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Different tire size recommended for front and rear????

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by GoldPianoGarden, Mar 18, 2012.

  1. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    Ok, I went to the tire shop today with the intent of buying the tires, even though my car isn't thru (got a little over $600 in rebate debit/credit cards from different car part purchases that all expire the end of this month, and I have been saving them to use toward the tires). Anyhow, the tire shop couldn't get me prices on stuff today cause the suppliers or manufacturers (or whatever) were closed. I was telling the guy the wheel sizes and the offsets mentioned in my previous post. Well, he said that in order to keep the car more "level looking" (as opposed to looking like one end of the car is higher than the other end, like some members have made reference to previously on the forum), that I should get the 225/40R/18 size tires on the front, and get the 225/45R/18 size tires on the rear... I actually wrote it down TWICE, and I wrote it opposite ways each time. One time was saying I needed the 45R's on the front, and the 40R's in the rear. Any takes/opinions/clarification on that line of thought they presented to me??
    I went into the place, after thinking I had decided on the Continental Extreme DWS, after reading what others thot of them on the forum (despite the not-so-swell reviews on TireRack.com). However, this representative at the tire shop said I should seriously consider the Sumitomo HTRZ3 ( Sumitomo HTR Z III 225/40ZR18/XL | Big O Tires carries the HTR Z III by Sumitomo in 225/40ZR18/XL ), as well as the Nitto NT-GEO Neo Gen ( Nitto NT-GEO NeoGen 225/40/18 | Big O Tires carries the NT-GEO NeoGen by Nitto in 225/40/18 ). Having only about 11-ish days left to use the rebate money toward tires (before it expires), I am in a bit of a crunch to get this done... (I know....procrastination).... Have any of you got any experience/knowledge about either of those tires? He also mentioned a Cooper ZPT, but the name Cooper on my tires......not exciting. He also threw out the brand of BFGoodrich GForce Sport, right before I ended up leaving, but there appears to be a variety of the sport ones, so I'm not sure which one he was referring to.... ?!?!!?! Please help! :pray:
     
  2. NineScorpions

    NineScorpions Economy, Meet Style!!

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    Not sure about that...I have seen many, and I mean many wheel and tire combos on here and none of which were multiple tire sizes front to rear. Also...it hinders your ability to do rotations (assuming you would do front to rear). I am trying to picture this and either way...it just does not seem right. Only variation I have seen is offsets used front to rear, but that is only about stance...on how far out the rim resides. I do not see any real need for different tire sizes front to back.
     
  3. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    Having coilovers, also, a simple adjustment seems to be easily enough done to compensate for an "unlevel car" anyway, or am I wrong in thinking that?
     
  4. NineScorpions

    NineScorpions Economy, Meet Style!!

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    You are spot on. And even without coilovers...which most of us do not have. I have yet to see a car that is "unlevel" to the point that we need to discuss it. I think the guy you are talking to is in the business of selling stuff and probably has no experience with aftermarket equipment on a Pri. Perhaps he is using prior knowledge of other vehicles...who knows. I am giving him the shadow of a doubt here.
     
  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Aerodynamically speaking, a slight rake with the front being lower is better for gas Miele and overall handling at high speed. Having different sized tires makes rotating them a pain.
     
  6. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    Well, better handling at high speed is important to me, cause I travel 200 miles round trip to work and back (whenever that can be fit in my schedule now!), and it's all interstate, and I go 90+ the whole way. I believe in leaving in 1/2 the required time to get somewhere! lol! But, yeah, rotating would be a biotch.....

    With all your amazingly extensive tire data you had in the other post(s), did you have any feeling(s) regarding any of the other tires he mentioned?
     
  7. SuperchargedMR2

    SuperchargedMR2 Diehard Rams Fan

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    My car sits on Eibach springs and looks level to me. :D

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    If you want a more aggressive stance on the rear you could use spacers on the rear so you can still rotate the tires/wheels. ;)
     
  8. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    I remember Macmaster mentioning a handful of times before, in other posts, about an unbalanced car rake (either the front lower or the rear lower) from some factor that he knew about......but I've slept since then!

    He has a new Camry, he said (the guy at the tire place).....if that makes him any wiser one way or the other....
     
  9. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    Yep, yours looks level! lol! I can't, for the life of me, figure out what the guy was thinking when he was telling me to use taller tires on either the front or the back. Guess I should have asked more stuff, but I was so totally confused after he bombarded me with all these OTHER tires that I hadn't even heard of.....plus I had snuck off really fast and left my grandmother home alone (ssshhhhh).....so I just went back home more puzzled. I don't care one way or the other about the whole more aggressive stance thing (or I'd have gotten a wide body kit!), but I was just freaking out a tiny bit about the thought of my Prius being potentially tilted one way or the other if I put matching tires on it...
     
  10. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Honestly I don't know much about the larger tire sizes that are non-LRR. When in doubt stick with the bigger name brands like Michelin, Goodyear, Continental etc..

    I'm not sure of your budget and since there are not many LRR options I'll just make a couple suggestions.

    Stick with the 225/40/18 as this will keep overall diameter the same as stock. Revs per mile should be near 830 give or take a few.

    Tires to consider:
    Continental ExtremeContact DW (decent price, decent performance)

    Michelin Pilot Super Sport (expensive but perfect performance)

    Sumitomo HTR Z III (cheap! But decent performance. Likely more than enough for a Prius)

    Testing Value-Priced Max Performance Summer Tires

    Clash of the Titans: Testing Two New Max Performance Summer Heavy Hitters
     
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  11. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    Well, the tire shop said today that the price for the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires in the 225/40/18 is $200.99 apiece. Is that a good price, ya think??
     
