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Miles on OEM tires before replacement?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Godzuki, Oct 17, 2012.

  1. JoeM(GA)

    JoeM(GA) Member

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    54,200 on my Yokahama's, will be down to 5/32 in a couple of weeks. I'd love to do the Michelin's but I drive 600 + a week and MPG was what I was after when I bought my 2010
     
  2. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Just hit 45K on my OEM Yokohamas. 42/40 psig, 5K rotations. Plenty of tread left to get me through the winter. I'll be replacing them in the spring.
     
  3. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

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    I don't know you could do any better than the Michelin Energy Saver A/S. I'd have gone that way but for the fact they aren't offered in the 17" size.
     
  4. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

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    I checked into the tire issue before buying, but I decided the larger wheel and tire were an attraction to me (after struggling with my Gen II on high-speed interstates). There are fewer options, as you've said, but you also could look at 205/50s. These are almost exclusively XL rated tires, and I wasn't so interested.

    There are several threads discussing these options, specifically for 17" wheels. Just look up F8L's posts, and you'll find a ton of information.

    I'm hopeful my MPG loss won't be severe. As it stands, I'm looking at an 8%-10% drop, but I'm hoping that difference will drop as I get some mileage on the tires. My current best guess is that even with a 10% drop in fuel economy it will cost me about $5/mo more for gas (18,000 miles per year).

    The Michelin MXM4 is such a solid tire. Quieter, much more stable, great handling and incredible wet weather traction and control. If I could drop the MPG loss to 5%, I think I'd be VERY happy. Even so, I'm very pleased with the change, and I'd do it again.
     
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  5. Mr Bill

    Mr Bill Junior Member

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  6. Mr Bill

    Mr Bill Junior Member

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    I had the Yokahama EOMs and got over 47,000 before replacing them with 4/32nds remaining. I could have gone another 2-3k, but was getting ready to go on a 3k trip and decided to have fresh tires for the long journey. Put on Continental ProContact ECOPlus and have found them to be very quiet and handle exceptionally well; better than the OEMs.
     
  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    They have the Ecopia EP422 in both 17" sizes. That would probably be your best choice for max fuel efficiency. They are quiet and comfortable but cannot match the handling or traction of the MXM4.
     
  8. jhinsc

    jhinsc Senior Member

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    I am approaching 40k miles and I still have enough tread to get me thru another rotation and 5 k miles for my normal driving, but I'll be replacing them in a week or two. I'm make a trip north for Thanksgiving (1,600 mile round trip) and because of the time of year and possible weather issues (rain, snow, cold, ice) I don't want to risk not having enough tread depth to handle these conditions. Current tires are Yoko Avid S33 and will switch to Michelin Energy Saver A/S. Getting a great price from Costo, although the tire tech kept asking why I wanted that tire versus tires they have in stock. They have to order the Energy Savers.
     
  9. chajones

    chajones Junior Member

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    I got about 60k miles from my Goodyear OEMs. Went with Goodyear Assurance and have had them for 35k and they have a long way to go. I have been happy with comfort and performance.
     
  10. jjPrius

    jjPrius Junior Member

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    51k here on the original Goodyears. Expect to have enough tread to safely make 60k.

    Jeff
     
  11. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    Obviously I'm probably reading into it too much with too small of sample size but would I be right in saying people are getting a fair amount more miles out of the OEM Goodyears compared to the OEM Toyos?
     
  12. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I think the Goodyear Fuel Max mentioned in this thread are the 15" tires and the Toyos are 17" tires.
     
  13. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    Gotcha
     
  14. chajones

    chajones Junior Member

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    So, all other things being equal, shouldn't we expect more mileage from a larger diameter tire since it will have to make fewer revolutions per mile?
     
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    If the compounds and design were equal yes but the compound and design of the 15" tires are usually quite different than the 17" tires.
     
  16. mbartley

    mbartley Junior Member

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    My 2010 had/s the 15" Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires as originals. One got a puncture a while ago. I got it fixed but it started slow-leaking again, and the second time I had it looked at I was told it was too close to the sidewall and I had to replace it. I had it and the other tire on the same axle replaced with exact replacements. That was at 50,000 miles. I'll probably replace the other two tires at the next tire rotation.
     
  17. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

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    I think the problem is the list of "all other things" which really cannot be equal:
    1. Weight
    2. Rolling resistance
    3. Tread width
    4. Tread pattern
    5. Offset and air displacement
    6. Turbulence around the wheel/tire and in the wheel well
    7. Angular momentum (related to weight, I suppose)
    I know F8L already caught a number of these, but I'm sure I've left a few off.

    The bottom line is we cannot get to the point where all other things are equal. These differences all require the HSD to produce more power to move the Prius Model V (Five) through the air and across the ground than to do the same with the other Prius Models.
     
  18. Godzuki

    Godzuki Active Member

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    The pic above shows the tire at ~14,400, the pics below are what the tires currently look like ~ 26,700 miles...

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    The following pic is a pic of same tire when new....
    [​IMG]
     
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  19. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    What pressure do you run?
     
  20. Godzuki

    Godzuki Active Member

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    I'm running 42f, 40r.

    Some good tire savings techniques that I have been using include:
    1) whenever I have to turn the front tires, I'll have the car at least be slightly moving forward (or backward) to reduce the scrubbing of the front tires into the ground.
    2) drive at fairly constant speed whenever I'm rolling.
    3) in anticipation of a braking situation, I release the accelerator pedal early to coast to the situation.

    I think the first factor above makes the biggest different in prolonging tire life.
     
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