Best tires for the Prius?

Just remember that the OEM Integritys have HORRIBLE wet traction. In the TireRack.com test they stopped something like 20+ft further than the competition. They did well in the dry, however.

Tires : Test Results : The Tire Rack

 

Talked to my mechanic and he advised against purchasing Michelins because of a weak sidewall in the tire. He says that these tires are known to pop when drivers go over something edgy (e.g. backing up and hitting a curb with the side of the tire).

Hence, thinking of getting a Bridgestone instead. Has anyone else had these (or similar) Michelin tire problems?

 

I think I'd find a new mechanic. People who express anecdotes as gospel are to be avoided.

 

I would highly advise not getting the cosco x-radials. I have seen a lot of people post on here of how good they are but have neglected to mention how shit they are for your mpg.

Before I went to cosco I had the yoko tires that came with the car and I was getting 48-54mpg, read on this forum about people getting the cosco ones so I went out and got them aswell.

With the radial-x tires I am getting 40mpg. I live in San Diego and the weather is not rainy and there is no ice, so I do not need great all weather tires, but I have them.

So keep this in mind when you buy your tires, where you live, how you drive and if you can drive safely in weather knowing the feel of your car.

If you can do well at knowing how your car drives then do not get any cosco tires for your prius. They do not have a low resistance model tire for sale and that is what any prius owner should be looking for.

 

That is incorrect. Costco sells Bridgestone and Michelin brand tires. Both brands offer LRR tires. The Costco stores in my area usually stock the Ecopia EP100/EP422 as well as Primacy MXM4.

 

RacingPrius-if you mean the Michelin X-Radial sold at Costco, you must break them in before you get the 50mpg average I've been getting with them for the last 2 sets of tires and over 130k miles.

Beatles- ditch your mechanic like a bad rash. The Michelin MXV4+ have too stiff a sidewall for a blended ride in the prius. The MXV4+ work best on heavier sedans. The Michelin X-Radial has a softer sidewall than the MXV4+, but not like a marshmellow of the stock GY Integrities (the most dangerous tire ever made IMO- wet is bad, any snow or slush and you're a gonner).
---- 265k miles on my 06 ---- 90k miles on my prior 04 ---

 

One factor I think people should consider more often is UV ray damage.

People who park outdoors in the sun all day will expose their sidewalls to a lot of UV damage, if these people pay extra for high mileage tires such as Michelins with 65 or even 85K mile tread life, they may have trouble attaining the mileage they're expecting because the sidewalls will break down after a few years in the sun.

I noticed my grandmother's michelins had lots of tread but the sidewalls were very cracked, she parks outdoors, I am trying to convince her to buy cheaper tires and have them replaced more often. My winter tires are 6 years old but since there is hardly any sun in the winter the sidewalls on my blizzaks look great. I had put these opinions on another thread and some guy from Australia (lots of sun) said I was full of hot air. But here's a direct quote from a tirerack.com article: a vehicle parked outside instead of in a garage will constantly expose its tires to the rays of the sun, increasing the likelihood of cracking. And as further evidence look at all the RVs parked outdoors with tire covers on.

People who park out of the sun are not exposed to UV ray damage and therefor can choose to buy expensive high mileage tires or cheap lower mileage tires, I always recommend buying the best tires you can afford. People who park out in the sun should buy cheaper tires designed for 35 to 45K miles, buying more expensive tires would be a waste of $$ for these people.

 

It depends on your annual mileage. People how do over 20k miles per year are probably going to wear out their tread before the sidewalls rot.

The other thing to consider is that cheap tires often have higher rolling resistance as well. We've seen from the experience of many people here that poor rolling tires can easily drop your fuel economy by 4 to 5 MPG. A drop of just 4 MPG over 45k equates to about 80 gallons or about $280 extra fuel. Take that into consideration and those "cheap" tires may not seem such good value.

LOL, it wasn't me was it. Now that I think about it maybe it was.

Anyway, it's just my personal experience. I've been driving for over 35 years and (depending on the car and the annual mileage) had tires last as little as 18 months or as much as 6 to 7 years. But for me it's always been tread wear that signaled the end of tire life, never the sidewalls (except of course in instances of sidewall puncture damage).

