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tires in boston, ma (new england in general)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by sklee2002, Oct 28, 2010.

  1. sklee2002

    sklee2002 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2008
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    Location:
    Quincy, MA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    my 2004 baby blue is in need of some new tires. I'm looking for year round tires and have read a lot about the good year fuel max as well as the nokian wrg2s and some other premier tires. does anyone living in the northeast have a recommendations on tire choice and place to get some tires?

    i've found that as a younger female car owner, many of the big box type store employees don't have a lot of suggestions for me. most of them have just tried to sell me the most expensive tires. i'm looking for quality and value (and not getting ripped off). i do a lot of highway driving for work and general fun (either up to new hampshire for winter activities or down to the cape for some relaxation).

    any suggestions, recommendations and tips on where to go would be appreciated. i live just south of boston.
     
  2. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Hutchinson Island,FL. Mt. Snow,VT
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius


    I JUST PURCHASED TIRES ON LINE FROM GRIPSTON.
    +LOOK UP GRIPSTON TIRES & CALL THEM ON THE PHONE AND PLACE YOUR ORDER, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMER WITH ME.

    4 TIRES WITH FREE SHIPPING TO YOUR DOOR FOR $296.56, GREAT DEAL!!!

    3 DAY FREE DELIVERY TO YOUR HOUSE VIA FEDEX
    THESE ARE THE TIRES YOOU NEED FOR THE PRIUS.
    ***4 x 1006117 - Hankook Optimo H727 - 195/60/15 / 87T / 700 A B for $74.14 each

    TAKE THE TIRES TO THE DEALER AND THEY WILL MOUNT AND BALANCE ALL 4 TIRES FOR ONLY $60.00.
    YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER DEAL!!!
     
  3. Bica2go

    Bica2go New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    FYI - I'm looking at getting these tires too. They were well rated by Consumer Reports plus folks on this site with this tire say its been very good in the snow. It's also good on wet roads, which we get throughout the year (I'm so tired of the rain. I want warm, dry weather to pick up all the *** leaves in the yard!). You can search this site for tires, some links have the Consumer Reports summary and you'll find the reviews from people who have the Hankooks.

    However -- check your tire size. I thought the Gen2's at 185's not 195 tires.

    PS. Hankook also has a mail in $40 refund offer through 11/30/10.
     
  4. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

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    Location:
    Boulder, CO
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I just researched this for my 09. I wound up going with the Goodyear Viva Assurance Fuel Max from Walmart. They were about $340 installed pre-tax. It has only been a few days but I'm happy with the choice. The ride is just fine - a touch harsh after I inflated them up to 42psi. In the rain the grip is just what I was hoping for.
     
  5. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    195/60 is a slight upgrade from 185/65 they work just fine.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
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    Plug-in Base
    i'm getting michelin fuel savers. tire rack rates them high on quietness, ride, handling, mpg's and life expectency.:)
     
  7. hpartsch

    hpartsch Member

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    Agree, thats the tires and where I got mine.

    Very happy with everything!!
     
  8. max2prius

    max2prius Junior Member

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    Location:
    Walnut Creek, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    For your climate I would definitely get the Hankook's H727's. I have done a lot of research and have come to the conclusion that this is the best tire for your area.
     
  9. dhoward

    dhoward Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
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    I live a little north of Boston and own a 2007 Prius. Last year I bought the Nokian wrg2 from Montvale Tire in Woburn. They are a great tire and performed very well for me last winter.
     
  10. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Middlesex County, MA
    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Two
    Just got the Michelin X from Costco - so far very happy.

    Dbcassidy
     
  11. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

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    Location:
    Hutchinson Island,FL. Mt. Snow,VT
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    ***YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER TIRE...:rockon:
    HERE'S THE WEB PAGE TO ORDER THE TIRES:
    Gripston - Welcome
     
    1 person likes this.
  12. Stev0

    Stev0 Honorary Hong Kong Cavalier

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    Plug-in Base
    *psst* - That key to the left of the "A" key on your keyboard. Try pressing it and see what happens!
     
  13. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
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    After reading all the reviews we are very happy with General Altimax. Much better than the original Goodyears that only lasted 28,000 miles.
     
  14. sklee2002

    sklee2002 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2008
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    Location:
    Quincy, MA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    after some more research, the hankook optimo is high on my list. i'm also considering the yokohama avid envigors. does anyone know much about these? tirerack.com gives them high marks; however, when i added them to my basket i got this message:

    OE tire is 86 load, which has 1lb more load than the gross axle weight rating on the car.

    what does that mean?

    thanks
     
  15. FishHawk

    FishHawk New Member

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    I got Nokia Wrs2 from Direct tire in Framingham and it was a good tire. I recently went to a Goodyear tire from Sullivan tire because the Nokias were not available at the time . Not a bad tire pretty good mileage. Watch out for Sullivan tire as they try to sell services that you don't need.
    For example they told me that my alignment was out after I had it done by Bernardi Toyota. I went for it because I might have hit a curb ect. But I think they rigged the alignment. Just a heads up.
    FishHawk
     
  16. MJ2005

    MJ2005 Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XLE
    I also live in the Boston area, and I just got my second set of Nokians wr g2's. Don't even consider anything else. These tires are amazing; my winter driving experience has completely changed since I got them.

    The first set lasted about 40,000 miles; not fabulous, but still worth every penny. It's actually not bad, considering the pothole-hell daily commute I have, and the fact that I killed them in the end by driving over a nasty curb at Alewife.

    In terms of (not) getting ripped off, both times I just got on the phone with a few local tire places (a good mechanic might also be willing to get them), told them exactly the model/size I was looking for. DirectTire tends to be more expensive than other places. Last time I went with Hogan Tire in Woburn and they were fine.

    Definitely do this before the freeze/snow. The OEM tires are just not safe, even in the rain. I got into a minor accident with them during a blizzard, which is what prompted me to switch.
     
  17. sidneyk

    sidneyk New Member

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    Location:
    Bonner Springs, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I don't live in the Boston area (Kansas City area) but, I just got the Hankook Optimo H727's in 195-60-15 size installed on my 2008 Prius. A couple days later I had it aligned. The original tires had 41K miles on them and I was afraid to try and get through another Kansas winter with them. They were spinning out on takeoff on wet roads. My overall average MPG on the originals was about 46MPG with probably a 60/40 blend of highway/city driving. So far the Hankooks handle much better, have much better grip, seem to do well on wet roads and my mileage so far seems barely affected, although we are in that weather transition period where it changes anyway. My average MPG for the week I've had them is 45-46MPG. I'm feeling pretty secure that they will be a much better choice for snow driving. I got them through a friend who also installed them for $365. So, if I manage to get the rebate mailed in on time that will be $325 plus about $89 for the alignment, not too bad.
     
  18. SureValla

    SureValla Member

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    Location:
    Shelton, CT
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I used to live in Boston. I think your screwed either way. Just stay home when it actually snowing.

    I have a very bad memory of getting stuck going up an offramp on storrow drive in a bad snow storm.
     
  19. irishpark

    irishpark Junior Member

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    Location:
    Bristol, RI
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    work in Cambridge, live in RI. If it gets too bad, I'll hop in the SUV. But does anyone have experience with throwing snow tires up front rather than all season tires?
     
  20. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I don't live in the east, but I do live in Northern Michigan, where we get our share of winter weather. Previously I ran Micheline MXV4+ Energy tires, which worked well. I believe they are now called "Primacy" or something like that. Last year I switched to Nokian WRG2 tires and found them even better than the Micheline tires.

    My recommendation is Nokian WRG2 in the stock size.

    Tom