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Tire replacement at 20K miles

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by PortlandHiker, Feb 8, 2020.

  1. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    I have a 2015 Prius (purchased April 2015) that has almost 20K miles on it. At the last checkup I was told that the tires were ate 3/32 (front) and 4/32 (back). They said to plan on replacing the tires at the next service checkup. I was a bit surprised that the tire lifetime was so short (they're Bridgestone Ecopia EP20). Is this expected to happen? What might shorten a tire's life? My driving patterns are probably different than the average. For example, most of the miles I've put on the car are due to long road trips (I bike to work, so I can go for up to two or three weeks without driving).
     
  2. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    I'm looking for good all-season tires since my OEM tires (Bridgestone Ecopia EP20) are now at 3/32. The auto shop recommended the Nexen N'Priz 50k, Cooper CS5 Ultra touring 80k or Hankook Kinergy 90k. The majority of my driving is done in "good" weather, although I do live in the Pacific Northwest so it rains a lot here. I might drive up to the mountains to go skiing about 3-5 times per winter, but I never go unless the roads are clear. However, it'd be good to make sure that the tires can at least handle the ice and snow in the sno-parks. Are these good options? Any others I should consider?
     
  3. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    The ones the put on at the factory are low tread wear rated;).

    The ones on our Prime are 320 :cool:.

    Once these ones wear out, I'm going with Bridgestone Turanza Serenities as I was able to get 80k miles and still have 6/32nds left:).

    Not unheard of to get low mileage off of the original tires(y).
     
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  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Although YMMV, 25K out of EP20 is not that unusual. It has a treadwear rating of 380 which is quite low compared to any aftermarket all-season tires. I had exactly the same tires on my Gen3, incidentally on 2015 Two which is the same car as yours. I had my OEM EP20 tires changed at ~30K, but actual miles on them were about 25K for I had winter tires for 5K.
     
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  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    After 5 years, you should be replacing your tires anyway, the rubber starts drying. No real lost there.
     
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  6. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    +1

    at 5 years and a few months, I have 17 inch oem tires on just passed 30k miles.

    I have plenty of tread left, but the cracking is gonna make them retire early.
    I think I can safely run them until december so 6 years and that is about it.
     
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  7. Kenny94945

    Kenny94945 Active Member

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    Tire pressure or alignment are the biggest tire pre-mature wear issue.
    We don't know how you tires are wearing.

    Not rotating car reduce tire life also, especially on the power/ drive tire.
    Carrying heavy luggage/ stuff/ even passengers are the time can speed up tire wear too, notably the rears.
    And lastly curvy roads, high camber roadways, braking while cornering can wear the outer edges on all four tire, notably the fronts.

    Treadwear rating is another consideration.
    A 100 wear rating is racing. 200 sporty driving. 400 commuter car.
    I'd think your OEM Bridgestones are in the 300 series and should be good for 40K mileage if rotated.

    Kind of a general response from me.
    OP post photos of you tires and the forum may offer you better replies than I.

    Good luck.
     
  8. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    There’s 820 on mine, what type of car you consider that be?
     
  9. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    However......if the vehicle doesn't spend much of it's life out in the heat and sun......as in, if it is stored inside when not being used.......
    then the 5 year "rule" probably can be extended a couple of more years.

    Trying to cut corners and be cheap with your tires is NOT a good plan.
     
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  10. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    I keep my car in the garage when at home, so it doesn't sit out in the sun that much.

    Good to know. Given that there's a time-based lifespan as well as mileage-based, it seems that I shouldn't splurge on tires designed for high mileage since I would expect to get only another ~25K over the next 5 years, correct?
     
  11. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    I would expect the shop to note any issues with alignment (they are supposedly a pretty reputable shop and one of the top-rated ones in the Portland area). As for tire pressure, I always kept it at the recommended pressure according to the sticker on the inside of the door (and in the manual). I'm not sure if they were rotated regularly (I know they've been rotated once in a while, but I always left it up to the shop to decide when to rotate them).

