The tire situation

I too was not a fan of the fuelmax. Their ice/snow traction was particularly bad when the treadwear was at 6/32". I looked at tirerack on the web for a grand touring tire and ended up with Uniroyal Tigerpaw All Season Grand Touring tires. It is Michelin's value brand. So far they have been great and I do a lot of winter driving. I did not use a larger size, but to answer your other question about mpg. I did not notice that much of a change; maybe 1 mpg, but I don't have enough data to back that up yet. I drive this car on the highway a lot and often have the 5 minute trend histogram on the display. I routinely get 50 mpg ( real time; about 43 avg right now in winter) no matter the tires used. While the tread helps somewhat, from observation, it doesn't seem to matter as much as tire inflation, tire size, outside air temperature, and driving style.

It is best to closely monitor your tire pressure with these cars because I have noticed a difference in driving behavior/mpg when they are just a few psi low due to a large overnight temperature swing, etc. Also, the Toyota dealer told me that fuelmax tires have a harder compound which makes them less effective in winter conditions. Not sure how accurate that is, or if it varies from brand to brand. Hope this helps!

 

I went up to the 185/65R/15 from the original equipment. I also had done the same on my old Yaris. Because the tire is larger, there is a 2% difference in tread circumference. 2% less miles on the odo.

 

I had 195/65 Hankook on our 13' PriusC and those was the best tires. Went great in snow or dry weather. Excellent tire life and very quite. The only issue I noticed was if a large gravel/stone ever got stuck in the tread, you could hear it. Same goes for snow. Even with a heavy load, I never noticed the tires scrubbing or any issues. I found the Hankook tires got much better gas mileage than the replacement.

Last fall I replaced the tires on my PriusC with Costco Michelin tires in 185/65 size. I am not dis-satisfied with the tires, but they are not as nice as the Hankooks. The Costco Michelin tires are MUCH louder and seem to have a more stiff ride. Being a smaller diameter and closer to the factory size, I thought I would see a increase in mileage, but I actually saw a decrease.

I would not fear going with a larger tire. I feel the 195/65 looks the best, but 185/65 does look decent.

 

I have been riding on the General Alti max RT43s for over a year and like them a lot. Haven't noticed any loss in MPG, and they do very well in snow for an All Season. The only downside I have noticed is they do not stick as well in rainy weather. But that is a minor fault easily made up for by their unusually good snow performance.

 

I dont think this is true. Only increase/ decrease in circumference effects the speedometer.

 

The width with absolutely change the height if the "profile" isn't changed. The "profile" is actually the aspect ratio.

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
175/65-15 4.5in 12.0in 24.0in 75.3in 842 0.0%
185/65-15 4.7in 12.2in 24.5in 76.9in 824 2.1%
205/50-16 4.0in 12.0in 24.1in 75.6in 838 0.5%

taken from Tire size calculator

That's also how I decided on a 205/50 when I went 16's rather than the 195/50.

 

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
175/65-15 4.5in 12.0in 24.0in 75.3in 842 0.0%
185/65-15 4.7in 12.2in 24.5in 76.9in 824 2.1%

So going up one size will show a 2.1% decrease in miles on the odo. This will make it appear that you are getting less mpg, when you are not getting less. I ride on 185/65-15s, and did on my Yaris for 10 years. What I have found was the larger tires were actually cheaper to purchase.

 

Which Brand/type tire did you choose at 185/65/15 ? I have ecopia 422 plus' at the moment 175/65/15's. They need to be replaced since all 4 are now down to 4/32 tread. I wouldn't mind switching to a 185/65/15 size tire. Just couldn't find a decent tire in my minimal time of searching.

 

Also, Out of curiosity, what's the MPG you average? The Michelin Premier aren't that much more than the Ecopia 422 plus I am looking at. About 18 - 20 more per tire, so at most $80 dollars more.

I wanted a quiet and comfortable tire, and if it helps with handling that's an added bonus. Not sure If going with a non-LRR tire, will it ride louder?

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I went with the Goodyear Assur Fuel Max @ $72./ tire, plus install cost @ $19./ tire. I am very happy with them.[/QUOTE]

 

Using a 17inch conti premium contact sport 6 and loving it. I didn't even skid when I jam braked on a wet road once.