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OEM Tire Issues

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by ColoradoPrius, Aug 4, 2009.

  1. ColoradoPrius

    ColoradoPrius New Member

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    I've had my 2010 Prius for a little over a month. We absolutely love the car, that is, except for the tires. We've already had two flat tires in less than 2500 miles. I haven't had another flat tire on any other vehicle I've owed in over 20 years. Are others also experiencing issues with the tires? After the second flat, I decided to move on and purchase something more durable.

    The OEM tires on my Prius were Bridgestone Ecopia EP20's. I now have Michelin Primacy MXV4's - hope these hold up better. I got tired of paying $140 for a new tire every couple of weeks and having trouble tracking one down, since the Bridgestones are apparently a brand new tire for the 2010 model.

    Based on what I can gather from the dealer and Toyota, the Bridgestones were designed for improved mileage. They seem to be very dense, hard tires, that don't provide enough give and end up getting flats in normal driving conditions. I would like to see Toyota offer an alternative to the OEM tires at purchase. I paid $140 for a new Bridgestone after the first flat and then another $600 for the Michelins after the second. Seems like people could save a lot of hassle and money if another tire option was available at the time of purchase. I'd be willing to give up 1-2 MPG for a tire that actually lasts.

    Please share your related experiences. Maybe then Toyota will actually do something about it. No one should have to shell out over $700 for tires after just purchasing a car for almost $30,000.
     
    #1 ColoradoPrius, Aug 4, 2009
  2. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    What type of tire failre did you have? cut, blowout, nail???
     
    #2 wvgasguy, Aug 4, 2009
  3. ColoradoPrius

    ColoradoPrius New Member

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    Blowout on one and a small nail, more like a brad, on the other.
     
    #3 ColoradoPrius, Aug 4, 2009
  4. TKY

    TKY Member

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    ColoradoPrius, I'm in the Front Range north of Denver. I have a 2010 Prius IV with Yokohama tires and I have had no problems with my tires. Knock on wood. . . --TK
     
    #4 TKY, Aug 5, 2009
  5. jay_man2

    jay_man2 jay_man_also

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    I fear posting in this thread will jinx me, but my car came with the Ecopia's, and the only issue I've had is that they lost 2 psi in every tire over a 5 week period.

    I do plan at some point to replace them with Michelin's new energy saver tire from Costco, but hope that's later rather than sooner.
     
    #5 jay_man2, Aug 5, 2009
  6. DetroitFlyer

    DetroitFlyer New Member

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    What tire pressures were you running in your tires? I have Ecopias on my IV here in Detroit. I doubt that anyone has roads worse than we do here. My tires have been fine. I have taken some "hits" in various potholes that I thought might damage the wheels, but so far, no damage to wheels or tires.... I am running them at the recommended inflation level, not at a higher level to obtain MPG. Inflation pressure may have had no impact in your case, but running higher pressures could certainly make any tire more prone to these types of issues.

    The type of tire failure you have described is not likely to be a "tire concern", it was probably just bad luck.
     
    #6 DetroitFlyer, Aug 5, 2009
  7. FeeltheVibe

    FeeltheVibe New Member

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    That's unfortunate Colorado! If you're looking to purchase OEM tires for cheap, I would suggest checking out mytiremonkey.com.

    They offer internet wholesale pricing on name brand tires and don't charge anything for delivery.
     
    #7 FeeltheVibe, Aug 5, 2009
    2 people like this.
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