1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Anyone know tires?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Tigerops, Mar 27, 2006.

  1. Tigerops

    Tigerops New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2005
    84
    0
    0
    I've been doing quite a bit of tire research today on here and on Tire Rack and have found 4 all season tires that seem to beat out the others. Goodyear Comfortrend, Michelin Hydroedge, Goodyear Tripletrend, and Kumho Touring A/S 795. First off, Tire Rack doesn't seem to sell the Tripletrends anymore. Does anyone know why? They're rated #1 and I may want to purchase them but I don't believe they sell them anymore. Any ideas?

    So onto the Kumhos. These bad boys are rated rather well, especially in Deep snow, and they're only $40 each! Those are some of the cheapest tires that fit our cars! And they're rated #3 in their category. So how come no one on PC has mentioned anything about them? They even have a 70,000 milage warranty! So who has these?

    I'm tempted to buy them based on their rating and the super low price.

    Any ideas or thoughts???

    Thanks
     
    #1 Tigerops, Mar 27, 2006
  2. BT Tech

    BT Tech New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2005
    885
    2
    0
    Location:
    South Florida
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    My personal experience with Kuhmo tires was not good. They were VERY noisy and the ride quality was poor.

    I would stick with either the Michelin's or the GY's.


    JMO!! :)


    Brian
    BT Tech
    305-652-3115


     
    #2 BT Tech, Mar 27, 2006
  3. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
    3,790
    152
    0
    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I currently ride on the gooyear comforthreads. I had a pair of Kumho Estas. They were good, but as Brian mentioned, they were a poor ride and noisy. It wasn't too bad, but noticable.

    I also noticed that the Kumho will slip and it takes a while before the VSC or Trac Control reconizes it.

    Overall, i wouldn't rate them as well as my Comforthreads...except in the handling category. The Kumo would probably out handle, especially now with Brian's brace.
     
    #3 V8Cobrakid, Mar 27, 2006
  4. LHL

    LHL New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2006
    6
    0
    0
    I had to replace the tires on my 2004 Prius about 2 months ago due to poor traction and road noise. In the process, here are a few things that I learned.

    A = 2004 Prius + GY Integrity (22K miles)
    B = 2004 Prius + HydroEdge
    C = 2004 Prius + ComforTred (yes, my spelling is correct!)
    D = 2006 Prius + GY Integrity (1200 Miles)

    Handling: B (best) > C = D > A
    Quietness: C (best) > D > A > B
    MPG: A (best) > D = C > B

    After installing the HydroEdge, the MPG dropped about 10%. I tried increasing the tire pressure to 42/40 and then dropped it down to 37/35 after a 20 miles of scary ride. I gained about 5% MPG back after 1500 miles but I was really bothered by the road noise. Someone mentioned that his HydroEdge seemed to become quieter after 20K miles. I figured I couldn't be as patient and returned the HydroEdge.

    ComforTred was noticeably quieter even though the tire installer mistakenly pumped the tires to 44/35 :unsure: . 35/33 seemed too comfy and a little bit too bouncy. I felt sleepy easily. I am now running at 36/34.

    I do like the handling of HydroEdge very much. Unfortunately, it is just way too noisy. For a while, I actually suspected there's something wrong with the suspensions or shocks.

    I am happy with the ComforTred tires. They are comfortable but probably not as exciting as HydroEdge. At least, they make my 2004 drive like 2006.
     
    #4 LHL, Mar 27, 2006
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)