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Thoughts on Prius C four, Tires?

Discussion in 'Prius c Fuel Economy' started by 65mpg_utahn, Feb 28, 2017.

  1. 65mpg_utahn

    65mpg_utahn New Member

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    St. George, UT
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    My tires show 195/50 R16... do any of you have any recommendations? I really don't exceed 75mph and most tires are rated H, V, for excessive speeds above 100 which I won't be doing in my Prius anytime soon.

    I found these inexpensive 55K rated tires. Every time I buy tires I manage to burn through them faster than they are rated for. So with that said, I've owned tires that cost me from $50-150 per tire. I like these tires below for the sheer reason that their business has been making tires for 71 years and I see them around but they aren't major name brands.


    I drive 150-250 miles per day, as I'm in Route Sales for a San/Jan company in Southern Utah. Do you recommend these? Or do you have a preference, choice, like, thought, opinion :)
     
    #1 65mpg_utahn, Feb 28, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2017
  2. 65mpg_utahn

    65mpg_utahn New Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Four
    I found this interesting!

    Choosing Low Rolling Resistance Tires
    • Discuss the ups and downs of low rolling resistance tires with other hybrid drivers.

      For years, the Toyota Prius has come standard with the low resistance Goodyear Integrity. But those tires are notorious for wearing out fast, and that’s not the only compromise. “You can get a tire that will give you better mileage, but you are going to give something up,” Matt Edmonds, vice president of tire discounter Tire Rack told Automotive News. “Typically that would have meant stopping distance, handling in wet conditions.” (Toyota picked the Toyo Proxes A20 for 2010 Prius premium “V” trim, and the Highlander Hybrid.

      Tire Trade-Offs
      In September, Tire Rack conducted a “Real World Road Ride Economy Run” to determine whether lower rolling resistance tires are effective at increasing fuel efficiency. The test used a small fleet of Toyota Prii outfitted with the Goodyear Integrity all-season radial tires as a baseline. Each tire was driven over 550 miles of a 6.6-mile loop of expressways, highways and side roads.

      The Prius outfitted with the baseline tire achieved 51.4 miles per gallon, but the best performer was the new Michelin Energy Saver A/S that clocked 53.8 mpg. The Michelin HydroEdge with Green X delivered only 51.1 mpg. The other tested tires included the Bridgestone Ecopia EP100, Yokohama dB Super E-Spec, and Goodyear Assurance ComforTred.

      The Michelin Energy Saver was also very effective in stopping the Prius when traveling at 50 mph in wet conditions—verifying Michelin claims that the Energy Saver is “up to 8 percent more fuel-efficient than standard tires” and “stops up to 8 feet shorter.” The company equates the fuel savings to reducing CO2 emission as much as planting 40 trees.

      But the approximate 2-mpg advantage of the Michelin Energy Saver versus the Michelin HydroEdge Green X comes at a price. The HydroEdge, which uses a tread pattern and compound engineered for a longer life, comes with a 90,000-mile warranty. The Energy Saver A/S does not have a mileage warranty.

      Low Resistence 101
      Harder tires = lower rolling resistance. And other basics.

      The upcoming Chevy Volt will ride on the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max, which strikes a balance between low rolling resistance and long life. It has a tread compound designed to deliver a 27 percent reduction in rolling resistance, and comes with a 65,000-mile tread wear warranty.

      Calculating the costs and the payback for a more expensive tire is also tricky. Doug Girvin, director of product marketing for Michelin, makes the argument for the more expensive and higher-mpg tire: “When you take the cost of that tire and the cost of the fuel that it took over the life of that tire vs. a slightly less expensive tire that uses a little more fuel, the average cost-per-mile driven came within one-hundredth of a penny of each other.”



     
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  3. 65mpg_utahn

    65mpg_utahn New Member

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    Model:
    Four
    Low Rolling Resistance Tires, I keep seeing that name thrown around. I've never heard of it. I want to spend $50-80 per tire but I have heard so many bad things about the Stock Bridgestone Turanza tire on the Prius C
     
  4. TheTimob

    TheTimob Member

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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    The Turanza EL400 tires have a much shorter life. Bridgestone Ecopias are Low Rolling Resistance tires similar to the tread pattern of the Turanza, but they have a much longer treadlife rating of 640 instead of the Turanza's 300.

