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Yet another Prius C tires thread.....

Discussion in 'Prius c Accessories and Modifications' started by Ikarus, Jan 16, 2016.

  1. Ikarus

    Ikarus Junior Member

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    Dear all,
    I've been looking at the many threads and info about tires for my Prius C4 (15x5.0J alloys) and I'm still not convinced about what I would like best.
    My little Prius comes with Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max in 175/65R15. I don't like the following about this tires:
    - Road noise on the highway is relatively high (sure, it's partially also be wind noise)
    - Dry or wet braking is .... simply scary compared to my previous cars, and the last one didn't have ABS ! And yes, I'm using a strong foot on the brake.
    - Highway (besides the noise) it's not very stable, the car moves too much and needs continuous corrections to keep it straight. I had balancing checked and it's within specs.
    - Snow.... well.. it's not a winter tire, but my previous were not either and I was still pretty happy. Sure the car was twice as heavy and that may be the main reason.
    I would like to stick with my current rims and be able to get away with only 1 set of all-weather tires and improve the following areas (listed by priority) :
    - All-weather tires with great wet/dry braking
    - Lowest road noise
    - Good riding quality
    What I'm willing to give up:
    - Fuel efficiency
    - Some road noise if going with a wider tire maybe?
    - Money for sure....
    I feel very aligned with many of the comments from Cyclopathic and Mahout in general, so my general thoughts/questions based on my homework on the forum and experience are:
    1. Can I fit 195/55R15 or 195/60R15 tires on my rims? My first thought was yes, but when according to tire rack, 175/65R15 and 185/65R15 are the only sizes that fit that width wheel. There may be some legal problems if using other sizes? Insurance problems alter on?
    2. Would 185/65 or 60 R15 be safer in terms of rubing with the fender or somwhere else or potential legal issues based on the previous item?
    Once I have better understanding of the tire size options we can talk about brands and models =)
    Thanks !!
     
  2. InPriusLove

    InPriusLove Member

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    I have not fully updated my list of favorites but two I consider are Yokahama Avid and Michilen. Someone wrote about having poor economy with the Energy Saver tires but recently I rode a set on a non-hybrid Ford Fusion and that was not only comfortable with a sure feel but got nearly 30mpg on an all-gas larger car. As for Yokahama Avid, the Ascension seems to be their current offering. They have construction that sticks to the pavement better than most. I think it comes down to looking at the tread and quality test ratings for a tire. No need to change size. Don't be convinced by sales people, but you are on the right track that economy is a matter of, uh, economies.
     
  3. Mo G

    Mo G Member

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    I would stick to the OEM size as listed in the manual on page 498. Sure you could go 185/60 but the speedo will be off for sure. As far implications of that, I am not sure. I'm looking around at tires as well. I decided on ecopia 422 plus. I have the older 422's, and they are great. Road noise is minimum (I live in Arlington/Dallas, constant construction everywhere). I drive 80 miles round trip to work every day. So comfort,handling, and road noise are my three things I looked at. I keep all my tires inflated at 35 psi, and average 47MPG at the pump. I'll take comfort (lower psi) over a few MPG any day.

    Look into a mid body brace, I have one and it keeps the car tracking straight with little to no input corrections.

    It's been about 60 days since you posted OP, so don't know if my input will help in case you already made up your mind.
     
  4. Ikarus

    Ikarus Junior Member

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    Thanks for the replies. I decided to go with the Michelin Premier A/S in 185/65 but haven't installed them yet, so I can't really say anything about the change vs the OEM tires. Completely agree on the lower psi vs MPG.

    Very interesting your comment on the body brace. We just did a round trip from PA to NC over the weekend and it is a bit annoying how "light" the steering wheel feels at "highway speed". I didn't know this could be addressed with a body brace. If you have any more specific info on this or any recommendation it would be appreciated. Will do my homework with Google anyway.

    Thanks!
     
  5. Mo G

    Mo G Member

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    I have a mid chasis brace.

    Similar to this.

    Prius"C" 2012 16 "Box Beam"Mid Under Chassis Stiffening Brace"New Custom"Rude person's | eBay

    It doesn't help with the weight of the steering, but helps out greatly with getting the car to feel tighter over all and improving directional changes. My next step is to get a yaris TRD rear sway bar to improve the handling even more.
     
  6. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    This discussion is dead, but as i was also searching for same question, can I replace 175/65/R15 with 185/65/R15 ? did you switched to 185/65/R15 ? how is the experience ?
     
  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    185/65R15 is 2% smaller than stock. Your speedometer and odometer will read 2% higher than normal. Fuel economy will suffer a little extra at higher speed.

    2.0% variation from the stock baseline is the commonly-accepted limit. Beyond that you start to get into trouble with gear ratios and brake performance. If there’s something about these tires that makes them particularly desirable, it may be worth the trade-off.
     
  8. Talha Maqsood

    Talha Maqsood Member

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    In my country 175/65/R15 is not available in either Bridgestone or Yokohama, Only Dunlop SP Touring T1 is available in 175/65/R15 that is why i want to change size
    I know the other difference, My main concerns are Fuel Economy and car stability
     
  9. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I think you’re safe from a stability standpoint, you’ll take a minor economic hit during higher-speed travel and for what it’s worth I agree with your reasoning to change. Availability is a big deal.
     
    Talha Maqsood likes this.
  10. emune

    emune Junior Member

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    7108EE8B-4854-411F-AC64-E5B78A5135BF.jpeg DCC608DC-85DB-40AA-9CAB-2788FC1D69BF.jpeg 71819BA6-F760-427B-9A2F-F198758A30D7.jpeg 15x9 -15 ET
    195/50/r15