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Any feedback on Bridgestone Ecopia EP100?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by uart, Sep 15, 2011.

  1. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Does anyone running Bridgestone Ecopia EP100's have any feedback on how they are holding up in terms of tread life?

    I'm up for a new set of tires pretty soon and the EP100's are currently at the top of my list. Any other comments on performance (mpg/ride/noise etc) would also be useful.

    Thanks. :)
     
  2. Paul58

    Paul58 Mileage Miser

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    I have 13K miles on the EP20's that came stock on my Prius and they are holding up very well. per the specs on TireRack, I would suspect the EP100's would be as good or better. They are also on the top of my list once it comes time to replace mine...

    They are quiet and handle well in rain and on dry pavement. Gas mileage is very good!
     
  3. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Thanks Paul, that sounds good. :)

    Anyone with the EP100's
     
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I persuaded my roomate to get the EP100s for his 2006 Corolla. He is a very aggressive driver so the treadwear wasn't the best. But they performed very well. I'll ask him how many miles he has on them as they are nearly worn out according to him. I'll get back to you today.

    With regards to fuel efficiency they are nearly at the top of the list.
     
  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Ok, talked to my ex-roomate and he is nearly at the wear bars and he has 39,000 miles on the tires. These appear to be a low treadware tire from the other accounts I have read as well. I think something like the Continental tire or even the Kumhos with an 80,000 mile warranty may be more cost effective.
     
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  6. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Thanks F8L, that's good info.

    Still if he's a very aggressive driver and he gets somewhere in the low 40 something k-miles, then perhaps on my Prius with fairly sedate driving it might be possible to get somewhere in the range of 50,000 to 60,000 miles. What do you think?
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I have this tire on both Prius. The 2004 has driven 27K miles since the tires were installed and the tread depth is 6/32". Hence my personal experience if extrapolated implies a useful life of 54K miles.

    However my guess is that the EP100 sold in Australia may differ from that tire in the US so your mileage (and treadwear) will vary. For example the tires sold there probably do not show the US DOT ratings, safety warnings, etc. molded into the tire sidewall.
     
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  8. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Thanks, Patrick. :)
     
  9. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Thanks Patrick. Yeah I'd be satisfied with 50k miles (80000 km) for sure.

    Interesting point about the Australian tires possibly being different, manufactures do often have regional differences in their product so who knows how they correlate. Hopefully the ones sold here still have the same low levels of rolling resistance, which is the main reason I'm choosing them.
     
  10. 2maples49

    2maples49 Junior Member

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    Hi FL8,

    As you probably know, the Kumho Eco Solus are to be avoided. They are slippery, especially in the wet. See Eco-Friendly All-Season Tires — How Does Performance Measure Up? for TireRack's comments. This is the closest I've ever seen them come to saying do not buy a particular tire.

    Thanks for all your time on tire research. I've enjoyed your efforts and I thinking of putting the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 in the wider 195/60-15 size on my Prius when the time comes. I hope the wider tread will mean making a smaller sacrifice in handling to get better MPG on my 2005 Prius. I'm spoiled by my grippy Goodyear Eagle GT +4 (discontinued). I hope the Bridgestones will come close in grip and steering response and be less noisy. And I would be happy with a 40 to 50K mile tire if it met my other standards.

    Thanks, Dan

    P.S. In my short Leaf test drive, these tires were sweet. Of course that's a completely different car. However, I did make a point of paying attention to the tires and they seemed promising. And yes, my wife and I love the Leaf. But the Prius is sweet too and it's paid for.
     
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  11. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Dan, thank you for the catch on the Kumhos. I forgot about that test and how poorly they ranked. This is why forums like PC are great. People like you are needed to recommendations in check! Thanks again, my friend. :)
     
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  12. Feri

    Feri Active Member

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    Hi uart, I had Ecopias (Not sure what model) on my Gen III as OEM. They were a comfortable tyre with a good ride. But I only got 38,000 kms. The Michie Primacy LCs I'm driving now, in the same conditions (Central Victoria and Rural properety) have given me 52,000KMS and are a little over 1/2 worn.
     
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  13. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Only 38000km ouch! (that's only 23000 miles btw). That alone is roughly equivalent to doubling or even tripling the price, compared with something decent like the Primacy's.

    Thanks for the info.
     
  14. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    Bridgestone is famous for making OEM versions of their tires; would not hurt to compare the treadwear/temp markings. Also from my bike experience B-stones are very sensitive to heat. They can last forever in cool conditions but they will melt off in 2 days at 80MPH on interstate in summer, YMMV
     
  15. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Do you think the OEM tires might have been a bit cheap and nasty cyclopathic? Maybe the retail EP100's are better? I'd certainly hope so.

    After reading Feri's post I'm thinking about looking at Michelin again. Last time I checked I thought they were overpriced, but I'll see if I can get some prices on the Michelin Energy XM2. I think if it's not more than 20% above that of the Ep100's then I'll got that way. I'm starting to think they'll get at least 20% more km's, probably more.
     
  16. jhigga15

    jhigga15 Junior Member

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    I have these tires. I just got a new set. I have a 97 with 143,000 and I get around 50,000 on the front and 60,000 on the back. my MPG went up 4mpg when they are new and everything is where it should be...
     
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  17. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Thanks for the info jhigga. That correlates with Patrick's previous data at around 55000 miles. Perhaps Feri's OEM tires were a different model? Anyway, around 55000 miles sounds good to me.

    The main reason I'm interested in these tires is that their relative rolling resistance is know. These days everyone makes an LRR tire, but generally the only "guarantee" you get with regard to LRR performance is a load of marketing speak and superlatives (which of course is no guarantee at all). At least I've seen that actual tests with this tire.
     
  18. ystasino

    ystasino Active Member

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    Does anyone know what the EP100 difference is from the EP422 in terms of longevity, noise and performance?

    I'm still on the Integrities from 04/07 and after 48500 miles the front ones need replacement. Debating whether to replace both front and back pairs, or just move the ones from the back to the front and put the new ones at the back.
     
  19. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    One is a summer tire and the other is an all-season tire. Due to tread design I would wager that the EP100 provides better mpg but the EP422 provides better wet weather traction. Treadwear rating is the same at 400 but temperature is higher on the EP422 which really doesn't mean a whole lot. Revs per mile is slightly higher on the EP422 also which may make the MPG seem artificially lower than the EP100.
     
  20. ystasino

    ystasino Active Member

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    Thanks. The EP100 seem to already have the best wet breaking distance in this Prius test, even if they didn't do a great job in the dry.

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