Tires, Anyone tried Goodyear Eagle GT HR

Hi All,

Anybody tried Goodyear Eagle GT HR tires?

I've owned my 2005 Prius since last December and I need tires. I've had Goodyear Eagle GT HR's on my 2001 Ford Escort for about 2000 miles and I like them.

I thought of putting them on my Prius because:
1) I'd like to buy something made in America by an American company.
2) Tires change a car's handling more than any other single factor and I'd like my to handle more like a Touring.
3) The Eagles have an additional 80lbs of load capacity and stiffer sidewalls over the Integritys so they should have a tighter steering feel.
4) The Eagles have a good reputation on Tire Rack for predictable handling, and braking and are sometimes used as a reference tire.
5) The Eagles come in the stock 185/65 size with the same over all diameter so the speedo/computer should be accurate.
6) The tread on the Eagles is 5.9" wide, only a little wider than Intergitys, so I hope to minimize my MPG penalty and they only weigh 20 lbs compared to 17 for Integritys.
7) While the Eagles are not the quietest tires on my Escort they are reasonable, ride well, and have reduced impact harshness over bumps than the cheapos my Escort used the have.
8) They have only a 50,000 warranty, but I can get a full set for $360.00 installed.
9) When new, they were quite good in the snow on my Escort, much better than non-all season rain tires.
10) And, when new, they are great in our Oregon rain and puddles.

Thanks, Dan

 

Follow up to original post:

I love these Goodyear Eagles. I've had them on for about 1.5 months. If improved handling and cornering is a high priority for your Prius, these are great tires. The difference is dramatic over the fleet tires (Ohtsu H speed rated tires) that the car had when I bought it. My car feels much safer to me.

In Oregon, most 2 lane roads have suggested cornering speed signs when the suggested speed is less than 55 MPH. These speeds are conservative because there is one speed for trucks and cars, day or night, sun or rain. Sporty cars can easily add 20 MPH in the dry, and real sports cars can add even more. With my old tires, my Prius was a little scary and felt like there was no reserve traction at +15 MPH over the cornering speeds. Now with the Eagles, +20 MPH feels secure and it feels like there is lots of reserve traction left.

Additionally, the car does not feel like it has 60 % of it's weight on the front wheels (it actually does). The handling is much more neutral (less understeer or "push"). Now my car feels like the cornering is limited more by uncomfortable body lean than by traction.

The car also tracks very well in all conditions including the freeway. The steering seems much tighter and more responsive on the freeway as well. I had it on the freeway in a major rain storm yesterday and the tires felt very secure, even in deep puddles.

My gas mileage does not seem to have dropped. There are so many variables, it's hard to be sure. Before the weather turned cold, I could still get 50 MPG on a 30 mile trip at speeds between 60 and 65.

I'm running the tires at 38 front and 32 rear. I've them as high as 42 front and 36 rear. I did not notice any improvement in MPG, but they were harsher and noisier, though not terrible. These are not the quietest nor the smoothest riding tires, but they are not extreme either. They are a good comprise, weighted on the performance end of the scale. And they are an all season tire with good snow traction (based on my other car, an Escort with the same tires).

These tires seem a great upgrade for the Prius if you want better handling. I very surprised that I seem to be the only one to try them. I highly recommend them.

Thanks, Dan

 

TireRack.com has these tires on closeout for $68.00 each. This is a great deal on tires that transformed the handling of my 2005 (on stock rims). And now that the weather is warmer, I've been able to break 50 MPG on trips again, so I think the rolling resistance is faily low, though not actually qualifying as a "low rolling resistance" tire.

Thanks, Dan

P.S. These are pretty good in the snow also. Not like Nokians, but way better than Integritys.