Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

Well the Michelins are not available in a size that will fit and the Bridgestones were a special order item. All they had in stock were the Yokohama YK580s, so I guess I get to be the test bed for them. Just from the drive home I can say I like the way they ride and handle better than the Pirelli P6 Four Seasons that were on the car when I bought it a year ago. The Pirellis were 205/50R16s and the new YK580s are the OEM size 195/55R16s. I'll have to wait for some wet weather to see how they do in that environment and see if there is any improvement in fuel economy.

 

The YK580s are looking promising for fuel economy. My previous record high was about 44.6mpg. After driving about 70 miles yesterday on the new YK580s, the display was showing 49.4mpg when I got home last night. That is almost 5mpg higher than I've been able to achieve before. My roommate commented that they were quieter and less harsh on bumps than the previous Pirelli tires were at the same tire inflation of 40psi fronts and 38.5psi rears. Still early to tell, but so far I am very pleased with the improvements over the previous tire.

 

Well my fuel economy excitement was short lived. I'm not sure what I did in those first 70 miles to achieve 49.4mpg, but I am now at 200 miles on the new tires and down to 44.6mpg and possibly still dropping. They are still quieter, give a smoother ride and are more responsive than the previous tire at this point.

 

1:50PM June 27, 2013- I hope this is the correct place to post this-the webmaster i hope will correct me.

Here's my MAJOR PROBLEM: i will need 4 NEW tires (185/65R/15) for my 2007 Prius Basic. All wk long I've read, gotten quotes, read a LOT of reviews, then MORE that contradict all the original POSITIVE reviews. I was going Goodyear fuel Max...then read about low tread ware & more issues; A friend i trust got those Michelin Energy Saver A/S...now i find that they have NO MILEGE WARR. That doesn't fly w/ me so I went to the reviews & found all reviewers loved them except for LOW TREAD LIFE. Holy cow-I don't wanna spend $140 per tire if it's gonna wear out after 35,-40,000 miles OR SOONER. So I went & found ConsumersReport-Here' a page I thought would be/could be relevant to us ALL-I hope. I am still in search of LRR tires w/ LONG TREADLIFE or it that a wachadoodle contradiction ??

 

F8L- I am so glad u were able to answer me quickly- i was quoted yesterda $520 (out the door) then today$545 o.t.d. that inbcludes tx;bal;tire disposal; free rotaion for life of the tires) . So I requested an e-mail w/ price in writing to confirm price & got 185/65r15 energy saver Michelin #31703 128.75 each .$136.48 each including tax- total price for 4 tires $560.76
you can use the coupon and save $25.00
we need 1 business day to get the tires.
My initial response is to find another reputable tire dealer., Your input is appreciated. Thanks, OCDing_4 tires

 

I'm posting this to be both HELPFUL and get feedback: posted Nov 2012 Consumer Reports

 

Thanks F8L: FYI:

Michelin Energy Saver A/S (35381)
4 In Stock
P185/65R-15 86T BSW
A set of 4 tires qualifies for: Michelin Promise Plan (Details) $118.00 $472.00 Remove
Environmental Fee (State Required) $1.00 $4.00
Tire Disposal Fee $3.00 $12.00
Valve Stems, Lifetime Rotations FREE
Installation & Lifetime Spin Balancing $16.00 $64.00
(4) TPMS Rebuild Kit $7.50 $30.00 Remove
Subtotal $582.00
FL 6.00% Sales Tax $34.92
Total "Out the Door" Price $616.92
The closed D.T. is 40 miles away . . .Sam's Club is selling SAME for $119.33 ea-I just have to find cost of installation

 

3pm-I hope this is my last note as I've got to order them: Sam'sClub confirmed They get the Energy Saver A/S has a 65,000 mile warranty directly from Michelin. Sam'sClub charges $15/per tires install. and NO CHARGE for tire disposal !! So that saves 12 bucks from 'Discount Tire"; The Tire Mg. informed me UPfront there is a $70 discount OFF the total @ checkout. No mail-in-just checkout & get an added $70 savings. Free rotations 4 life of tires etc. etc. $488.00 out the door(yes that's w/ 6% FlTax). This proves once again that this great community of ''priuschat.com'' has given me information in bulk, gotten me to further think out my choice of a Michelin Energy Saver A/S . A special thanks also goes out to dorunron as well a F8L for their direct communications. To all those considering the purchase of a pre-owned or new Prius--I say GO FOR IT ! and never look back. Thanks Again.

