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new tires.... please make it simple!

Discussion in 'Prius v Fuel Economy' started by cruising gal, Aug 2, 2018.

  1. cruising gal

    cruising gal Junior Member

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    I need new tires for my 2014 Prius V 5
    I use my car for work around Austin ( shortish drives, hot summers, warmish winters), my annual mileage is higher and I don't often take long journeys in my car.
    I'd like the car to be quieter, more fuel efficient and stable when cornering.
    Considering I bought the car for fuel savings and being economical, I am surprised at being quoted around $800 for a set of Bridgestones/Michelin energy savers. I don't like what I'm reading here about the ecopia tires.
    Costco have recommended Bridgestone serenity for a total out of the door cost of $816 ( including $70 off), Michelin energy savers a/s for $813.66. Local discount tires recommending Michelin defender for $550.
    advice please?
    thank you!
     
  2. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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  3. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    The Michelin ES/AS is the only thing that will stand out for MPG. Compared to the OE tires they will also meet your other stated wishes. $813 is a very good price for them. I'd get them without hesitation.
     
  4. cruising gal

    cruising gal Junior Member

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    Interesting - they are about $80 a tire which is $100 a tire less than the others recommended. smooth ride? what am I gaining if I spend more?
     
  5. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Beats me.
     
  6. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    I'm surprised that Costco didn't suggest Michelin X Tour A/S. They are excellent tires. They are identical to the Michelin Defenders but with a different name to sell at warehouse clubs for $10 less per tire. Costco periodically has a $70 off deal for a set of 4 Michelin tires. When I bought mine they also had free installation. That got me out the door for about $380 total.

    Michelin Energy Savers cost more and have a shorter tread life. As far as I can tell, that cancels out the fuel savings.

    I agree, however, that the PureContacts seem interesting. Something is strange about the pricing. $76 at Discount Tire, $102 at Tirerack?

    Defenders are rated at 80,000 miles, Pure Contact 70,000, Michelin E/S 65,000
     
    #6 royrose, Aug 2, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2018
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  7. cruising gal

    cruising gal Junior Member

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    So you like the Michelin defenders?
    why?
     
  8. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

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    We use defenders on our Honda Odyssey. I don’t think they are low rolling resistance, so you will probably give up some fuel efficiency to make excellent gains in pretty much all other areas.

    Incidentally, we had continental true contact on the van before that. They weren’t as quiet or smooth as the defenders have been, but they did get better mpg, especially on the road. For the van it was probably 2-3 mpg difference, it would probably be double that on the Prius. I would not say that they are bad tires though, in fact the Michelins are almost overkill on the quiet and smoothness, but might as well enjoy it right?

    We haven’t changed the Prius tires from whatever the dealer had on them (Toyo?) when we bought it used.

    I’ve never had the energy savers, though many here like them and they do give excellent mpg. According to threads here, some feel the handling is a bit disconnected on them, especially on the freeway.
     
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  9. Xterra72

    Xterra72 Senior Member

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    Michelin Premier A/S.
     
  10. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    When you ask for 4 different characteristics (quieter, more fuel efficient and stable when cornering and cheaper) in a tire, it can't be simple.

    Tire building and designing is a trade-off based endeavor. No one tire has ever had a best in all those characteristics and cost too. Build too much wet handling and you get noise, build too much summer handling and you get danger under 40F. etc.

    And car owners can affect things too, too much tire pressure and you get harsh riding, too little and you get mushy handling. Poor alignment and you get wear and noise.

    I'd suggest wandering over to tirerack.com or a similar big tire site that has comparisons of new tires of one brand/design versus new tires of another brand (don't trust my comparison of my old tires versus my new ones) with your top priority in mind. And even then their comparisons are liable to be of a different size tire on a different car than yours.
     
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  11. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

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    +1 for it’s hard to make this one simple. If you know what parameters you’re wanting to achieve it’s hard to get them all...the only way I think it could really be simple is if someone was like I need 4 tires to keep the car off the ground.

    That’s why there are so many tire threads here...plus many of the posters here, myself included, are drawn to analyzing the crap out of everything. I hope you are able to find some satisfactory tires! For what it’s worth, I don’t really think any of the choices you list will make you unhappy - they all seem pretty decent.
     
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  12. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    Very interesting. My Michelin Premiers (supposedly) have a special tread that "widens" as the tire ages, which helps the wet traction & handling. Maybe that's why they are so loud? Treadware rating is 40,000 miles, but some owners report only getting 25,000. (Tire Rack reviews, and other tire sites.)

    Seems to be a good handling tire, but definitely noisy, especially after the first rotarion. I think I will get the Defender when they wear out. Or maybe the Energy Saver.
     
  13. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I'm a fan of the General Altimax RT43. They are not going to get the best MPG score, but they are wonderfully quiet and even-tempered, suitable for a highway cruiser. Not expensive, commonly available in small sizes.
     
    #13 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Aug 2, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2018
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  14. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    My previous tires were Michelin Harmonys, the predecessor of the Defender. I replace tires before getting to the wear bars and was very happy to go 65,000 before replacing them with the X-Tour. I simply have no complaints about the ride, handling and noise. My gas mileage may be down a little, about 45 mpg average calculated (48 on the display). I'm not knocking any other option, just happy with these.
     
  15. cruising gal

    cruising gal Junior Member

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    Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply to yet another tire thread.
    Went to Costco and spoke to the guy who seemed to know what he was talking about. First thing he did was go to see which ones I have on already (Bridgestone ecopia apparently) and asked me what I thought of them. I told him that I didn't think cornering was great with them and that my gas mileage could be better. He said that another set of ecopias wouldn't be too bad an option but he went back to the Michelin Premier a/s ones. rated 75k and better in the Texas heat he said. Then he advised me to wait until after September 2nd when Michelin would be $70 off and also to look out for their 1cent fitting offer which would get me another $60 off, he said that would probably happen between 2nd/15 th September. So, all in all. a good service at Costco I think (again). Nobody else has asked me for feedback on my current tires.....which I would have thought would be a good starting point.
     
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  16. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    Yes, the $70 off plus 1 cent installation charge makes any of the Michelins an excellent deal. Great service from that guy. I still think the Michelin X-Tours (Michelin's warehouse version of the Defender) are worth considering but good luck with whatever you choose.
     
    #16 royrose, Aug 3, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2018
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  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I might go for that. The Defenders have the Green-X badge, give up a little mpg comparing to the Energy Saver A/S. They are the kind of tire that doesn't give you any troubles, and should be long lasting.

    Be careful: the OEM Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 are made in Japan. There are two more itterations, a US and Mexican version of this tire. It'll very likely be either the US or Mex version they try to sell you, may be ok, but do be aware that they are different. They all three have somewhat different tread tread patterns, wear indexes and so on. This has scared me off this option, too much of a moving target.
     
  18. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

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    Great service from Costco...I would just go with everything the guy said in that conversation. He made it simple.
     
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  19. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    The Michelin website says the Premiers have a 60,000 mile tread warranty.
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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