A tyre question

If you are going to fit 4 tyres I recommend you to go up one size to 205/55/16 as there is a much greater choice of tyres at this size and they are about 20% cheaper (check it out).

The tyre I would strongly recommend is the Hankook Kinergy Eco rated BB. I paid £60 each fitted for these in the UK.

The first letter in the rating is for the rolling resistance of the tyre and affects fuel consumption by a large margin on the Prius. The second letter is wet grip.

These tyres are very quite and you will not believe the improvement in handling when you go to the wider tyre. Do not buy the Goodyear as the rolling resistance is higher than the Hankook, the difference will pay for the whole set of tyres in there life time with fuel saving.

I am actually using the Hankooks myself and after 12,000 miles on these they look good for at least 50,000 miles.

There is one Michelin tyre with higher rating (BA) than the Hankook but at double the price and note the fuel rating is the same only wet grip is better.

Do not let a tyre dealer sell you a tyre with low fuel ratings you will see your MPG take a dive.

The speed rating for the Prius does not need to be high so do not pay for tyres designed to do 180 MPH.

Hope this all helps.

John (Britprius)

 

Just noticed you are only looking to replace the front 2 tyres.

If the rears are getting low on tread I would not recommend this as the Prius ABS, Traction control, and vehicle stability control systems through a wobbly when you go over about 60 MPH.

The systems measure each wheel speed against each other to see if a wheel is spinning or locking, so if you have worn tyres they are going round faster than the new (because they are smaller) and this confuses the systems.

The tyres I have recommended will allow you to change all four for less money than two of the Goodyears.

John. (Britprius).

 

The tyre fits perfectly without problems in fact it has another small bonus in that the extra width helps to stop the kerb from scratching the wheel trims when parking. This extra width is only 10mm so less than 5mm each side of the tyre.

If you shop round you can get good prices. Black Circles tyre supplier on the net has them at £61.19 delivered but if you shop round your local suppliers you should beat this price bearing in mind the cost of transporting 4 tyres from Black Circles.

Small independents are best but make sure you get the correct tyre they should have a sticker on them showing the fuel economy rating (B) wet weather grip (B). Whatever tyre you buy make sure it has a (B) rating for economy nothing less. Obviously you want as good a grip in the wet being as I am in the UK but there is only one a Michelin at more than double the price with (B) economy (A) wet grip.

There is no tyre that fits your car at the moment with a higher rating for economy.

 

That's still a much better deal than two Bridgestones at £360 in your first post. £52.50 in your pocket and four fuel saving tyres on your car, but if you have the time shop around you should beat that price.

By the way I should have said I have no affiliation with any tyre manufacturer. Just hate to hear of people being miss led or ripped off.

Whatever tyre you get please let us know how you got on and what you think of the tyres "good or bad" as it is only from feed back that we all learn.

John (Britprius).

 

I run 38/36 normal running 40/38 if car is loaded but higher or lower is fine. Higher pressure (40/38 or 42/40) will give you better fuel figures.

Are you now using the Hankooks if so what do you think of them. Sorry don't understand your Americanism, "rocking" does this mean you are going to or have fitted the tyres "and which Hankooks are you using".

John (Britprius)

 

All new tyres will give you a hit on mileage untill they have bedded in "about 2,000 miles."

Your distance traveled will be slightly out by I calculate 2.8 miles in a 100 miles meaning you actually travel 102.8 miles when you record 100. This makes the speedo more accurate and I find the MFD MPG almost spot on compared with the normal optimistic readings.

 

I need to buy 4 new tyres and am considering using 205 55 r16 and possibly Hankooks - but I notice on some reviews they seem to wear out very quickly - Have you had that experience? I get through about 14000 miles per year so economy is important but also service life - it would be great to have some sort of fuel economy/tyre cost/tyre life. It seems that Bridgstone T100 are available fitted for about £95 each while Hankooks are about £75 fitted

 

I have the Hankook kinergy eco (205's) tyres on my Prius and they now have 15,000 miles on them. The fronts have now lost 1mm of tread the rears still measure as new according to a Toyota safety check carried out yesterday. This should make them capable of at leased 50,000 miles.

