1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Choice of replacement Tires?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by gcruik, Feb 13, 2006.

  1. gcruik

    gcruik New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2005
    4
    0
    0
    It's time to replace my tires.

    I'm at 31,000. Never rotated. And I think it is too late now.

    What are the preferred names of replacement tires.

    I live in No Calif. No snow in my life. Want a road tire with low rolling resistance. Tread can be pretty tame,

    And tire needs to run quietly.

    Any recomentations?

    Gordon
     
  2. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
    3,790
    152
    0
    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I like the gooyear Quiet & Comfort. The Comforthreat technology is really good and very reliable. I had to replace my OEMs at 20k miles. I'm now at 50k mile with my new tires ( so about 30k on them ) an they still look almost new. They come with an 80k mile warranty.
     
  3. jbarnhart

    jbarnhart New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2004
    629
    1
    0
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA
    Second the recommendation on GY Comfortreds. They are easily available (Walmart, WheelWorks, etc.) and improve the OEM tires in three important areas: Rain grip, road noise, and wear. I didn't even wait for the OEM tires to wear out -- I replaced mine with <800 miles on 'em.
     
  4. Rick Grahn

    Rick Grahn New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2004
    285
    3
    0
    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Will goodyear CT work in Chicago area...I am looking for a quiet tire that will work in 4 seasons.
     
  5. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2004
    167
    15
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    I just got the GY Comfortreds. They are quieter than the stock Integrities, enough that you should notice the difference.

    Like you, I have no worries about the snow, so traction, etc. wasn't a major concern. With my OEMs only lasting 34K (rotated -- so I guess I got 3K more miles by rotating) I was far more concerned about the wear rates, and I'm hoping I'll get close to the 60+K miles out of these.

    They do seem a bit squishier around corners than the stock tires, and tend to slip a bit when cornering on rough roads. Neither of this is extreme by any means, and I expect some is just due to them being new (< 500 miles) and will get better with time.

    Overall, I'd recommend the Comfortreds -- I'd buy them again.

    Thanks,
    Shawn
     
  6. Three60guy

    Three60guy -->All around guy<-- (360 = round) get it?

    Joined:
    May 20, 2005
    918
    16
    0
    Location:
    Racine, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    I replaced the OEM's prior to delivery with the Goodyear Assurance Comfortreds. I live just north of you in Cheezeland. hehe

    Seriously, they are quiet and a very safe tire in rain and snow. I recommend them highly. I did my homework before I got the Prius. I'm glad I have them.

    Cheers
     
  7. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2005
    15,232
    1,563
    0
    Location:
    off into the sunset
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I still have the Integritys, so feel free to ignore my lack of experience. But I plan to replace them with Michelin Hydroedges. I recall someone here doing an extensive survey and posting the results in a spreadsheet. The Michelins were at or very near the top. Wet weather performance is probably my highest priority for the climate I live in, which skews my choice toward the Hydroedges.
     
  8. Three60guy

    Three60guy -->All around guy<-- (360 = round) get it?

    Joined:
    May 20, 2005
    918
    16
    0
    Location:
    Racine, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Sorry, I don't know who to give credit to but here is the survey and excel spreadsheet. I got the Goodyear CT because it was a quiet tire compared to the Michelins. But in reality, there isn't much difference between the two. I just liked the numbers for quiet ride and comfort.

    Hope this helps.
     
  9. p626808

    p626808 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2004
    292
    15
    0
    Location:
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V

    I replaced mine with the hydroedges.. I have about 12K on the new tires.. Little noisy at first.. but now they seem quiter.. Little bit of an MPG hit.. maybe 1-2 MPG..
    But extrodinary wet traction.. as well as good in the snow.. and 90K warranty.. I hope to get 100K out of them.. Will be going to get them rotated tonight..

    Scott
     
  10. joeh4

    joeh4 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2006
    30
    0
    0


    Waiting to receive my car here in Northern Illinois. Could anybody tell me if the Goodyear Comfortreads cause a hit in MPG's since you've had yours? What type of MPG are you getting with them now? Would like to make my upgrade at the dealership. Also, is there a good tire that actually increases MPG?

    Thanks!

    Joe
     
  11. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    640
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I have a 2004 Prius with currently around 40,000km on it. I use dedicated winter tires on steel rims for our nasty winters, but for the rest of the year I run Michelin Harmony tires.

    I started off with the Integrity tires, but a scary episode exiting the Trans Canada onto highway #12 in heavy rain convinced me to try different tires. Hint: the VSC works as advertised!

    With less than 3,000km on the car, I had the Harmony tires put on. There was no difference in fuel economy that I could detect, highway ride a bit quieter and smoother. MUCH better in the rain.

    So far, I've got around 25,000km on my Harmony tires, and when I put them away for winter they still had around 9/32 tread. New they're rated 11/32 tread depth. I rotate every fall and spring when changing between winter and "all season" tires, usually putting 5,000-10,000km on the tires.

