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Energy Saver A/S tires for 2009 Prius 185/65R15? or 195/65R15

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by sachminu, Jan 14, 2018.

  1. sachminu

    sachminu Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2009
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    Location:
    western ny
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I am in the process of selecting new tires for my 2009 Prius Base. Will be changing all 4. Car currently has 70,000 miles and planning to keep the car for at least another 5 years, not sure after that.

    I have read a lot about the Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires, but cant seem to find them in 185/65R15 size anywhere in my area.

    I checked Costco and they have the 195/65R15 size for $103 per tire. Can those be used in my 2009 Prius and will Costco install them even though they are not the recommended size?

    On a side note, what are the Michelin Premier A/S tires like? Costco has those in 185/65R15 for $98.95 each tire.

    Any recommendations appreciated.
    thanks,
    Cooks.
     
  2. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I would have replaced the Michelin Energy Savers on my 2009 Gen II (Touring) 2½ years ago when they needed replacing, but the technician at Town Fair Tires said that they weren't available in my size (16"). The treads were about 60% worn, but the side-walls were starting to show micro-cracks. I sought advice and was told that Michelins are wonderful tires, however their tread tends to outlast the rest of the tire. I heard this from at least two other sources, and after considering all my needs and options here's what I decided. After the last bad winter (2015) here in New Hampshire, I decided to get a set of good snow-tires mounted on a set of steel-rims, and since I had the snows (Bridgestone Blizzak WS-80s) already sorted out, I didn't need to worry about "all-season" tires (in my opinion a slight misnomer, since they tend to be "jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" (IMNSHO), I went with a set of cheap Antares¹ Ingens A1s (at about ½ the price of a set of Michelin EnergySavers). They've worked fine for the past 2 years, and the Blizzaks are currently in their third winter. There are many other highly recommended solutions, just take a look around here at PriusChat (search is your friend) and check out the reviews on TireRack.com - hope this helps - (but as they say YMMV! o_O :rolleyes:)

    ¹ nope, I'd never heard of them before either! :rolleyes:
     
  3. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I had Michelin Energy Savers on my Gen 2. I had the same experience, the tread wore fine but the sidewall had small cracks and there were small splits where the sidewall meets the tread. I would rather wear tires out than change them under these unsafe conditions.
    They were on the car about 6 years.
     
  4. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    I went to the defenders, longer mileage claims, better tread for water, possibly losing a mph or two, they work In cold weather
     
    Merkey and Mendel Leisk like this.
  5. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I can't remember the last set of tires I actually wore out. I am replacing them mostly because of age.

    How old is too old for tires? Some say six years and the most I see is 10.
     
  6. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Check the manufacturing date on the tyre (it's in there, part of the serial number) - I've read that anything more than 4 or 5 years old, ditch the tyre! :eek:
     
  7. sachminu

    sachminu Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    western ny
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    ok thanks everyone!. Will look into the defenders, dont think Costco has them. Will check tire rack.