just bought 2008 touring- need tires recommendations

I've heard good things about the i series from Yokohama (F8L has them I think) as well as Michelin Costco specials (I don't remember the specific model). I'm personally running ADVAN AD008 205/55/16, which I would not recommend for you (they have incredible grip, but are not smooth nor quiet, nor do they give the best MPG).

A quick search yielded these relevant results:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/67532-what-tires-do-you-guys-run.html
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/33598-best-tires-prius.html

Also: if the tires look bad, I would have the (4 wheel, not just front) alignment checked out - there may be an underlying mis-alignment issue that may save you money in the long run by reducing tire wear.

 

my recommendation is a tire with the LRR (low rolling resistance) designation.
Goodyear is now marketing the Assurance "fuel-max" tire which is super LRR, but not available in your size.
Touring = 195/55/16

because of your special "Touring" rim/tire size, your options are limited.
here's a list from Tire Rack that may assist in your search:

Tire Search Results

 

I recently bought a set of Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 for my 2004, these are summer tires. I found the handling and ride to be quite good. Very quiet tires. No hydroplaning on the freeway in the rain even when driving at 75 mph. My mpg improved from mid-40s to low-50s. I also changed the iridium spark plugs at around the same time (99K miles on odometer), so I am not sure how much credit to give to the tires vs. the spark plugs.

That tire also comes in the Touring tire size. BTW, the tread pattern picks up small stones very easily so take note if you drive on gravel roads.

Bridgestone Ecopia EP100=

The above is the Tirerack link to the Ecopia product page. I bought from one of the Discount Tire locations in Tucson, the store had to order the tires so it took around one week for the tires to show up. Good luck with your choice.

 

Congrats!

When I asked about tires at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-another-help-me-decide-tire-thread-06-a.html, I got a pointer to a tire thread in the last post. Obviously the touring has a different size than non-tourings... so keep that in mind.

 

FACTS: Most new tires have a tread depth of less than 1/2 inch, so they may not be worn much at all.

Are the tires worn unevenly ? If so fix that problem first so you don't ruin another set of perfectly good tires.

To see objective 3rd party tire testing recommendations by people who don't sell tires, and therefore have no bias, see www.ConsumerReports.com

 

Incidentally my 2007 Prius Touring has excellent tires in excellent condition at over 30K. From what that set of tires looks like, they will probably last well beyond 75K before needing replacement. I own an air compressor, and check the tires cold tire pressure at least once evry month, on all my vehicles. I buy fewer tires that way.

 

New passenger car tires usually start at 10/32". New SUV tires may start at 13/32".

Minimum legal tread depth is 2/32" but I would say that safety in the rain is impaired below 4/32". Minimum safe tread depth in the snow is 6/32".

 

We wanted a solid all season tire for my wife's 2007 Touring so we put Michelin Harmony in the 205/55/16 size on when we bought the car from Toyota.

These are the same tires I run on my 2006 Standard in 195/60/15 size. They are a vast improvement over both stock tires, IMO.

I have 130,000 miles on mine (6/32 left) and the wife has 56,000 miles on her's with 6/32 left. They are excellent in snow, rain, handling and are quiet. Mine are getting a little noiser now with 130,000 miles on them but not bad.

You will see a slight 1-4 MPG hit from them but mine evened out pretty much after 10,000 miles on them or so. Hers are still a little worse than stock, she average's about 44 MPG but that could be other conditions rather than tires. She is the daughter of a stock car driver after all, LOL.

I hope this helps.

Chris

 

Hi Chris,

130K miles on one set of tires, and those tires are only 1/2 worn? Please tell us how you do that.

 

Patrick on a Jeep Grand Cherokee I went 90,000 miles on each set, and they were far from the wear bars showing. I replaced them out of a sense of caution because the rain and snow might demand a better tread depth.

On my Prius, a vehicle of far less weight, it seems logical to me that upwards of 100K on tires is possible, providing the tire inflation and rotation is done responsibly.

After the never ending snow storm barrage the east coast has been hammered with this winter, I'm probably going to acquie a set of snow tires next year, which should make both sets last longer. But 1/2 the tread in 130 K is indeed miraculous !

 

Patrick,

Opppsss my math sucks, LOL. Only 110,000 on the Harmonies and half worn.Those 110,000 miles are almost 100% highway miles on interstates. I drive a TON for work. Heck I got about 75,000 miles out of the stock incrappities.

And I get free rotation's so they get rotated every 5,000 miles with the oil change and I get a full alignment check every 20,000 miles. Prii are real easy to knock out of alignment with a simple pothole or curb bump.

Chris

 

Following the lead of many others here on Prius Chat, I bought some Michelin Hydro-Edge tires. I've been very pleased with them. They ride great, they're much quieter than the stock tires on my '06. And when it rains I just laugh at the rain. What rain?

 

Go for it. I put the fuel max on my 07 and they ride great. I went with the 195/60/R15 and they look good too. (not so skinny & up from 185)

 

How are you measuring the drop? The larger diameter tire will cause the speedomter and odometer to report less distance to each rotation resulting in more distance than the stock tire.