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Best Alternatives to Michelin Energy Saver A/S ?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ngc4565, Feb 6, 2012.

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  1. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    The Tire Rack is now posting a unique "Reviewer's Rating" for the Continental ProContact with Eco Plus. They must have enough customer feedback to meet their own criteria of a statistically meaningful sample. The average figure of 8.2 on a scale of 10 is identical to that of the [impossible to find] Michelin Energy Saver A/S. Note that this rating is substantially higher than that of the other [non Eco Plus] ProContact tires of the same size. I think I see a set of these in our future. Thanks to everyone for their input on this topic.
     
    #61 ngc4565, Feb 20, 2012
  2. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    I checked with the Tire Rack just one last time before abandoning all hope on the Michelin Energy Saver A/S. As of today they are still saying that no production is scheduled, and that it will be at least two months before these tires are available.

    Given that update I went ahead and ordered the Continental ProContact with EcoPlus. I'll post some first impressions after the tires are ounted and we run thru a full tank of gas. Thanks again to everyone who commented on this thread.
     
    #62 ngc4565, Feb 28, 2012
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I look forward to it. Remember that they need a couple thousand miles for a true break in. Also be sure to state tire air pressure used. I always find my new tires to feel like marshmallows until I air them up over 40psi.
     
    #63 F8L, Feb 28, 2012
  4. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    We will get that review out to you all just as soon as possible. Hopefully these tires will be on the vehicle by Friday for a 300 mile road trip. We ordered them today from a local southeastern Pennsylvania tire shop, Creamery Tire, who will install them for $100 per tire, plus tax.

    For what it is worth, our Michelin XIce-2 winter tires delivered over 55 MPG on the last tank according to our MFD. This is identical to what the stock Yokohama S33Ds were delivering in early December. The mild winter here in the Northeast has us swapping the seasonal rubber a little sooner than anticipated. It should prove interesting to see what sort of MPGs a third LRR tire can deliver in only a four month span with the same vehicle.
     
    #64 ngc4565, Feb 28, 2012
  5. PriusSport

    PriusSport senior member

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    I'd like to know if there's a better gas mileage all-season tire than my OE Intregritys on my 08 Prius II that's just as quiet. Is the Goodyear Assurance as good in mileage and noise?

    Seems the Integritys were picked for their good gas mileage and low noise for an all-season tire. Plus low price. They're good in my experience. Just don't rotate them--they get noisy.
     
    #65 PriusSport, Feb 28, 2012
  6. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    There are a few tires that get better mpg, handle better, stop better, she'd water better, ride better, and are quieter. The Integritys are pretty bad in comparison. Look at my LRR tire thread for more info.
     
    #66 F8L, Feb 29, 2012
  7. revhigh

    revhigh MPG Enthusiast

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    Wow!

    Just came from the Toyota dealer. They had a buy 3 get 1 free tire sale going on. Asked for a price on the Procontact with ecoplus and got $104 each. 4 contis with ecoplus for $312 ? SOLD.

    Best price Tirerack had was $81 plus $12 each for shipping. I got mine otd for $80 each after taxes.

    Never would have believed I'd get tires at the dealer.

    REV
     
    #67 revhigh, Feb 29, 2012
  8. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Wow - great price! Was that deal specific to your dealer, or was it something that Toyota is running across our region?
     
    #68 ngc4565, Feb 29, 2012
  9. revhigh

    revhigh MPG Enthusiast

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    Just my dealer .. a monthly sale ... I was just lucky to be there during the sale for my 25K Toyota care service. They had to order them and they were there an hour later. Shocking.

    REV
     
    #69 revhigh, Feb 29, 2012
  10. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Any first impressions? I'll be picking up a set on the way home from work tonight.
     
    #70 ngc4565, Mar 1, 2012
  11. revhigh

    revhigh MPG Enthusiast

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    Waiting for the summer to mount. I have about 5/32 left on the Avids, so I'm gonna run them another 5K miles up to 30K. I just snagged them because of the sale.

    [​IMG]


    REV
     
    #71 revhigh, Mar 1, 2012
  12. revhigh

    revhigh MPG Enthusiast

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    Did your dealer have the same deal ??

    If so that's great !! Congratulations !

    REV
     
    #72 revhigh, Mar 1, 2012
  13. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Not that I am aware of, but I had already ordered them prior to your post. They came to $428 installed on the rims. I swapped out the Michelin XIce-2s tonight and took them for a test drive. The first impression is very good. Tomorrow brings a 300 mile road trip, so more impressions to follow.

    Normally I would run winter tires through March, but our ten day forecast is showing seven daily highs above 50 F and only two lows below freezing. There is no point in chewing up the winter tires with a forecast like that.
     
