2013 Prius V three, I see some people on various regular all terrains and many mentions of “low roll resistance” tires but not many recommendations of specific ones. Are all terrain and LRR mutually exclusive? Any recommendation for a brand+model of LRR? Trying to figure this out in time for Black Friday.
LLR will get you a mpg or so. All terrain won't be LRR. Prii are not off road vehicles. Personally I go for Michelins with 80k life which saves a lot of money by not replacing them twice as often and you get a better ride, less road noise and a safe tire which will hold its balance.
Low Rolling Resistance is a factor, but there doesn’t seem to be standardized tests for confirming tire manufacturers claims, nor a standardized scale, at least not in North America. Reading customers’ reviews helps.
LLR for better mpg, longevity. The tires that came with my '15 V when i got it in April sure do roll well. Tested pushing them on off ramps and panic stops in the rain and I will need some thing with more grip this winter. Or just use my '17 Mazda3 GT with sticky, large block Yokohama tires on it. BUT I've always said one accident in the rain or snow totally negates any savings. Pete
I totally agree........ The Prius will only handle a well maintained, level gravel road and your going to lose mpg by going with an AT tire. I lost a couple of mpgs by going with a tougher, heavier, all season, 85K mile warrantied tires. Got too many flats on the old OEM rubber. About 15K miles into them and couldn't be happier. No flats, to date - though I pulled a nail out while rotating the tires last time around. It didn't penetrate the new rubber. Threads still look like new, plenty of threads. It's a no-name, American Tire Co, similar specs to the Michelin's at less than half the cost. Haven't had it on snow yet; but handles better than OEM under all other conditions. They do squeal a bit on hard fast turns, whereas the OEM's would slip under the same conditions. It's always a give and take. Better traction = slightly worse mpg - more 'sticky' tires but better traction and control in almost every driving conditions - some will handle better than others in wet, snowy conditions. AT tires will get you better grip in mud and snow, but usually scarifying something in all other conditions. Road noise is usually a top complaint with AT tires.
I get easier rolling, and a modest improvement in mpg, with our Michelin Snows (in 195/65R15), versus our regular all-season Michelin Primacy MXM4 (in 215/45R17). To be fair, the tire size and rim weights are factors, but hey, there's winter. Both say Green-X on the side, fwiw (which is not that much...).