  12. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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  13. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    It's a lot of cash but if you want a perfect tire then go for it. I don't think I would push the tire hard enough to justify the price so I would likely opt for one of the cheaper tires. I know you like to have the best and this is it. :) Your call.

    You may also want to look at pictures of them. Some tires are ugly and that could mess up the look you are going for.

    EDIT

    They ranked my other choice second. :) You could save almost $200 going with the Continentals.
     
  14. cossie1600

    cossie1600 Active Member

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    You start messing with the diameter, you are going to change the way the ABS/traction control and stability control.
     
  15. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    I just drive 200 miles round trip on the Interstate when I go to work, and then 3/4 of the year it's in torrential almost-impossible-to-drive-in rain. I've hydroplaned 2x when I was younger and totalled my rig both times (while going quite slow), and broke my back 2x. SO, I'm a bit neurotic now when it comes to the whole rain thing, plus I drive over 90mph 3/4 of the way there and back (always pushing the time envelope)..... So, that is my only real desire --- to have ones that perform well in rain and at high speeds. So, an actual safety reason for once! lol

    I was a little confused on the Continental tires, cause there's 2 different kinds noted: Extreme DW, and Extreme DWS. I'm not sure about the difference.... I do know that I originally had intended to get the Continentals, but then started going to all these websites and reading reviews. I'm trying to go with a sportier feel, and I repeatedly read over and over about what a disappointment they were when people went from sportier tires to the Continentals, and how soft the sidewalls were, blah, blah.....so that kinda turned me off to those tires, assuming all the reviews are truthful/accurate. The Michelin Sport tires are standard fare on many highend sports cars, and come with rave reviews, so I was kinda influenced by those factors. I have yet to sign on the dotted line yet, though, and am open to any other arguments/suggestions.
     
  16. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    The DWS is meant more for winter driving hence the all-season rating. Th DW is a summer tire. The difference in designation doesn't mean the DW will do poorly in wet weather. It means, like other all-season tires, it may handle snow and very cold temperatures better. If your winters are generally above 40deg F and wet then a good summer tire will still work very well.

    The DWS has been used by many PC members and is generally well liked. It also has a longer treadwear rating than the other tires.

    For your driving wants/needs I would say just go with the Michelins. I know you can afford them and I would not feel good knowing I "talked" you into a cheaper tire then read about you getting into a high speed accident. :( Safety first! Just make sure you replace the tires by the time they reach 4/32 tread depth if you are entering your rainy season. Tread depth below 4/32 drastically reduces stopping distance in the wet and increases the chance of hydroplaning.
     
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  17. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Just get the Michelins. Great tires, good price, and for as little as a $200 difference, who cares?

    As for different tire sizes a couple of good points were raised. It does help at higher speeds on most cars because it points it "nose down" and the wind then pushes you down more. Good for race cars and some sports cars (mine has 2 very different tire sizes front and rear stock), but I don't think the Prius will have much advantage. The design was shaped for aerodynamics already, I would like to think Toyota already thought of this and went a different route.

    Also as mentioned, if you have different outside diameter tires, you will throw off the traction control and vehicle stability control (if equipped). Since the drive wheels are the same it is not as bad, but you will likely get hesitations under heavy acceleration or loose gravel more than normal. You can demonstrate this by putting the smaller spare tire on a wheel and trying to drive it. If you put it on the front (not recommended for any FWD vehicle) you will basically immobilize yourself in inclimate weather. As an aside, if your front tire blows, you take off a rear wheel, put the spare on there, and then put the good rear full size on the front drive blown wheel.

    Which brings up the point of flat tires. If you have different sized tires, not only can you not do proper rotations, but you might not be able to fix a flat tire because your spare will be mismatched. For instance on my sports car, the spare is a small donut which barely fits on the front wheels (RWD vehicle) but if you were to try and put it on the rear, the undercarriage would probably be rubbing on the ground because it would be so cock-eyed.

    Nice looking car though! :D
     
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  18. NineScorpions

    NineScorpions Economy, Meet Style!!

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    I like the DWS tire...great in rain. However I think I am giving up more mpg due to the all season. Great tire however and as pointed out by F8L...great tread warranty. I wanted a LRR in 18"s...but they come at a heavy price and minimal options.
     
  19. SuperchargedMR2

    SuperchargedMR2 Diehard Rams Fan

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    Why would you want a summer performance tire for a Prius? :confused: It has a very soft tread but will wear quicker & really hurt your mpg. :eek:
     
  20. GoldPianoGarden

    GoldPianoGarden Bling Meister

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    I just want something rated very highly, because I travel LONG distances to work and back, normally driving over 90mph the entire way. And, I frequently drive in torrential rain with water standing all over the interstate. Having had previous bad experiences with hydroplaning/wrecking, I want excellent water/wet stability from the tire, also. My car will never see snow, so it seems like the Michelin would be a great choice of tire. How would the tires HURT the mileage, as opposed to some other aftermarket brand of tires? I'm not a stickler for the mileage thing (didn't get the car to push the good gas mileage envelope, and I will probably be losing a chunk of the car's gas mileage from the mods when they're completed), so I don't know what else to look for in a tire, other than the few characteristics I mentioned specifically wanting. Cornering is also important, as I take a number of exits that are extremely sharp (U-turn-ish), and my stock tires now definitely "roll" when flying around them. I'm used to having sports cars, so that's kinda the mindset I have always been accustomed to....although I may have kept a car long enough twice to actually be faced with the tire-buying dilemma. I've pretty much traded for a new car every year for many years now, so the tires usually look new still when I sell the car. With the Prius now, though, I have sunk so much money into it that I will probably be holding onto it for a while to enjoy the various things I have done to it.

    So, what tire would you suggest buying?