Replacing Tires on 2007 - Any word on Bridgestone Ecopia EP100

Check out the TireRack.com tests of low rolling resistance tires, including the OEM Integrities and the Ecopia EP100's, which tests were done on a 2009 Prius:

When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

And do a search on PriusChat of "Ecopia EP100". I think several members have bought them and posted their impressions.

 

I just bought a set of the Ecopias (not installed yet). I bought them on a few factors; 1) they were much cheaper than the #1 tire in the tirerack roadtrack test as far as fuel savings were reported, and 2) the Ecopia's were #2 in fuel savings. I had almost gone with a set of Kumho's, but a buddy of mine with the same 2004 as ours was going to try the Kumho's instead, so I figured we'd have a good comparision between our two cars.

I bought mine off tirerack, though I would have preferred to buy them off eBay (using bing.com's 8% off), but no one was selling as set at the time. I had also strongly debated getting the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max, but I figured I'd try the Ecopia's since they seemed to have the biggest bang for the buck regarding how much they cost vs. how much they could (potentially) save in fuel over stock tires.

 

I am seeing both cost about the same for 06 Prius. Fuel Max has higher treadwear (620 vs 400) so it should last about 20k miles longer.

 

Yes, actual tire cost was about the same, but the fuel savings as reported by the tirerack test put the Ecopia at #2 out of 5 tires (6 counting the OEM tire). The Fuel Max was reported to give only +0.37% gain in fuel economy/fuel savings, while the Ecopia gave a +4.12% gain. The # 1 tire (Michelin Energy Saver) showed a 4.74% gain. The Ecopia was priced significantly less than the Michelin yet yielded almost the same in (potential) fuel savings. I wish they had tested the Kumho though. That one had a treadware rating of 800 something if I recall correctly. But that being said, even tirerack's website says the wear rating is rather subjective (though the Kumho DOES have a 100,000 mile warranty!). Either way, I think I would have been happy with the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max, Bridgestone Ecopia, or Kumho eco Solus HMKR22. Just because Tirerack saw certain results, doesn't guarantee I will see the same. In general, just wanted to make sure I went with an LRR tire.

 

I had bought the Ecopia EP100 for my 2004 a few months ago from Discount Tire, and am satisfied. The tires are quiet and the handling is fine. Keep in mind that these tires are designated "summer", so do not buy them if you need "all season" tires that will perform in light snow.

Yesterday I noticed that Costco's price (in Tucson, AZ) for that tire in the 2G Prius size is currently $90.99 plus $15 for installation. This is better than tirerack.com (when you take into account shipping) or Discount Tire.

Costco's latest coupon book has a $70 rebate on a purchase of four Bridgestone tires, expiring in mid-August I think. So, if you have access to that book then the tires are going to be around $73 each net of rebate plus installation and sales tax, pretty amazing.

The original equipment Goodyear "Integrity" tires on my 2007 with 22K miles have around 6/32" to 7/32" of tread remaining in the center, while the shoulders are worn to the point that they are pretty smooth. I'm thinking about buying the Ecopia tires from Costco in August for that car, prior to expiration of the rebate offer.

 

From an economical standpoint I think the Ecopia is the way to go. From a saving petroleum (80% less petroleum than a regular tire) standpoint the db Super E-Spec is probably the best way to go. It's too bad they are so much more expensive than the Ecopia.