The economy rating on these tyres is (B) and wet grip is (B). The only tyre I can find to beat this is the Michelin Energy saver Plus rated (B) for economy and (A) for wet grip.

The price on Black circles (fitted in rounded £) for the Hankook is £74 and the Michelin £89. The Bridgestone I think you are talking about is the Turanza 001 that is only rated (C) for economy (B) wet grip.

The difference in the fuel economy between (C) and (B) ratings will pay for the tyres during the life of the tyres. There is no tyre to fit your car at the moment with an (A) rating for economy.

If you go for the Michelin make sure the one's you buy have the B/A ratings as there are a number of Michelin tyres with very similar names that are not as well rated.

 

Shop around for best tyre prices as I was easily able to beat Black circles on price at the smaller local tyre dealers paying £60 fitted for the Hankook's.

Check your old tyres carefully for odd wear patterns before replacing, EG tyres worn on one edge and feathering across the tyre.

If you see any unusual wear pattern have the wheels aligned. My own car had excess camber on the rear causing the rear tyres to wear on the inside edge.

This will not only increase the life of the tyres it will improve fuel consumption.

 

Many thanks for the swift answers. I went to Costco tyres to see what they could offer - they only do Michelin and quoted £120 each so completely out of the question. I asked about fitting 205's v 185's and they were very negative about the change saying that they thought it possible that the tyre will rub against the wheel arch/body whatever on full lock - does this happen? I am guessing that another 5mm either side of the the wheel isn't going to make much difference but worth asking just in case.I also spoke to my local Toyota service centre and they were also skeptical, saying they would not guarantee the tyres if I fit a non standard set - doubtful that I would get them to fit them anyway. One point that does slightly concern me is that if the 205's are wider than the 185's do they fit ok onto the existing wheels? also as they are wider is there a tendency for them to rub against the kerb when parking etc? The Toyota service centre do "Lassa" 195 tyres for £68 each fitted which seems ok for a main dealer. Apparently Lassa are the Bridgstone economy brand - any knowledge about them?

 

There are absolutely no problems going to 205's but I would be very wary of using the "Lassa tyres" unless someone else chimes in and says they are fine. They may not be "low rolling resistance" tyres and if they are not you could take a big hit in fuel economy. Buying the correct tyres now could easily pay for themselves in the life of the tyres.

 

Having just spent the last few hours on the internet researching prices and specifications it appears that the 205 is rated B for Economy and wet weather but the 195 is rated for C on both! At first I thought that the vendors had got it wrong but the Hankook website also shows the 195 as being C. Its a shame because the 195 is just £8 more than the 205 at Tyretraders (£68 v £60). I would have paid the extra £8 just to keep to the original spec but it seems ridiculous that a bigger and more efficiaent tyre is cheaper!

 

The 205's are cheaper in whatever brand you buy, there is also a much greater choice of tyres in the 205 size. With the Hankook's I am actually getting better MPG with the 205's than I was with the OEM Bridgstones at 195. The wider tyre is bound to give you better grip and stability.

You will also save £32 on a set of four tyres, Also by going to the (B) spec tyre against (C) the tyres will pay for themselves in fuel saved.

 

Yes - I think thats it - I have now had great advice from you and satisfied my curiosity about prices and types, sizes etc. Seems like Tyre traders are about the most competetive on the internet so tomorrow I shall try the local shops. I am assuming there is nothing that a normal tyre shop can mess up on the Prius - I noticed the USA models have some sort of Air pressure alarm that is installed with the valve. Also hoping the wheels can be balanced normally - my previous car was a Citroen C5 and the wheels could not be balanced on a normal system and had to be taken to a specialist - even the local Citroen dealer could not do it!