351 for set of 4, no incentives
    - 440-A-A with a 65,000Mi treadwear warranty
    - Location of seller (Discount Tire) is somewhat inconvenient for their free tire rotations, but not undoable (shopping nearby)
    - Lightest tire. Less rubber for the money (I figure less rubber means less life - I know it doesn't really work that way, but it makes sense to me somehow)

    2) Bridgestone Ecopia EP422
    - About $450 for a set of 4, but I get a $70 American Express Giftcard rebate, making effective price about $370, comparable with Kuhmo.
    - 480-A-A with 70,000Mi treadwear warranty.
    - Location of seller (Tires+) is very convenient for free rotations - walking distance from my house.
    - Heaviest tire. More rubber for the money.

    3) Nokian EnTYRE
    - I have 3 bald ones, and one with about 2/3 of its useful life left on it.
    - About $345 for 3 (would keep the 4th, which was replaced a year ago).
    - For other sets of tires, I would keep 4th EnTYRE as a spare.
    - 700-A-A with 75,000Mi treadwear warranty, but my 1st tire will die first, giving about 50k remaining useful life on that one.
    - My last set lasted 75,000Mi, which was pretty darn good, especially since they didn't have a treadwear warranty 3 years ago when I bought them.
    - Tolerates high tire pressure - 52PSI Max vs. 44PSI for the other tires. I tend to overinflate. I typically overinflated these to 46/44. Going up to 50 degraded handling too much. For other tires I would probably go to 40/38.
    - Green manufacturing facility.
    - Location of seller is bad. Not near other shopping or my usual routes, so free rotations are inconvenient - I would probably end up buying rotations at another location.

    -->Flippo
     
    #1 flippo, Jul 31, 2013
    Juan Vinton likes this.
  2. Drdiesel

    Drdiesel Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2013
    585
    152
    0
    Location:
    Monterey CA
    Vehicle:
    Other Electric Vehicle
    Model:
    N/A
    My choice was the Kumho EcoWing KH30 on my 2013 C. I like em a lot.
    They handle well, have good grip dry. I haven't driven in the wet, but the data shows
    them to be a great wet weather tire. I live in CA and we never get snow. Can't beat the price.
    I paid $62 bucks each for the 185/65/15 size.
     
    #2 Drdiesel, Jul 31, 2013
  3. HaroldW

    HaroldW Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2012
    716
    95
    0
    Location:
    Grand Forks BC Canada
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I would say the Nokian are the best tire I have ever purchased. Great FE and very quiet and comfortable. I have the WR 2G all weather. They are used all year. :) H
     
    #3 HaroldW, Jul 31, 2013
  4. Juan Vinton

    Juan Vinton Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2013
    16
    3
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, Arizona
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    So which tire did you end up going with? I am in a similar situation right now. I purchased the ecowing's for the front tires a year ago and they have been doing fine. I have to replace the other two and will probably go with the same, but if there is a better tire out there, I will have to reconsider.

    Thanks for your summary.
     
    #4 Juan Vinton, Oct 16, 2013
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