    What type of pictures would be helpful? Just a picture to show whether the tread is wearing evenly?
     
  12. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    Brief update. It seems that tires also have a time-based lifespan (according to information in my other post about why my OEM tires need replacement after only 20K miles). So, given that I would not expect to put more than 25K to 30K mileage over the next 5 years and regularly park the car in my garage when at home, does this affect the decision of what tire to get next?
     
  13. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    I think with the two threads you may not get as good as results, I will let you decide if mods should combine them....

    with that said,
    Since you know you will be getting the 5+ years maybe opt to the side of traction and not worry about mileage ratings.

    it is just one thing to not have to factor in unless you are putting on 10-30k a year.
     
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  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I think the price difference between a good/decent tire and a cheap tire is less than $100 for a set of 4. The 195/65/15 size is a relatively cheap tire option so even if you did splurge on a nice quiet fuel efficient tire, it wouldn't be more than a $100 difference for a set of 4.

    It would be different if you were talking about 18 or 19" performance tires, a set of 4 can range from $500 to $1000 easily
     
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  15. Coach Grumpy

    Coach Grumpy New Member

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    ***This is strictly my opinion *** YMMV

    Back in 1970 I used to buy recaps/retreads for my cars. (Broke teenager) I purchased my first motorcycle in 1972. While racing down the 405 fwy over 100 mph, I realized that the only thing between me and disaster were my tires. After marriage and kids the safety factors became even more important to me.

    At that point I started buying Michelin tires for my cars and quality tires for my motorcycles. My personal opinion as I've aged is that I'm not so concerned with high mileage as I am with handling and performance for my driving conditions. Here in Idaho it runs the gamut from 100 degrees to -15 during our 4 seasons. I want my wife to feel as safe as she can driving in any condition.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  16. 2012 Prius v wagon 3

    2012 Prius v wagon 3 Active Member

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    Makes sense to me.

    What do you think of tires that have been sitting unmounted in my garage for years. Mild climate. Not exposed to UV light. What kind of practical shelf life on those? I know the reflexive response from most people would be that I must dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way immediately before they fail and bring down my whole house. But since you had a more open minded rational response, what do you think here?

    Similarly, as someone who has a bunch of old cars ... what do you think about my 20 year old inflated spare in my BMW, or my 35 year old collapsible spare in my Porsche, both original. May I just as well strap on sticks of dynamite if I ever get a flat? (as some might say)
     
  17. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Yes. Good logic.
    But don't let that steer you to "cheap" tires.......because they might not last 5 years OR 25K miles.
     
  18. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    It depends on how many years.
    10 years is the absolute outside maximum and then only for light duty or temporary "spare" use.
    I would never keep tires on a passenger vehicle that are over 7 years old.......no matter what conditions they lived in.

    When my Dad died, he left me a 1976 GMC pickup truck.
    This was about 2000.
    I only drove it a few miles before getting them changed.
    It was like a new vehicle.
    The old ones were literally hard as a rock.
     
  19. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    Good point. I wouldn't pick cheap tires. It's worth spending a couple hundred for good quality. The auto shop suggested three options (Nexen N'Priz 50k, Cooper CS5 Ultra touring 80k or Hankook Kinergy 90k). I was originally considering the Hankook because they had the highest tread life, but all three certainly would likely need to be replaced long before the tread gave out. Are any of these good options or should I consider something else? I'm looking for good all-season tires that can handle the rainy Pacific Northwest as well as occassional trips up to the mountains in the winter (I won't drive if it's snowing or the roads are slushy, but the sno-parks can sometimes have ice and snow even if the highways are fine).
     
  20. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    Thank you. I saw them as two separate questions (e.g., why are my tires shot and what tires should I get), but you're right that I should have asked both questions in one thread. I will check with the mods.