    After experimenting with tire pressures, I run them at the factory recommendation. Higher pressures are way too harsh on the poor roads here.
     
  12. gschoen

    gschoen Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2004
    343
    3
    0
    Location:
    Chicago/Wrigleyville
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    The OEM Integrety's have low rolling resistance, most replacement tires are greater but have better handling, noise, etc. to make up for it.

    The Michelin Energy's are known to have low rolling resistance, but they're pricey and other tires have better handling. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find rolling resistance for tires, manufacturers publish every statistic known to man but guard RR like national secrets. That makes it hard to do MPG comparisions except by trial.
     
  13. joeh4

    joeh4 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2006
    30
    0
    0


    Thanks for the comments. Thought I had seen one other comment about Michelon Harmony tires not causing a loss of MPG! Anybody else experience the same on Harmony's or Goodyear ComfortTreads?
    Thanks guys and gals this is a fantastic site for info!!

    Joe
     
  14. mister banjo

    mister banjo New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2005
    4
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(V8Cobrakid @ Feb 13 2006, 05:17 PM) [snapback]208741[/snapback]</div>

    Can I ask if you have had a chance to use these in the snow. I guess I'm looking for the best tire with low rolling resistence for gas mileage, good mileage, good handling and good traction.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joeh4 @ Feb 16 2006, 01:09 PM) [snapback]210526[/snapback]</div>

    Not sure if you can help me since you don't use your Michelons in the winter. I'm looking for the best all around tire that would be good in snow, not hurt the mileage and be good on handling.
     
  15. Catskillguy

    Catskillguy New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2005
    536
    0
    0
    Location:
    Mid Hudson Valley NY
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gschoen @ Feb 16 2006, 12:46 PM) [snapback]210470[/snapback]</div>

    Here is a report, though a bit dated, from an organization called Greenseal. They rate tires based on rolling resistance.


    http://www.greenseal.org/recommendations/C...gresistance.pdf
     
  16. azw

    azw New Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2005
    28
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Catskillguy @ Apr 16 2006, 10:45 PM) [snapback]240677[/snapback]</div>
    The new URL for that report is:
    http://www.greenseal.org/resources/reports...gresistance.pdf

    If that link doesn't work, go to the main site:
    http://www.greenseal.org
    Then click on "Publications & Resources", then "Choose Green Reports"
     
  17. rfred

    rfred New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2006
    137
    1
    0
    Location:
    Overland Park, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joeh4 @ Feb 15 2006, 02:20 PM) [snapback]210001[/snapback]</div>
    Hi Joe,

    We've got a couple of thousand miles on the ComforTreds that we put on when the Integrities had a little more than five thousand miles. It's pretty difficult to estimate the MPG hit (if any) because we've only been running them during the cold part of the year and MPG plummets in the cold. However, we've had a fair amount of snow and ice this year (for Kansas City) and the car seems able to go through anything.

    We were having trouble with the original tires in hard rain and just didn't want to wait and see how poorly it would handle in winter weather. Part of the reason we bought the car was for safety; we're still wondering how Toyota decided that the Integrity belonged on this car.

    Enjoy your new car! It took us several thousand miles to get those silly grins off our faces...
     
  18. PaladinSF

    PaladinSF New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
    6
    0
    0
    Toyota is putting Bridgestone Turanza EL 400-02 on the new touring model. These tires have a good reputation and low rolling resistance.



    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gcruik @ Feb 13 2006, 01:56 PM) [snapback]208724[/snapback]</div>
     
  19. sub3marathonman

    sub3marathonman Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2005
    557
    75
    0
    I just replaced the tires on my mom's 2004 Prius with Bridgestone Turanza LS-T, 195/65R15 instead of the stock size. They were actually $1 cheaper than the 185/65R15 too. The one thing to watch out for is the revolutions/mile (about 825 rev/mile), since you will be going a bit faster (3%) with these tires than the original (855 rev/mile). They have an 80,000 mile warranty too!

    She said that it made a world of difference from the original tires, much better ride and handling. Of course, that is before I managed to get to them to increase the pressure to 42/40. :D
    (But even after that she still says they're great.)
     
  20. Charles Suitt

    Charles Suitt Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2004
    1,637
    16
    0
    Location:
    Dallas TX
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    <_< QUOTE rfred: "..we're still wondering how Toyota decided that the Integrity belonged on this car."

    PRICE

    I traded my '04 Prius for an '07 touring Edition with the 16" wheels and Bridgestone Turanza tires. At ~2,200 miles it's a bit early for a final conclusion, but the Bridgestones seem quieter. They do have a larger 'footprint' [more 'rubber on the road'] so brakeing and traction should be better. The 'ride' is better at Toyota-recommended tire pressures. I tried them at 40/38 psi [as I had run my Integrities on the '04 Prius] and did not like the ride or feel. The lower pressures are certain to lower the MPG.