    #73 ngc4565, Mar 1, 2012
  14. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    First Impressions: Continental Pro Contact with Eco Plus

    We installed the new Continentals with the usual 42F / 40R pressures and took them out for our first road trip. This trip combined some city bumper to bumper traffic with 50 MPH secondary highways and a majority of 70 MPH Interstate highways. The trip measured 270 miles at an average speed of 52 MPH. The MFD reported 46.5 MPG. This is better than our first trip on the Yokohama S33Ds when both they and the car were new. This is about 4 MPG less than what was achieved on the same trip three months ago running the Michelin XIce-2s when they were new.

    The tires themselves were comfortable, quiet, and very responsive to driver input. These tires transmit a little more of the road feel than the Michelin XIce-2s, but significantly less than the Yokohama S33Ds. The last 30 miles of Interstate driving were in a moderately heavy rain, yet there was no evidence of hydroplaning nor any feelings of a need to slow down.

    We will report back in the coming weeks as these tires are broken in. Hopefully the fuel economy will head back north of 50 MPG withing a few weeks.
     
    #74 ngc4565, Mar 3, 2012
  15. Chwisted Sister

    Chwisted Sister Junior Member

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    I just replaced OEM Yokos on my 2010 III at 56,000 miles. Found Michelin Energy Savers at Discount Tire in San Diego area. They wanted $150. Got them for $112 each due to a price match policy (Costco price is $112) plus a $70 rebate from Michelin. Works out to $95 per tire plus $16 for install, $5 for TPMS grommet (rip off), and the usual CA taxes and disposal fees.

    I'm not too happy after the first tank with the NRG Savers. Drop of about 2 mpg and horrible handling on the grooved concrete freeways here in So Cal. I've heard I need to break in the tires before passing judgment on the mpg. I also hope the freeway handling improves with age. If not, I made a mistake.
     
    #75 Chwisted Sister, Mar 3, 2012
  16. jcgee88

    jcgee88 Member

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    The Michelin Energy Savers are definitely hard to find. I believe, however,
    that there are a few "out there." In fact, I found six 195/60/15's at one of
    the online tire companies that advertise on PriusChat. I wanted the so called
    "plus zero" size tires over the standard Gen II tire size of 185/65/15 for their
    potential to improve handling, especially in rain.

    I ordered a set of four Energy Saver A/S tires, and they were installed about
    two weeks ago. When you order online, the company asks you to choose an
    installer, and I selected a company that happened to be close to where I live.
    When I eventually spoke with that installer, he told me that he saw inventory
    of nineteen 195/60/15's across the country.

    As to my impressions of the new tires...

    First, my GPS indicates little or no change to the accuracy of the
    speedometer. In other words, when the speedometer says I am
    going 60 mph, the GPS says I am going 59 mph, for both sets of tires.

    Second, the Energy Savers definitely seem quieter.

    Lastly, as to mileage:

    I'm still working on my first tank of gas with the new tires. I was
    expecting a mileage hit based on this size tire being wider and heavier
    than the OEMs, plus these are not yet broken in. My prior mileage over
    the last 6,000 miles at 42/40 psi inflation was 51.5 mpg. My current
    mileage over 185 miles at the same inflation is 53.8 mpg, or 4.4% better.
    This is almost the same result that TireRack reported in their comparison
    of LRR tires, though their study was based on the 185/65/15 size. I'm
    pleased with this result, and am keeping my fingers crossed that the
    improvement will hold up, or even get better, as time goes on!
     
    #76 jcgee88, Mar 3, 2012
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  17. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Five days after our purchase of the Continental ProContacts w/EcoPlus, a set of coupons arrived from the local dealer offering the same buy three get one free on tires. It would have been even funnier if this application of Murphy's law had coincided with Saint Patrick's Day.

    We are now halfway into our second tank and the mileage has improved to 51 MPG. The jury will remain out on the rolling resistance and mileage for at least another 1000 miles.
     
    #77 ngc4565, Mar 6, 2012
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  18. mikesarebetter

    mikesarebetter Junior Member

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    keep us posted!! i'm debating between these tires and the bridgestone 422's

    best deal i've found so far for the continentals Continental ProContact EcoPlus Passenger Touring Tire 185/65R15 - Walmart.com
     
    #78 mikesarebetter, Mar 8, 2012
  19. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Our second trip / tank was an abbreviated one, but it finished at 51 MPG. We are now about 40 miles into trip #3 with the MFD reporting 57 MPG. That's about normal for that particular point to point trip, but way to few miles to draw any serious conclusions. We should be approaching 1000 miles and have meaningful data by the end of next week.
     
    #79 ngc4565, Mar 8, 2012
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  20. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Reinflate to 40 psi / 38 psi in the morning. I have found that a 3 psi bump in pressure can make significant changes in handling. At 36/34, my Primacy MXV4 will wander significantly on the highway. At 40/38 they are rock solid.

    Discount Tire is notorious for underinflating tires. From my and my friends' experiences, they put 32 psi in every car that comes in, with hot or cold tires. :rolleyes:
     
    #80 The Critic, Mar 10, 2012
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