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Four Touring 17" tire options?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by texasdiver, Apr 16, 2018.

  1. texasdiver

    texasdiver Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Vancouver WA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    Stopped by my local Costco today to see what options might be available for the Four Touring with the fairly unusual 215/45/R17 tire size. They could only pull up two options on the computer in their regional inventory that wouldn't be a longer-wait special order:

    Michelin Premier AS (V speed rated 60,000 mile warrantee) for $160 each
    Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 (V speed rated 70,000 mile warrantee) for $149 each

    Costco rotates $70 off coupons between Michelin and Bridgestone so I can save a few $$ on either one depending on which month I buy.

    The tire guy said he thought the Bridgestone would be slightly harder rubber and lower rolling resistance but the Michelin would be slightly superior on wet roads and braking. I'm in the Northwest with a 23 mile freeway commute so lots of wet freeway driving. He said if it was his car he'd probably put on the Michelins for better wet pavement performance despite the possible slight hit on gas mileage.

    The Michelin is considerably higher rated on TireRack also for what that's worth. Especially for wet pavement and snow which we also see occasionally. So I'm definitely leaning that way.

    Opinions? Any other options I should look at? I've also got Discount Tire and Les Schwaub tire stores a few minutes away so other options as well but I haven't shopped them yet. In the past I've generally just put Michelin Defenders from Costco on my other cars and have called it good.
     
    #1 texasdiver, Apr 16, 2018
  2. ATHiker

    ATHiker Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    Not sure if you are aware, but the Ecopia 422 Plus was one of Toyota’s original equipment selections.

    My OEM version was made in Japan, but my replacement set was made in Mexico with very slightly different specs.
     
    #2 ATHiker, Apr 16, 2018
  3. Since2002

    Since2002 Senior Lurker

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    In the past I have used Michelin Energy Saver and HydroEdge from Costco on my Prius. Hydroedge was very noisy especially when new and didn't seem to handle that great so the next time I needed tires I planned to go back to Energy Saver, however Costco didn't carry that one anymore but they had Premier A/S. I read good reviews about it but the comments in PriusChat indicated that it was not as good for gas mileage. Went with them and have really enjoyed them, quiet, good handling, best tire I have run on my Gen 2. But I did take about a 1 or 2 mpg hit in gas mileage.
     
    #3 Since2002, Apr 16, 2018
  4. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Touring
    For other options, check out Tirerack.com. We have used Continental True Contact on earlier Prius and plan on this again when our Three Touring needs tires. Print the price quote from Tirerack.com and take it to your local installer. They will match or even beat the Tirerack quote to get your business.
     
    #4 FuelMiser, Apr 16, 2018
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I'm leaning towards Michelin Primacy MXM4. They have the Green-X label. Here's the tale of a guy that started with Premiers, then swapped to Primacy:

    215/45/17 my Michelin premier review | PriusChat

    Costco should have the Primacy's as well; put in your car on their website to verify.

    The other option at Costco is Pilot HX MXM4, but they are always bizarrely expensive. It's odd too, our OEMs were the Pilots, still rolling on them (one more year, one more year): ours have the Green-X label, but according to TireRack at least, when you buy them retail they are not Green-X. Not sure what's going on there.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Apr 16, 2018
    Since2002 likes this.
  6. texasdiver

    texasdiver Member

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    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    Stopped by a different Costco on my way home and the tire guys there suggested either the Michelin Premier or what they said was a cheaper new option, the BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport which they said would be similar to the Premier. Apparently it is a new tire that they are getting good feedback on. Although I'm likely to stick with the Premier.
     
    #6 texasdiver, Apr 17, 2018
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Model:
    Touring
    Some are reporting significant mpg drop with the Premiers, @jimmyjam for example (in my link). OTOH, @The Critic liked them I think (in a review at bobistheoilguy) and @bisco also liked them, on their Camry, mentioned good mpg on a road trip. A toss up I guess.

    They start off with only 8.5/32" tread depth fwiw, supposedly the traction is more reliable all the way down, due to sipes opening up as the tire wears.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Apr 17, 2018
  8. texasdiver

    texasdiver Member

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    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    Well I bought the Premiers and had them installed Saturday. So far I like them. They are noticibly quieter than the OEM Yokohamas and feel more supple and responsive when driving. Little bumps are not so noticable and rough freeway pavement is substantially quieter.

    After two days of freeway commuting (60 miles per day) it appears that I took a 1-2 mpg hit, dropping from about 53 mpg to about 51 mpg but difficult to say for certain because the daily mileage bounces around anyway.

    Only smooth dry pavement so far so I haven't had them in the rain yet. But, other than the slight hit to mileage I like them and am happy with the purchase. Definitely makes the car feel less tinny and more like a higher end sedan.
     
    #8 texasdiver, Apr 24, 2018
    RCO, krmcg and Mendel Leisk like this.
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