Apologies - but need tire advice

The stock tires that come on the car (for all mass produced cars) are usu crap, compared to whats available. Goodyear probably offered Toyota a killer deal to be the stock tire.

If you have Costco membership go there; no one beats them on total price: tire, install, disposal, road hazzard warranty. Selection is limited, but since you don’t seem to be a DIY type and clearly not a tire fanatic, you will be well served at Costco.

 

Unless you are changing wheel, you should just go with the tire size you have on now. I am not familiar with Gen2, but touring model usually come with bigger tires, otherwise 15 inch is stock size. People seems to like Defender. I have no experience with it. Ecopia is likely to give you very good mpg, but if you plan to drive on snow, I don't recommend it. That said, tires are always compromise, you can't have perfect tire for every condition. Also tire choice is quite subjective. Someone's like can be others dislike. Any of those sold in Costco will serve you OK. So, what is the most important feature for you? Cost, tread life, comfort, fuel efficiency, safety, performance, wet handling, snow and ice driving? You can use TireRack.com to check general reviews of tires.

 

Tires are a loaded question. Some will like/hate what you get. Since you really are lost, just go to your library and read the Consumer Reports review on the brand and model of tire you are thinking of getting. Hopefully CR did a review of that tire.

When you plug in the year, make, model (base vs touring) the appropriate tire size pulls up.

Gen2 (2004-2009) consists of these two tire sizes, assuming you are using stock wheel or aftermarket wheel that is same OEM size.
P185/65R15 (Base)
P195/55R16 (Touring)

P (Passenger vehicle tire).
185 = tread width of tire in mm
65 = sidewall height as a percentage of the tire width
R = Radial construction
15 = wheel diameter size (inch) this tire fits

There are other markings such as speed rating and load index. You want to maintain the same speed and load. You can always get a tire that is rated for a faster speed and larger load capacity, but you generally don't want a slower tire and a tire that carries a lower weight, than what came on your car.

Base Model Tire Specs
Tire Size: P185/65R15
Tire Pressure (PSI)
Front: 35 Rear: 33
Speed Rating :S 112 mph
Load Index: 86 1168 lbs.

Touring Model Tire Specs
Tire Size: P195/55R16
Tire Pressure (PSI)
Front: 35 Rear: 33
Speed Rating: V 149 mph
Load Index: 86 1168 lbs.

 

If you keep your cars a long time, consider a lifetime warranty plan. Few tire places offer this now a days unfortunately. I was fortunate and was able to get it in 2011, at Firestone Tire, for $120! After two alignments, I broke even. I just get the car checked and realigned (if needed), once a year.

Reason to get this is to maximize your tire life. It's amazing how easily/quickly the vehicle gets out of alignment. Pot hole, speed bumps, curbs, etc. all of these will make the alignment go out.

 

@Chodronish what's the tire size on "4 touring"? Is it still the stock 15" size, or?

 

Just as one more thing to pay attention to, you will find tire size designations that start with a P, and very similar-looking designations that just start with the tread-width-mm number, no P, and that difference really means something.

The designations with P (the "P-metrics") have specifications published by the Tire and Rim Association (TRA, a US outfit), while the ones that don't start with P (the "Euro-metrics") are defined by specs published by the European Tire and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO). And it's surprising how differently the specs work; both standards define a thing called a Load Index and designations like SL (standard load) and XL (reinforced), and they let you figure out how much load a tire of a given size can safely carry at a given air pressure, but what these things mean is very different. The link above showed how pretty much everything you could say about those relationships that was true in the one system was false in the other, and vice versa. It's weird that they're so different.

If you are looking up tires by your car model, you can usually rely on the site only showing you the selection of tires (some P-metric, some Euro-metric) that will be safe for your car, so you don't have to second-guess it, and in most cases you don't have to think too hard about interchanging tires between the systems (same width, aspect, and rim size, P or no P). Some online sellers have even (for "uniformity"?) listed tires of both kinds either all with a P in front or all without, so you don't even know which flavor it is unless you spot the P or not in the sidewall photo, or work it backward from the load index.

For Gen 1 it was more of an issue, because that gen had quite small (14") tires for its weight, and the unusual weight of the drive train in front meant kind of having to sweat the weird details when choosing non-OEM tires for it, and that was what ended up in me learning this stuff....

-Chap

 

I am on my third set of tires on my 2010 Prius at 200k miles in addition to the factory tire. We also have a used 05 Prius that came with GY Assurance. I tossed my last pair on the 2010 little early due to worn shocks.

Most premium tires will perform well and you can get a feel through online reviews. Eco is a manufacturer designation and does not always save gas as an Eco should. In the case of the Bridgestone eco it handles well but is not an eco tire. I have found the CONTINENTAL PRO CONTACT ECO PLUS to be a good gas saver at consistent 3 mpg savings and handles well all season and wears well. At 3 mpg the tire will also pay for itself over its lifetime and help the environment.

I have mich defenders on my suv and I dont understand why these would be good on a prius as they are crossover/light truck tires and also have a stiffer ride than passenger tires.



SM-G920V ?