    My car came with Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max. They lasted for a while. I got rid of them at 35k when they had 5/32" on them (not worn out yet) because I worked for Bridgestone and got a massive employee discount on the Ecopias while there was a mail-in-rebate deal going on.

    It's hard to say which tires were better for mileage - I moved right after - and my new commute is drastically different.

    I really do like Michelin tires - my set of snow tires are 14" Michelin Xi3 with Green-X. I actually averaged higher MPG with these than with the Goodyears.

    My C is a Three - so I have 15" wheels. I actually bought the three instead of the four for this reason. Cheaper tires, skinnier tread. Another interesting difference is the 4 has a quicker steering ratio but the steering locks aren't as permissive - the turning radius of the lower models is much smaller - 31 feet vs 37 feet. This is to keep the wider tires from hitting the fenders.
     
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yes it's all a trade-off LRR tires have been standard on Prius since at least Gen 2 (I can't remember if the Gen 1 had it. I know the Gen 1 had special XL tires - that's "extra load" cause it's heavier than most cars that come with 14" tires).

    I can confirm that the Goodyear Integrity is the crappiest tires I've ever had the pleasure of using. Was glad when it wore out and we could swap it for Nokian WRs (1st gen back in 2007).

    A number of PCers here use the Energy Saver or Fuel Max tires. It depends on what you're using your tires for. If you travel 150-200 miles a day, then you go through tires faster than most people which puts you in a position to evaluate more tires.

    If you don't need all-weather capability, the Goodyear Premier All-Season is a new tire and works well in the rain.

    If you want comfort, try the Goodyear Assurance ComforTred or Michelin Energy Saver

    All-weather? Nokian WR line (currently WRG3), Goodyear Assurance TripleTred

    Michelin Defender seems like a reasonably priced tire. Make sure you choose the one for passenger cars as the Defender line is typically for SUVs but I think they came out with a passenger car line.
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah I have a set of Michelin Defender XT (in 195/65R15) in the garage, going on our son's Civic when the snows come off. The XT suffix is Costco's iteration of the tire, not sure exactly of the implications. They have the GreenX label, fwiw. Has a well-mannered looking tread pattern, if that makes any sense.

    They're rated very good for treadlife, and I've got a sneaky hunch they may have reworked this tire, it may be a LRR sleeper. Time will tell.
     
  7. Bill-l

    Bill-l New Member

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    One
    [/QUOTE]
    My C is a Three - so I have 15" wheels. I actually bought the three instead of the four for this reason. Cheaper tires, skinnier tread. Another interesting difference is the 4 has a quicker steering ratio but the steering locks aren't as permissive - the turning radius of the lower models is much smaller - 31 feet vs 37 feet. This is to keep the wider tires from hitting the fenders.[/QUOTE]

    I wasn't aware of the different radii for the Four vs. the lower numbers. FYI, mine is a One and I run 205/40/17's and I never scrape on turns.
     
  8. TheTimob

    TheTimob Member

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    I bet Toyota has much wider margins of "doesn't rub" than we enthusiasts require. They probably measure the clearance on computers with the suspension simulating a full compression of the strut while turned to the lock. It's may rub for a second in those sort of situations.

    On the JDM Toyota G's Aqua, they specify 195/45ZR17 tires on a 17x6.5 wheel. I'm sure the offset is different so they don't poke out from the fenders - Toyota is probably bound by some fender clearance laws. Your 205/40R17s are only 10mm wider than the G's tires - 10mm is practically nothing - Toyota probably built enough of a margin in there that you'll never rub with those even in extreme handling.
     
  9. tpellerin

    tpellerin Junior Member

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    Model:
    II
    So I bought a set of cheapo Sumitomo tires when it was discovered that my Michelins were badly worn and two leaking, the day before a surgery....
    Lord, these are awful tires, getting about 8% lower mpg than the stock LRR tires. Awful. Terrible. One does not drive a tiny Prius w/o the joy of 50+ mpg willingly. I got 40 on a 75 mph highway trip the other day, should have been 44+.....just terrible.
    I'm going to eat the tires and switch out to the Bridgestone Ecopia tires on my 2.
     
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  10. TC400

    TC400 Active Member

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    I really like the ecopias.