I'm looking to replace my worn out dunlop's on my 18 now that I'm at 40k. I'm actually considering going to a lightweight 16" rim and a 205/55R16 tire. The leaf uses this size so it will open more options like the Michelin energy saver. I know there will be some effects going wider. Im looking to stay LRR to maintain some mpg. I don't need good snow traction. I've heard both good and bad about most mainstream eco tires except the ecopia 422. They're all poaitive. I've noticed there's 2 ecopia 422. One is a 520 the other is 400 tread wear with higher psi rating so could run higher pressures. The Michelin energy saver this size has bad reviews as does the defender. I noticed a Hankook Kinergy ST. Looks like it replaces the ECO which was rated as a good hybrid car tire, their site says it's a LRR and the treadwear is 680 so it's up there above Michelin. They're also a decent price. Has anybody tried these on gen 4?
Maybe Bridgestone Ecopia EP20? That Ecopia at least, they smartened up and just made ONE version. Comes only in 195/65R15. Very good for rolling resistance. In my experience: smooth rolling, uneventful tire. They do get noisier as the tread wears down, and they’re not good in snow, particularly when worn. I’m not 100% sure they’re still available, but worth checking. Tire rack currently has them, good price, but indicates them as made in 2018 and “close out”.
I'm using the Bridgestone Ecopia 422 Plus, OEM on mine. Rating shows 640, A, A. I'm on my third set, got 65-68,000 on the first two sets (they could've gone farther), about 40k into this set with plenty of wear left. I'm getting the same MPG as I did 4 1/2 years ago, 55+.
ecopia+ @ costco 117.00 awesome lrr tire toyos weren't bad michelin energy x usually rules but like these ecopias whoever said these are dry driving tires are mostly correct rain makes em float a bit atleast with the other auto I drove bridgestone refrains from testing against michelins , but against firestone these came out tops mpg
Kind of funny, testing Bridgestone vs Firestone, as they are they are owned by the same company. Discount Tire Direct is currently running $117 also but I've gotten them for less before. Last set of 4 was under $300. Damned Covid logistics problems.
Well, here's a tire I do NOT recommend for low rolling resistance: Bridgestone Premier A/S. I asked my shop to give me some LRR options for my 2018 Prius Two. This was the top-of-the line choice. Got the mounted up and did a drive that was normally 60-65 mpg on the OEM tires (forgot what they were) and today it was 50 mpg. OUCH. I called the shop and told them they sold me the wrong tires. Awaiting call-back. Shopping at Tire Rack, they have a sort criteria called "Eco Focus", which I assumed meant LRR. It's not a single category though, there are several different options. There's no indication of what each one means, either, so I'm left guessing. I think it's just each manufacturer's marketing title for that category and doesn't actually mean a damned thing.
Likewise with the Bridgestone Touranza QuietTracks - they gave me what I wanted, which was a pretty good rain tire, a good ride, and perhaps lower noise. But they're not hybrid specific tires. I'm now getting about 38.5 MPG with them. High MPG seems to follow the law of reducing returns, so I don't stress out over 38.5 MPG when all the normal-engined cars I could have bought would be doing about 20 MPG in the same scenarios. Would I be saving that much more money to be able to get 45 or 50 MPG? Not from my math I wouldn't be.
Going to make one more pitch for the Ecopia 422 Plus with the caveat that temperature makes a BIG difference. Here in Florida, fall doesn't show up until at least late October (last year it was Dec. 1st .This year it showed up on time). "Fall" means highs under 80 F, and lows can - finally - get under 70 F. On the last "summer" tank, high temps in the upper 80s, 55.6 mpg, just like the last 5-6 months. On the first "fall" tank of dead dinosaur squeezings, 63.9 mpg over 541 miles. (I had been running 66.3 mpg during the morning but by the time I refueled 225 miles later in the early afternoon, the temp had risen to the low 80s. The car always reads several degrees higher that reported from more reliable sources.) BTW: All these miles are on 30-45 mph roads in town. These tires have about 50k miles on them right now.
I picked Michelins Defender vs Ecopia 422 Plus at Costco last month not for MPG's but for better traction and longer 80K miles warranty. Averaging 58-60mpg now, I have lost 3-5mpg's on my 2016 Toyota Prius Eco.
I am running the Bridgestone Turanza Quiettracks on my 2021 AWD-e xle and have been getting 49 to 51 mpg consistently. Very quiet and good handling tires.
For best MPG, I recommend staying with the stock 15' wheels, and O.E.M. tires. My stock Ecopia 422 plus last over 80,000 miles every time, and I always keep inflated high....51 psi. Car really rolls nicely, rides smooth, and tires wear evenly across the tread. I drive rather slow, and do not corner like a race car driver. I average 88 mpg in town, and about 69 on the highway.
I have had nothing but good experiences with Yokohama avid ascend, the bluearth version. I believe they have changed "BluEarth" to be exclusively snow tires now much to my chagrin, as in the subtropics there is no need for them. But you would need to do extra research on available sizes left of the original kinds.