BTW. For people who do have this problem. Does anyone know of any worthwhile products to apply to the sidewall to protect them from UV damage.

 

Michelin tires and the Bridgestone tires sold at Cosco are not low resistance tires.

And your argument that "you have to break them in" to get the upgraded MPG is silly. You can make any tire Low Resistance by running them bald. That is what you are saying and No One should do that, let alone Need To do that to get low resistance.

 

You really need to educate yourself before you start tossing out advice. You are entirely wrong about the tires Costco sells and about tires not requiring a break in period.

 

The Cosco tires I bought (radial-x) have cost me -10MPG. I am sugesting people not buy them because of what i have found out.

I have had two sets of tires for my Prius so far:
#1)Yokohama tires I got 48-54MPG from 0miles to 45,000miles (I would recommend them and I am going to go back to them after these tires wear)
#2)Michelin Radial-X tires from Cosco. 38-40MPG From 45,000 miles to 57,000miles

The only thing you are saying is if you run your tires bald they will turn into low resistance tires--> so every tire is a low resistance tire "After they are broken in" is a bad thing to "toss out as advice".

If you do not want -10MPG on your tires for a car you bought to save MPG Do Not Buy Any Cosco Tires. Look at their tread and it is all about the same (Actually the Bridgstone tires have a deeper tread so it would be worse MPG than the Michelin tires.)

If you are talking about educating any ones self I would tell you to go to any Cosco and look at the tread of the tires and see just how deep the grooves are. They are GREAT all weather tires, they are NOT great low resistance tires.

So what i have found is that Cosco tires do not have a Low Resistance model and that is the first thing you should ask for at another tire location.

 

The Michelin X Radial (DT?) is not particularly low rolling resistance tire. What was the exact model of the Yokahamas.

Anyway, the thing to do is to research the tires before you purchase, and make sure you choose one that's very LRR if it's important to you. Then, if costco doesn't sell the tire you want, go somewhere else.

 

I can't actually find where that was said.

 

Hello I bought the ecopia cp100 and they are great in south florida. I got a deal on them from firestone. Firestone tried to talk me out of them because they are discontinued . After nogotiating with them they gave me four for $360 installed with road hazzard ins. I have driven 5000 miles on them so far and my milage imediately went from 44 mgs average to 53 mgp average.

 

Based on my experience ( 90k miles on my '04, 260k miles on my '06, and 5 sets of new tires, & driving almost the same route everyday):
Tires have a 2k - 4k miles break in period.
The Michelin X-Radial gives me 50mpg, and I have almost 60k miles on this set. I drive about 72mph on the freeway, 55mph on 2 lane roads, and some stop and go. NOTE: all my tire purchases have been with stock sized tires only, nothing wider. I usually run about 38psi all around. All calculations take into account my speedo errors (tire size, wear, GPS speed calibrated).

 

I liked them too, my problem was tired inflation - seems like I have seen many posts about going over the recommended inflation using 40 psi in the front tires and 44 psi in the rear. I am buying the new Michelin Energy A/S - got them on order and plan on using the new tire inflation to see how that goes. ANY COMMENTS / SUGGESTIONS?

Also I am going in for my first major tune-up (I'm at 118k) so far I have only been in for a total A/C replacement - piece by piece under warranty!! Now I was going to get the following done....
PCV valve - new plugs - change transmission fluid and eng-inverter coolant. ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS??

 

We've had the same experience on both cars, w/o the winter snow.
Great tires.

 

I have a 2006 Prius and I am thinking about getting the Firestone Affinity Touring. Can anyone tell me if these are good tires for a Prius or if I need to look at something else? Thank You.

 

I answered you in the other thread. I also noticed you have a GenII. TireRack doesn't list the OE size in that tire but it does list the GenIII OE size. Either way this is my recommendation.

Avoid them. Only the H-rated tire is listed as LRR and the survey section of TireRack.com is filled with Yellow (good) and pink (fair) ratings. There are other tires in that price range ($88) that score much higher. Why not go with a tire that has a proven track record for performance, fuel economy, or longevity? The Energy Saver A/S, ProContact EcoPlus, EP100 etc. are all proven tires in that price range.

 

Nokian WRG2