Tire questions

Hello all,

I had recently almost purchased a set of Michelin Defenders to replace my OEM Ecopia EP20's, but decided against it after reading the mixed reviews here. I was looking for something that is an improvement in overall traction over the stock tires, but I don't want to chance taking a 10% hit in gas mileage, that is too much.

Our car is a 2010 Prius with about 65K miles on it. We drive mostly long distance commuting and long highway trips. In our climate we see snow, often times we get freak snow falls early or late in the year before I have put the winter tires on. So we are looking for a tire that offers decent comfort, long life tread, good in the rain and not deadly in the snow like the Ecopia EP20's. I also don't want to lose more than 5% MPG's over the stock Ecopias.

After reading through countless old threads, it seems countless people recommend the Energy Saver A/S. That said, they seem to be poor in the snow and it doesn't look like I can get them now. I have read good things about the Contiental ProContact with Ecoplus, and I think they shouldn't cost too much MPG's vs the OEM tires. They supposedly are okay in the rain and snow. Then there is the Ecopia EP422's which are good in the snow and rain too and have better life than the EP20's, but less than the Continetals or Michelins.

Any opinions?

 

Tell me your reasons and you may convince me. For what it's worth, the Continentals are the cheapest, then the Bridgestones and Michelines are within a few dollars of each other (there is a $70 rebate on the Michelins).

 

Why the EP20's over the EP422's? I was disappointed with the EP20's rain and light snow performance. From what I read the 422 is better in these respects and has a significantly longer tread life for pretty much the same price.

I just found out Costco has the Ecopias (both models) on sale until the end of the week $70 rebate. I might just get the EP422's since I can get them pretty cheap, almost $150 cheaper than Energy Saver's and About $70 cheaper than than the Defenders.

BTW, I do have separate snows, too, I need them on our road. However, there are times when I haven't switched to snows yet and we may have to drive through it on the summers. I want something that performs better than the EP20's.

 

Also, a further update. I email Michelin regarding the Energy Savers and they are not available in Canada at the present. Production will not start for at least 4 weeks. So they are likely not an option.

I am going to Costco tomorrow, so there is a good chance I may get the Ecopia's. The rebate mkes them even cheaper than I can get the Continentals (which currently come with a prepaid Mastercard for $65).

Any input appreciated.

 

Ture, but in all honesty, all tires are pretty close in overall performance, and all don't do well. In the survey results Ep422 rates well against other non-LRR tires. From what I read, I still think the EP422 will be better overall than the EP20. I read all the Tirerack reviews for the tire and it seems to be generally well liked, see the survey results:

Consumer Survey Results By Category

The numbers from the Michelin Energy Saver A/S aren't much different (although it is ranker higher in a different tire category):

Consumer Survey Results By Category

If I can get the deal on the Ecopias today, I will probably buy them. I have to go to Costco anyway, and that rebate is only around until Saturday.

 

I ended up getting the 422's, the deal was too good to pass up. I still have the winters on the car, but these will go on in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for the help.

 

In Canada, the Micheline Energy Saver's are always more expensive, typically about $10 per tire from my price quotes.The Ecopia EP422 has nice big channels in the center and more aggressive side drainage vs the stock EP20's. So I think they should out perform them in rain, but I will see soon. If the handling is comparable to my stock Ecopia's, I will be satisfied. A handling improvment would be nice, but to be honest, this car is rarely pushed anywhere close to it's limits. I do that in other cars that are suited to that type of driving.

 

They don't list the EP422's on the Costco.ca website, but they sell them. Mine were in stock, and they were cheaper than the Ep20's. In fact at the Costco I was at, there were tons of EP422's. I paid just over $500 CDN with the Ontario Tire stewardship fee, installation and 13% tax and the $70 rebate (which ended today). Even without the Rebate, they were still cheaper than the other tire shops that I got quotes from.