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Had to get new rear tires.....

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by SamuelB, Apr 11, 2019.

  1. SamuelB

    SamuelB Junior Member

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    I was an idiot and backed into a curb that wrapped behind me rupturing the right rear. Got 2 new ones at Costco. Bridgestone Quiet Track All Season Touring. Tire says max psi 51, they had it at 38 (nitrogen). I have my fronts at 42 psi (air). I bumped the rears up to 40.

    The guy said these are firmer and better for mpg therefore better for Prius.

    Now I am in the situation I have with our other car, front and rears are different ages so can't replace them together which means can't get discounts because you usually have to buy 4 tires.

    Any comments/experience with these tires?
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how do they rate on tire rack?
     
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  3. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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  4. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    How many miles on the fronts?
     
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    The number on the sidewall is MEANINGLESS in most car applications.

    You should use the number on the "recommended" sticker or in your owners manual.

    Going more than a couple of pounds higher than that will result in a rough ride and will contribute to suspension component wear.
     
  6. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Or actively avoid the potholes... Why LKA isn’t an option here.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Might even make the difference between a tire deflecting vs blowing.
     
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  8. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    If the Bridgestones work out for you, I’d buy 4 new ones when the time comes and keep the 2 for road hazard spares if you have the space - or sell them.

    If you don’t want to deal with all that, I’d buy 4 anyway.

    I tend to be a cheap person about many things.
    Our newest car is 7 years old.
    We get gas at Murphy.
    We clip coupons and for some things....I buy at places like Harbor Freight.

    However (comma!) as a person with two motorcycles, I know that tires are kinda important.
    I always buy name brand tires and I always buy 4 at a time....and my smallest tire is a 265/70R/17 - which tend to be a little more expensive than the itty-bitty tires that Priuses roll around on.

    It makes rotations and balancing easier to deal with, and I know that all 4 corners have the same rubber on em, with about the same tread.
    This makes for a little less drama on the road when you NEED the tires to stay put consistently - which is important to me since the cargo that I haul is generally quite priceless to me and sometimes comes wrapped in a child seat.

    Sometimes?

    Saving money - doesn’t.

    YMMV

    Edit:
    This is 2019.
    Sometimes cars do not come with the correct number of tires from the factory, or if they do you get one of these nearly useless spares about the size of......well....a doughnut.
    If you wind up with 2 excess tires when you buy your next set, I’d consider keeping at least one of them and buying a cheap, used Corolla rim.
    You will then be able to equip your car with that increasingly rarest of safety features:
    A full-sized spare. ;)
     
    #8 ETC(SS), Apr 13, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2019
  9. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    I haven't bought a set of replacement tires that weren't the absolute best by reviews and online recommendations in the last 50 years. I'm cheap in other areas, and I get my gas at Murphy Mart too. But tires are my link to the road. I'm reminded of that today as I drove along at 45 MPH on rutted roads where the well worn ruts held at least a half inch of water. It was constant hard spray sounds against the body and wheel wells from the water evacuated by those tires.

    I retire whenever the tires are 6 years old or 4/32 left. The difference between 4/32 and 2/32 can be almost 100 feet in stopping distance. Or, said another way, slowing the car in a panic stop in the wet from 70 MPH the 4/32 stops where the 2/32 hits whatever at 55 MPH. (Tire Rack tests figures)
     
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  10. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    Or a third option

    Put your new treads up front for summer and leave them there until you burn off the tread, past experience says front tires wear twice as fast as rear
     
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  11. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Hmmmm....

    Mine don’t.

    Of course, I’m pretty anal about rotating them, which is one of the reasons I get them at a big box store.
    Lifetime rotation and spin balancing is included....and I always avail myself of this service as often as they will let me (5-8k.)
    I use Sam’s myself, but I believe that Costco offers the same service with the exception that you have to pay an extra dollar and replace their lime green valve stem caps with black ones so that people don’t think that you’re gullible.
    This can be important if you pay for automotive services later.

    You can save the lime green ones for lawn mowers, pressure washers, or anything else with pneumatic tires on them that people won’t see in public.

    My tires are always fairly uniformly worn when I get new ones, and as excellently noted above, it’s better to have 4/32’s left if you live where it rains more than 12 times a year.

    As always...
    YMMV.
     
  12. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    If he has new tires with assumably full tread mixed with used ones with 3/4 tread
    summer is a great time on a traction controlled car to not rotate and wear them down so all tires are evenly worn.

    Once their wear level evens out then he can rotate to his hearts content.

    On my car I had the same situation and it took 30,000 miles to get the treads worn evenly but the old tires were more worn than his and the fronts were more durable ecopia 2 tires. I still have those tires on the car and all treads have a little more than half tread, I’m due for a rotation soon (that I do myself) but in that case it was worth it to let the new fronts wear down .
     
  13. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    I'd put the new rubber on the front, better braking, better turning, safer.
     
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    someones got to say it: tire shops and "experts" will say to put two new tires on the rear. Maybe we just ignore that? :whistle:
     
  15. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    ...goes without saying. ;)
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    My lot in life.... :rolleyes:

    Dive, dive...
     
  17. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    When I had unrepairable flat and had to purchase a pair of new tires, I put them on the rear as recommended. I did not rotate tires after that incident, and after the front tires have worn out, I bought two new tires and put them on the rear and brought the two half worn tires from the rear to the front. Did that several times. If you have to pay full price for 4 new tires and installation, you actually save if you do two tires no rotation. But if you can get 4 tires on sale and only on 4 tires, often 2 tire system will cost more. Either way, I did not see any difference in mpg or driving feel.
     
  18. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    To learn why
    drive with bald tires on the rear of an old car without ABS in a snowstorm

    During winter heavy snow I purposely drive in a fun way to test my cars handling
    With traction control I couldn’t get the more worn rear tires to spin out at speed but by pulling the e brake I could get a power turn at low speeds
     
  19. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    IMO.
    Put the new tires on the rear axle. This is a universal recommendation. Just google it. There isn't a major tire provider that says otherwise. If you doubt it? You can find several youtube videos demonstrating WHY it's the safest//best choice.

    Also I agree with inflating tires to the recommended PSI in the owners manual/drivers side door jamb.
     
  20. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    I do. I have tried to handle loss of traction on the rear.......and on the front......and sliding front tires are MUCH harder to deal with.

    The other side of that coin is: Having the rear slide out is much more common; it is easier to do so your average driver needs better tread on the rear. So the experts are right........for most people, in most situations.

    I contend that if: You drive a lot on very slick roads OR you have a conventional rear wheel drive with posi-trac you need the best tread on the front.
     
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