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Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by F8L, Apr 17, 2011.

  1. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    My preference is somewhere between 38psi and 44psi. It really depends on your terrain, road surfaces and your comfort requirements. :)
     
  2. Baldbubba

    Baldbubba Member

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    do u keep all 4 the same pressure? I am sorry to ask so many questions I am so green to all of this is also new,, Very exciting to be able to play a role in the mileage you get and be able to just enjoy going places again without it costing a fortune in gas I got my 2008 at such a reasonable price it makes it so enjoyable going on road trips
     
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    No. I run the psi split. So 44psi front / 42psi rear. Unless I will be carrying very heavy loads in the rear. Then I will run equal pressure.
     
  4. bumgardnern

    bumgardnern New Member

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    Is the Michelin Energy Saver A/S discontinued? I was searching for tires today locally and was told 5-7 times today that this tire was discounted and replaced by the Michelin Energy Saver which is a summer tire.
     
  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    That is incorrect. The Energy Saver A/S is not discontinued. It is the OE tire on a number of new cars as well.

    It can sometimes be hard to find but TireRack is usually the first to restock them.
     
  6. bumgardnern

    bumgardnern New Member

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    F8L thanks for the info! I saw the Energy Saver A/S on the Michelin website so I figured they still made it. I may just have to order from Tire Rack they seem to be the only place that has them in stock.
     
  7. Gene-O

    Gene-O New Member

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    Thanks a bunch for all the tire info. For my 2010 Prius, last week I opted to replace my original Yokohama Avids for the Michelin Defender tires. The Avids were approaching bald prior to a road trip, FWIW.

    My MPG for the tires I've had:
    • 46.4 mpg with Yokahama Avid; first 41829 miles.
    • 50.0 mpg with Michelin Defender; next 526 miles.
    The Michelin Defenders definitely felt better, and I was pleased that the mileage looks like it'll improve... then I traded in my 2010 for a new 2013. Definitely will get another set of Defenders before winter, hopefully on sale.
     
  8. Baldbubba

    Baldbubba Member

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    Defenders are working out great I love the ride seems to and improve the handling increase the tire pressure to 44 front 42 rear mileage is back to where it was initially took about a 4 mile per gallon hit With what the installer put in but after adding the increase pressure all is well, This is a great board for common sense help. Just an FYI, I am a tall person I got the seat extenders at 6'4" my feet barely touch the pedals with them all the way back I can look behind the post now I love this vehicle
     
  9. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    FWIW:
    Just went to Discount Tire to ask about the Michelin Energy Saver A/S for my 2013 v. They had some trouble finding the 17", getting different info from different sources. (215-50R17). The discount tire system had no reference to the tire. The local Michelin distributor had the tire listed but no availability showing. Finally he called the national distributor and they had the tire in my size so I was able to order a set. He was able to confirm that the Defender tire is not being made in this size. Looking forward to trying them out a couple weeks. And no this is not the first time I've replaced brand new OEM tires. ;)
     
  10. sarir97

    sarir97 Member

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    F8L and others, please help a complete newb! I know nothing of tires, except that I need them to roll. I have a 2013 Prius 4 that will be "modded" with TRD lowering springs, RSB, and the forged Prius Plus 17" wheels, all to improve handling and looks. I live in metro Phoenix. We never see snow and it barely ever rains, so snow/wet traction is of little to new use. My primary concerns are to maintain comfort, as the lowering springs and 17" rims will add some stiffness to the ride, and to keep MPG as close as possible to stock. I'd also like to keep my odometer reading accurate, which I suspect limits me to factory spec sizes. Quiet tires are a plus.

    Based on the above, any obvious recommendations? I've read plenty of good things about the Michelin Primacy MXM4, but that seems to be an all season tire. Is there a summer LRR tire that would meet my requirements? Thanks in advance.
     
  11. sarir97

    sarir97 Member

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    OK another question, but about tire size. How does a switch to 205/50/17 from 215/45/17 affect odometer reading, if at all? Will the taller tire rub given the lowering springs?
     
