Taking suggestions for new 17" tires

Although Prius don't have huge alignment issue, I would not take that risk for possibly uneven tires. No experience replacing just two tires but imo it is better to replace four altogether. You can't go wrong with these tires, I'm a fan of Purecontacts ecoplus.

 

A tire to look into is the new Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 PLUS (the Plus is the new version). Bridgestone claims they are more efficient than the old EP422s

I'm currently on the old EP422s, based partially on F8L's posts about them (also 205/50/17). They're not broken in yet, but I think I lost about 5% versus the stock 15" Yokohamas I was on before.

Another tire I was interested in was the Nexen (I think they were the CP 671). They come stock on the Kia Soul EV. Nexen claims they are "Super LRR". I tried to order them, but they were always out of stock, so I just ended up getting the Ecopias. But here's an article about the Nexens:

For mpg gains, tire makers deliver — consumers shrug - Tire Business - The Tire Dealer's No. 1 News Source

 

I switched to the Ecopia 422 Plus about 10,000 miles ago. I am very happy with them. I experienced NO mpg loss compared to the Toyo's that came with the car. They are LESS noisy, not quiet. The question now is, how long will they last? They have to be better than the Toyo's. They were my worst ever, replaced at 37,000 miles.

 

Looking on TireRack, stuff like this gets me confused.



Maybe just the machinations of the website? Uptick in price tho.

Hey, hot dang: picture posting is back!!

 

In 195/65R15 there's been reports of two distinctly different tread patterns (4 grooves versus 3), different wear indexes too I think. The tires also come from different countries.

All of this is kinda off-putting to me, reminds of the last time I tried to buy two pairs of Levis that fit the same, apparently impossible: quality control is out the windows these days.

 

I'm leaning towards Michelin Premier A/S, for various moot reasons: the Conti's are not readily available at Costco in Canada, good name (big woop?) and reported good wet traction and tread life. Our Prius came with Michelin Pilot HX MXM4, so hopefully the mpg won't take a hit at transition. The Conti's are at top of list TireRack's list tho, can't go far wrong.

 

Yeah, maybe.. but in my case, I drive mainly EV only (most days, my round trip commute will show like 320-350 MPG).. so I'm kind of just going by how far I can make it home before I run out of juice.. which isnt very scientific

What throws me off is (1) since I got the tires, temps have gone down.. so EV range goes down, (2) 205/50/17 are actually 2-3% bigger rolling diameter) than the stock 15s.. so my distance driven daily is a hair lower and driving at the same indicated speed is faster than before, (3) I do think they will do better once broken in, and lastly, I'm on 17x7.5" wheels.. so the 205 is a little stretched.. so I might have negated the efficiency benefit of going with 205s by putting them on a 7.5" wheel.

 

@Tracksyde

Double check my numbers, but I believe 205/50R17 OD is pretty much identical to 195/65R15, very slightly greater.

 

Hmm.. the calculator says 0.4% larger

My speedo is pretty much right on with GPS speed on my phone and dashcam. As another data point, my commute to work has always been about 13.0 miles (I reset Trip A daily). After putting my 17s on, its now 12.8. Round trip is 25.5, IIRC

Maybe its the difference between new and old tires? Although I only had about 27k on my Yokohamas

And when I meant stretched, I meant like this:



Thats a 205 (but 40 series) on a 7.5" rim

 

Can't say enough about the Pirelli P7 Cinturato Plus. We installed them in a 205/50 17 size on Prius Persona Wheels. Not much of an MPG hit... maybe 2 mpg at most after they broke in. Noted a large improvement in ride, handling and quiet. They are great in Florida rains and linear in response, all the while being durable. No wear detected yet, I rotate them every 5-6k miles, and keep them 40 psi front and 38 rear.

The set we put on our Prius has now traveled well over 10,000 mi so I can honestly attest that they have made our Prius a better road car. Not an inexpensive tire, but definitely worth the money. We don't drive our Pruis on snow due to all the salting they do here, but has no problem with grip on driveway snow. Very happy with this tire choice, it's a great LRR.