What tires should I get for my 2012 C?

Mine came with 175/65/15, interesting that yours didn't.

 

Energy Savers A/S 175/65/R15

 

Were they original? My understanding was the OG tires were 195 or 175.

 

But were they the original tires? Or were they the second set of tires that you bought the car from someone and that's what they had on them? Just curious.

 

From Owner's Manual, the stock 15" tire size:



Maybe Michelin Energy Saver A/S?

 

Mine current C came with 175/65/15 I just replaced them with 185/60/15 (same as the Yaris),

I found a greater selection of tires, and I didn't take a hit on MPG and IMO seems like it rides better, I know it's much quieter due to the new rubber.

 

I'd go with any 15" tire 175 or 195 as those were both the factory sizes from the 2012 car... at least that I had seen before yours. Just make sure they are eco LRR tires.

 

For factory 15x5.5 I used Michelin Pilot Sport 3. Best tyre available for this size is 195/60/15 and still able to fit the factory wheel.

I'm since moved to 16x7 and using 205/50/16 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 which brings it to another level. Good wet & dry grip and decent comfort and noise.

Personally I don't use eco & comfort tier tyres. Over here in Singapore we got rain pretty often so we can't go for dry tyres like RE71R.

 

Does anyone make tires with white lettering (not the stick-on type) that would fit the OEM wheel size?

 

You could use a tire pen to make your letters white. I've seen a few of these that look really good.

 

Thanks ztanos. Have you see them in person? Pictures can sometimes be rosier that that the real thing.

 

I have seen one on a mustang with goodyear tires. They looked slick.

 

Snow tires are usually a bit loud due to the aggressive tread pattern, and once they have age-hardened a few years forget about it, they'll be very loud. So it's not really fair to compare an all-season tire to a snow tire for most criteria.

Size won't make much difference for noise. Mostly it's the elastic quality of the rubber compound and the specific shape and angles of the tread pattern.

I had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 on another car and loved them, very quiet. I had no idea they were offered in sizes small enough for a Prius, that's great to know! Thanks @Royston.K

I like the General Altimax RT43 on our other subcompact. They don't cost much, give excellent traction performance and they're very quiet. They aren't green/eco/LRR rated but they still give good MPG. I was planning to put a set on our c once we wear out the factory Goodyears, but now I have to consider a set of Pilot Sports...

 

I'd second that.

Stick with the size spec'd in Owner's Manual (for a number of reasons), and consider various tire makes and models.