  12. tach18k

    tach18k Member

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    Well I got 44k mile in 18 months on the OEM Yoko's. Time for new tires all around. No real complaints on these, I get 50mpg on the dash which equals to 47 mpg per tank. I would like to keep it that way. Being in socal, very little rain and snow on the ground here. I'm steering towads the Cont. tire right now. Any reason to chose another tire?
     
  13. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    Got new Michelin ES-AS tires installed yesterday. Too early to tell about mileage, but they certainly roll as good if not better than the OEM Toyo tires. The biggest difference is they are QUIET, and handling is much nicer too. Very satisfied and they were worth it for those things alone. Very good bang for buck compared to other performance enhancements out there. I'm running them 5# over recommended, same as the Toyo tires were. (38-37)
     
  14. Bob G IA

    Bob G IA Member

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    While it is true that the ProContact didn't rate well in the tire rack test, however the Continental PureContact with EcoPlus Technology did very well.

    Consumer Survey Results By Category
     
  15. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    Does anyone know when in the past Michelin usually made their batches of Energy Saver A/S tires ? They seem to be out of stock in a lot of places. I sent a note to Michelin and they said they were on national backorder and no production
    of them was scheduled for at least 4 weeks. I haven't been keeping track of Michelin tires before we got our prius. I was hoping someone would remember when they usually show up in the stores again.
    Thanks for any help, A future energy saver A/S owner.
     
  16. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    As posted in a couple other threads, many dealers don't seem to have them (at least some sizes) on their radar at all. Discount Tire didn't even have a part number for the set I bought a couple weeks ago. They had to special order them direct from Michelin. So its not clear to me if the issue is inventory or just a lack of having them in the system at all. Don't take no for an answer, insist that your local store goes direct to Michelin and orders a set.
     
  17. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    When I was searching for them at Costco they asked all their distributors and apparently asked Michelin directly and nobody had any. (I had bought a set of Primacy at Costco but wanted to return them for the ES, so had to get them within the 30-day period.) I found a set at one Costco that was 60 or 70 miles away. At first they said they had been ordered by another customer, but when I checked back a couple of weeks later they were available.
     
  18. our1vue

    our1vue Member

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    I sent a note to Michelin and they said they don't have any. I wonder whey Michelin doesn't make more of them
    when they do their runs. They seem to be selling all they make (when they make them). Hopefully a run is
    scheduled for the fall for the winter season.
     
  19. ksstathead

    ksstathead Active Member

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    F8L (and the other contributors to this effort), I greatly appreciate all you've done.

    My 2010 has the OEM 15's (Ecopia EP20) that are wearing thin at 54,000+, and I will likely replace within 12 months.
    I need a plan so I am ready to move should I have a failure or decide to pull the trigger. They may make 70,000 but I doubt it.
    I had my sights on the Michelin Energy Saver A/S, but due to price and limited availability, I think I would choose the Continental ProContact with EcoPlus. Here is my thinking:

    We don't have CostCo, I don't belong to Sam's, WalMarts are everywhere. The better tire stores here seem focused on fancy new wheels that shine & spin. So since WalMart stocks the EcoPlus at $89, and since I will likely trade the 2010 for a PiP long before the 2nd set of tires wear out, it seems right to take the easy LRR route, rather than fight to find the ES AS for a big high price. Make sense?

    I would add that my focus is fuel economy, so my driving style demands little in terms of traction or handling. While we get some winter snow, we have a little AWD car we use in the deeper stuff.

    Are you still ok with the Continental choice?
     
  20. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Hello, my friend.

    For your priorities I would avoid the ProContact. Is neither super fuel efficient nor does it wear as well as expected. For your particular needs I would say go with the Ecopia EP422 if you can't get your hands on the Energy Saver A/S. The EP422 is the next best in terms of FE, comfort and longevity. In TireRack's testing of the two tires there was an observed 2.20% difference between mpg. Tire Test Results : Eco-Focused All-Season Tires: Do They Deliver on the Promise?

    The Bridgestones should be available with the $70 rebate at WalMart also. I think. :)