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Tire speed rating expensive

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by larry55, Feb 1, 2013.

  1. larry55

    larry55 Junior Member

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    I have 60,000 miles on the original Bridgestone Turanza's on my 2007 touring Prius. I want to replace them with the Michelin Energy Savers. Well, the touring model came with a 16 inch tire with a V speed rating. The 15 inch tire for that year Prius had a S speed rating. I went to Costco to get the Michelins and they told me I had to replace the tires with the same V speed rating. This speed rating is intended for Corvette level sports cars by the way. I understand Costco's policy of using at least the same rating as Toyota recommends. The problem is, the V rated version of the Michelin Energy Saver is about 80$ more per tire. 211$ vs 125$. I e-mailed Toyota to ask why the V rated tire and they answered with a corporate legalese "don't change the car or the warranty is void" response. They never answered my question. The car is past warranty of course, but does anybody know why Toyota would put a V speed rated tire on a Prius?
     
    #1 larry55, Feb 1, 2013
  2. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    #2 ngc4565, Feb 1, 2013
  3. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Because marketing said that the car would be more sporty and sell better. I buy H-rated tires for my Prius, Stronger than S or T rated and still reasonably priced.

    JeffD
     
    #3 jdenenberg, Feb 1, 2013
  4. larry55

    larry55 Junior Member

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    I don't think its a matter of Costco's tire knowledge, its just that company policy says they don't replace a tire with a lower load/speed rated tire than Toyota recommends. I went to Discount Tire's website and they said the same thing. I could buy a S or T rated tire from Tire Rack but then may have trouble finding someone to mount them. I have never used Tire Rack so am assuming thats how they work.
     
    #4 larry55, Feb 1, 2013
  5. larry55

    larry55 Junior Member

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    The marketing angle makes sense. But that makes it more expensive than it needs to be.
     
    #5 larry55, Feb 1, 2013
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Rather than guess, I suggest you contact one of the tire installers in your area recommended by Tire Rack, and discuss whether you'll have a problem with the installation or not.

    I would suggest you buy H speed-rated tires at minimum, if the original were V rated.

    One reason why V speed-rated tires may have been installed to begin with is that the vehicle handling provided by the tires may be slightly better than a tire rated for a lower speed, but the flip side is that typically the tread will be softer and wear out faster.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Feb 1, 2013
  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Those 16" tires are not easy to find... When I got a price quote from Costco last year the dude said he was trying to locate some 16" for a customer with the same model as you have and he was having a hard time.

    So I suspect that might be an additional reason why the Costco person only wanted to sell you those V-rated tires....

    As for asking Toyota for help... Don't bother! That's what PriusChat is for!
     
    #7 PriusCamper, Feb 1, 2013
  8. larry55

    larry55 Junior Member

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    I will do that. But I did go to tire rack and put in the Prius and year and chose to limit to Michelin and the only choice that came up were the Michelin Primacy. This is a summer performance tire. They did not list the defender or energy saver. But I like the info on handling, I will look at H rated tires. And see who tire rack uses for installation and contact them or tire rack about the minimum Toyota requirement issue. Thanks.
     
    #8 larry55, Feb 1, 2013
  9. larry55

    larry55 Junior Member

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    I am finding that out about Toyota. Just another corporate pr dept. Costco didn't have any problem finding the V rated tires but I will look at other options.
     
    #9 larry55, Feb 1, 2013
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  10. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    As Patrick touched base on.. the higher rating you go (more towards Z) the softer the tire gets and can wear faster... it also offers more grip because it's a softer material... however (from what i gather) it has a longer warmup time which has other issues. if it's cold (not warmed up) then it may potentially slip easier (from my experience)... I really like my V rated tires. I loved it when i had on Z rated tires. they did burn out really quick though. just my .02
     
    #10 V8Cobrakid, Feb 2, 2013
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  11. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    LRR tires have tread compounds that don't get hard when cold. No "warmup" required.

    JeffD
     
    #11 jdenenberg, Feb 2, 2013
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  12. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The speed rating for Prius tyres in the UK is R (106 mph) according to Toyota. Show them the hand book.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #12 Britprius, Feb 2, 2013
  13. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Look at changing to 205/55/16. There is a much greater choice of tyres at that size, the rolling resistance is lower,
    the prices are cheaper, and the road maners of the car are greatly improved.

    All gen2 Prius come with 16inch wheels in the UK.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #13 Britprius, Feb 2, 2013
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  14. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    For the reason Toyota puts a 4 cyl and a 6 cyl engine option in a Camry. We all drive the same speed limits on the road. Why pay more money for a faster V6? The V rated tires performs better at all speeds and temperature up to and beyond the limits of an H rated tire. Just because you don't drive the V6 to 130 mph doesn't mean you won't notice it is smoother, quieter, and of course faster than the inline-4 at 45 mph.

    You can safely use an H rated tire on a Prius. Just like the engine analogy, if you don't push the limits of your Prius, ie you drive like a grandma and hypermile, you won't likely notice a dofference.

    On the flip side, in emergency situations like braking, swerving to avoid accidents, etc, the V rated tire may save you from an accident.

    For what it's worth, I almost always buy H rated tires. My experience is that higher rated tires wear out faster because of the softer stickier sportier tread. And oddly enough, below H rated tire also wear out faster. My completely anecdotal evidence and opinion is that lower rated tires are produced at a cost and to meet those costs, tire tread life is minimized.
     
    #14 mmmodem, Feb 2, 2013
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  15. larry55

    larry55 Junior Member

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    The car manual shows a V rated tire for the touring Prius, so will probably go with H rating and find someone to mount the tires. Thanks all.
     
    #15 larry55, Feb 2, 2013
  16. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    I have read that the tire construction they need to use to make a tire survive an H speed rating results in a more stable tire tread, therefore longer tread life.
     
    #16 xs650, Feb 2, 2013
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  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    In the US, S-speed rated tires is the minimum equipment on the base Prius.
     
    #17 Patrick Wong, Feb 2, 2013
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  18. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Yet another difference between UK and US. I will see if I can post the Toyota link to this. Maybe due to different regulations in different countries.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #18 Britprius, Feb 2, 2013
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  19. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    106 mph in a Prius doesn't sound very relaxing... especially after 125k miles of shocks and struts wear! :)
     
    #19 PriusCamper, Feb 2, 2013
  20. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    I hadn't noticed that, but sure enough my Gen III model 2 has S rated GY Assurance fuel max tires
     
    #20 xs650, Feb 2, 2013
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