 

Was hoping you could give me some suggestions. Need to replace my wife's present tires on her Gen II prius. I was using 195/60/15 Hankook H727. I can get Michelin energy savers a/s at costco but only in size 185/65/15. The michelin special ends July 7th (2 days from now) and then Bridgestone specials start. Would I be better getting her Ecopia 422 in the 195/60/15 or the Michelins in 185/65/15. I definitely noticed a big improvement going from the original OEM GY Integrity (oem size) to Hankook H727 in the 195/60/15. I guess I can't know what made the difference - the larger size , Hankook being perhaps a better tire or the combination of the two.

If I could get the Michelins Energy Saver in 195/60/15 I wouldn't hesitate to do so. My only reluctance in going with Michelin now is that I will be downsizing and can't know what difference that is going to make in the car's demeanor. I believe the Ecopia will be available in the 195/60/15 but I'll need to check.

Thanks in advance.

 

I finally got around to inflating the OEM Turanza tyres on my Prius vagon to sidewall maximums. Road noise into the cabin increased as might be expected, but yesterday's RT to work ended up at 66.5 mpg -- a new record. I didn't see enviro conditions that would have explained an unusual day, and I could feel the car gliding much better than usual. I have my fingers crossed that these MPG numbers will continue. I do miss the days from my G2 Prius where 60 MPG was the norm for most of the year.

 

Don't know if this will help or not. I just went from the OEM Integrity's to the Michelin Energy Savers in the stock size. I noticed a big difference in ride, stability, and fuel economy. I haven't driven on the 727's, so I cannot compare them to the Energy Savers. But I will say this. I have NO (zero) regrets on the new Michelins. I wish I would have bought them a long time ago rather than waiting on the Integrity's to finally wear out.

One other thing I noticed, these tires are a LOT quieter than the old ones. Even my wife says so.

 

Don't get the 195/60 in anything, that is too high on the revs per mile (too small a tire) for any Prius. You stated you thought it was a larger tire but the numbers are deceiving, it has a smaller diameter/circumference.

With the EP422 you want the 185/65/15 (better gas mileage) or 195/65/15 (higher weight limit, slightly more accurate speedometer). Neither is optimal for the speedometer but either is OK.

The only case you'd want to consider a xxx/60/15 tire on a Prius is if the tire line offers a 205/60/15 which is then in the right size range overall.

Look at the specs tab on tirerack for each tire you are considering and find the one closest to 840 revs per mile for Gen II or 835 revs per mile for Gen III that still fits your rims (think 15")

Michelin Energy Saver A/S
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422

All-Season Tires mentioned sorted by Revs per mile (more revs per mile = smaller tire in diameter/circumference).

rpm diameter
858 24.2" 195/60/15 Hankook Optimo H727

852 24.5" 185/65/15 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422
851 24.5" 185/65/15 Michelin Energy Saver A/S

833 25" 195/65/15 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422
832 25" 195/65/15 Michelin Energy Saver A/S
831 25" 195/65/15 Hankook Optimo H727

 

After hydroplaning yesterday I've decided I can no longer put off buying tires. I live near Denver, which means light snow and large temperature shifts, but super cold temps are rare and usually don't last long.

I'm thinking the Ecopia EP422s would be better than the Energy Saver since we definitely do get snow, but am concerned about dry condition handling since we have that most of all. I saw the description "poor handling tire but lacking in dry braking and cornering ability", which doesn't sound good to me. Yet reviews are generally quite good.

Is that accurate as far as any of you know?

My husband likes Kuhmo tires, and I liked the set I had on my previous car. The ecowing KH30 costs $50 each at Discount Tire, which is a plus. The Ecopia is $88, which I would pay for a superior tire.
I could get Continental tires from Tire Rack for a similar price.

Any thoughts?

 

Hi Terri,

We live in similar climates. I recently put Ecopias on our '04 Prius and both I and my wife are very satisfied. My reasons to pick them over the Michelin ES were exactly the same as yours, to have better snow driving.

I suppose the only caveat to my recommendation is that we are not aggressive drivers.

 

Thanks for the quick response. I am not an aggresive driver either.

I haven't seen any mention of the Tire Pressure Monitoring System. I have two questions. Is it recommended to rebuild the system when replacing tires? Discount Tire suggests buying a rebuild kit with new tires. My husband also wonders if the system can be reset to respond to a higher tire pressure.

 

^^ I am pretty sure it can be set to a higher pressure. Your owner manual should have instructions.
Sorry, I don't know the answer to the rebuild kit, but I would not accept the tyre shop recc blindly