Need new tires

First, tires do not need alignment -
If you want any kind of handling or traction do not go with the goodyears. I did quite a bit of research to find a tire with low rolling resistance and good traction / handling characteristics. The tire I ended up with was a Continental conti-pro -contact. With the tires inflated to the recomended tire pressure I lost a lot of mpgs, the traction and handling was quite a bit improved over the goodyears. So I played with the air pressure until the mpgs went up. As I increased the air pressure the ride became very rough and uncomfortable. I really began to dislike the tires and because of a long work commute decided to change the tires again. This time I went to Costco and had heard the new michelin tires had improved greatly (their version of the michelins is x radial). With their offer of a coupon to the store $60 it reduced the cost of the tires to $99 each. These tires have a 80,000 mile waranty and can be inflated to 44psi with no perceptable loss of ride or handling ability. I have them inflated to 42/40 and am very please with these tires (already have more than 10,000 miles on them and they still look new). Do get a front end alignment before purchasing the new tires.

 

If your number one concern is fuel economy, which it seems to be, I would either opt for another set of the stock integrity's (despite how little they are liked by the masses here at PC, I they do deliver on the promise of efficiency). Another option, pricer though, woudl be the michelin hydro edge, assuming you arent' looking for a winter tire. 840 treadwear rating, 90,000 mile warranty and by consumer reports and others, very low rolling resistance.

 

I know most disagree but I stick with the Integrity's also due to the fact that most people report a mpg hit with other tires. I try to buy them from people who take them off a new Prius so I try to get almost new Integrity's a half price. I just keep a set in stock to I'm all ready when they need replacing. Also i don't bother rotating the tires unless really necessary doing things this way.

 

I'm happy with the Pirelli P3000 tires. Averaging about 50 MPG here in hilly Oregon.

 

I also recently acquired a set of Pirelli P3000 for my 2004, only 4,600 miles on those tires so far. I haven't noticed any mpg decline with those tires; however they seem to be a bit noisy.

Based upon treadwear to date, my guess is that the Pirelli tires will show around 2x the treadlife of Goodyear Integrity tires. However, note that maximum cold inflation pressure per the tire sidewall is only 35 psi, which is much lower than competing tires.

 

Exactly how noisy are the Pirellis? Just mild or do you have to turn up the radio?

 

Well, you can hear the tire noise with the windows closed and the stereo off; but if you have music playing then you probably won't notice the tire noise.

 

In response to Reynolddog question about mpgs. I drive about 75 percent hwy and 25 percent city - I try to keep my highway speed about 70 miles per hour and fairly light on the driving in the city. I average (with the michelins inflated to 42/40) 53 to 55 mpg. I could easily increase the mpgs but with a very long commute it would increase the close to three hours of driving. The difference in ride and performance from the goodyears to the michelins was absolutely worth the extra money.

 

We installed Pirelli P3's about 6000 miles ago. The mileage took a hit for 5000 miles, but has increased to what the Integreties delivered now that we have more wear on these tires. No more squealing around corners and better tread wear compared to the Integrity. The tread is quite high, it's a long life tire with 80000 mile guarantee, the weight is the same as the Integrity, and Pirelli says it has LRR. Tire pressure is 35 psi maximum on the sidewall, we're running 40 psi to get mileage increased. The ride isn't too stiff and we notice that the tires are quieter than the Integrity.