Tire Blowout

Let us know what kind of mpg you will get with Yoko. Avid Ascend GT is on my short list for a new set when my current OEM tires are done. I had Yoko Avid Ascend on my old HCH and liked them, but never had on Prius. Yeah, from all the reports I saw here, I am going to avoid Toyo Nanoenergy. Then, for a tire with UTQG: 300 A B rating, they are not that cheap. $102/tire at TireRack. No reason to consider them for OEM replacement.

 

Will do. In fact, I need to go out and check my tire pressures before we leave for a Good Friday service tonight about 18 miles away. I'll see what my miles/kWh look like then. But it won't be a good comparison since we're having 40 mph winds right now with tornado watches and expecting nasty storms this afternoon.

 

How has your gas mileage been with the Avids? I am leaning that way myself.

 

I know tire blowout can be scary. I think what is worse is riding in a vehicle on completely bald tire. Going into a corkscrew exit off the freeway and feeling the car sliding beneath you is a terrifying experience. I was a passenger once in a car that experienced this phenomena. The 1st time was in the rain. Sadly, the driver elected not to replace the tires and the last time I rode in that car was on completely dry pavement. It's sad when you have to check for tire wear before entering a vehicle.

Tire blowouts are extremely rare. Mostly it seems the big rigs have the most blowouts, but they have 18 wheels.

 

I took an initial "new-tire" hit. Right now, I'm on a 5,000+ mile road trip, so I can't compare. But when we get home, the new tires will be well broken in, so I'll know more. As for the road trip, in good weather, I've been running 60-70 mpg on non-interstate roads. And they are great in the rain after driving through 750 miles of it earlier this week.

 

Thanks for getting back to me. I need tires, so I ended up ordering the "regular" Avid Ascends (no 'GT') as they seem to have a few saying that they improved their mileage. I'll see how they do. It looks like the GT vs the non-GT is a slight tread change.

 

My PiP had those. I thought they were good tires.

 

When buying tires, consider your personal priorities. What tire attribute is first on your list...and second and third? Tread life? Low rolling resistance (gas savings)? Wet or winter traction? Puncture resistance? Low noise and harshness? Low initial cost? For us, I choose wet traction and puncture resistance as being most important. Your choices may be different, but do make your own list. Every tire design is a compromise. Pick the attributes that serve you and your family the best.

https://www.tirerack.com/content/tirerack/desktop/en/tire_decision_guide.html

 

What would puncture resistance be, a Kevlar belt? FWIW, I didn't see puncture resistance in the link:

 

Run-flat tires, in case your car has no spare

 

No, I think puncture resistant is another thing, a puncture preventative measure, whereas run-flats just allow you to keep going, after a puncture. I'm a little sceptical, since puncture resistant is not mentioned by manufacturers, at least not that I've noticed.

 

I would avoid run-flats. Generally heavy, don't handle as well, etc. I'll take my chances on a flat. My MX-5 has no spare, and in 60K miles I've never had a flat, much less a blowout.

 

Oh, I did not know there are such things, but I am sure @PT Guy meant "run flat", as that's the tires he has on his PRIME.
I put on run-flat tires | PriusChat

 

I see, and I missed that. Thanks. I won't be shopping for run-flats for my Prime anytime soon.

 

Yeah, I had bad experiences with the 1st generation run flats that were on our AWD Sienna. I would not want to put them on my PRIME either, though PT says those 3rd generation run flats are much better now. Now I carry my full-size spare on the car all the time. No worry.

 

Yep, the 3rd gen Bridgestone run-flats are OK. I'd buy them again.

 

I think I made a bit of a mistake with these Yokohama Avid Ascends. My gas mileage has dropped pretty significantly. I'm down more than 10% - to around 48 mpg in hybrid mode.

 

How many miles on the new tires? The rolling resistance is worse for new ones. For the EPA test, the tires are limited to 4000 miles worth of wear, because worn tires are more efficient.

 

I got the Ascend GT. Mine took a hit till they broke in. I got them just as it got hot here, so I won't be able to compare directly till it cools down again in December or whenever. But I tend to think that the mileage is back.

 

My new Michelin Primacy MXM4 (17"') put me in the mpg basement for a couple of months. I see a 1/32th inch has scrubbed off and mpg is starting to come back.

I have had other new tires that were good from the outset.