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Tires - Do Priuses wear less than a conventional car?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by telmo744, Jan 20, 2011.

  1. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    I read somewhere that there is less wear with a hybrid train like a Prius for the same kind/profile of commute.

    Seems to me there is some relationship as for:

    - Continuous torque applied, with no hick-ups
    - Less temperature, because heat release from brakes is less

    But, also, Prius owners tend to travel a bit smoother to achieve higher MPG...

    Am I wrong? :D
     
  2. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    You're on to something. Plus it's a Toyota.

    Our best friend and biggest enemy is the hybrid battery. But very very very very very few ever have that mythical problem.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    judging from all the tire posts here, i'd have to say it's negligible.
     
  4. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    There should be no difference in wear between a hybrid and a -very- similar old technology car.
    Very similar being, same weight, same frontal area, same tire size, same wheel size, same weight distribution.
    In other words, it's almost impossible to compare.

    But the hybrid drive train shouldn't make much of a difference, unless you're comparing it to a car with over 200 HP wherein the driver often uses that power!

    The way to minimize tire wear is to keep them properly inflated, and to actually do a proper 4 wheel alignment, not just a 4 wheel alignment check (which is what you get when you ask for a 4 wheel alignment, because it's not easy to align the rear wheels).
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah, I think any sort of Continuously Variable Transmission is going to be a little easier on tires, comparing to a conventional automatic, or manual.

    And D.O. on hybrid drivers being very gentle on gas/brake. They also tend to obey speed limits more, good for mileage, and tires.

    Also, hybrid owners tend raise tire pressures, which improves wear.
     
  6. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    The first sentence is much of I'm thinking of: when a manual gearbox car starts motion, the clutch many times closes faster and ICE rpm is a bit over, you have a lot of torque to the wheels, and not often, spinning, even for a few moments. We can easily see that in a Diesel car, in Europe. A sedan 2 litre Diesel like Toyota Avensis can eat up a set of tires in 25-30k, while the equivalent with a 1.6 Petrol up to 40k. Petrol is smoother in delivering torque when starting to move.

    Also when you do a trip with some descent, a normal car will hit the brakes and heat up the wheelhubs. That should also warm up the hole tire, including thread, giving a higher wear ratio. A hybrid does that without much hydraulic braking.

    Still, many other thoughts/opinions are required...I'm not sure...
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Maybe the Europe-spec Prius has higher-quality original equipment tires than the US-spec Prius. I would say that the US-spec 2G Prius (and Classic, for that matter) with original equipment tires tends to wear them out quickly, for example front tire excess shoulder wear when using factory-recommended tire pressure of 35/33 psi. I have worn out the original equipment tires after 15K miles. (Of course, some US owners are still on the original equipment tires after 50K miles, so your "mileage" may and will vary.)
     
  8. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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  9. sktn77a

    sktn77a Member

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    Interesting idea. But if you look back on the threads on tire wear, the Prius appears to wear through tires faster than other similarly sized cars (Corolla, for example). Thinking is that it's the additional weight of the drivetrain and battery.
     
  10. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    Well, for a reasonable point of view, yes, only compared with a vehicle with the same curb weight and power.
    I raised the question just because I have a lot of examples of faster wear than in my Prius, and totally forgot where the heck I have read that before :(
     
  11. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    It seems to me those who complained about short tire life also kept their tires inflated at Toyota's spec. Those who inflated to max sidewall had tires last twice as long.
     
  12. Genoz World

    Genoz World ZEN-style living

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    MORE WEAR!

    When I had the Potenza Grid's on my ride, nothing would bring me more joy than to "rail" a posted 30 mph turn going 55+. Slot car handling, energy though the index, powering out through the apex..............SCCA at it's best. The Grids at 50% shaved, 65+ on 30 mph turns.

    Drivers following me would have a rather rude awakening.
     
  13. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

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    The OEM Bridgestone Turanza ER30 front tyres were down to 3mm after 20,000 miles, most of which were at 40-42 psi. The rears were still at 6mm.

    My hypothesis is that because the tyres were designed to be used at extreme camber and toe angles on a BMW or Mercedes, rather than the very neutral camber and toe on the Prius, they never got up to proper working temperature. Therefore, when turning, they simply scrubbed across the road.

    I replaced all four with Nokian 'H' tyres last summer, which I believe will be a better match for the car, being designed for a Finnish autumn. Not especially high wear so far, all 8 depth markers on the Driving Safety Indicator were still present last time I looked, so over 8mm of tread still remaining.

    It is not customary to rotate tyres - that is, move them from front to rear axles and vice versa - in the UK.
     
  14. mainerinexile

    mainerinexile No longer in exile!

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    Are you sure you aren't thinking of brake wear? With regenerative braking, I've heard that Prius brakes last 2 or 3 times longer than conventional cars. Makes sense. And course, many of us drive with the mantra to try to never brake anyway, to get good mpg.
     
  15. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    You are correct, brakes do wear much less. I'm sure of that.

    My question is about tyre wear only.
     
  16. Seamaster

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    I agree that CVT is probably a major factor.

    My CVT Mercedes A Class is still on all four of its original tyres at 35,000 miles — and with plenty of tread left.
     
  17. schoonie

    schoonie Junior Member

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    It would seem to me that the old maxim, "you don't get something for nothing" applies here. The lack of wear on brakes is reasonable in that, compared to coventional systems, the brakes do very little in a Prius and yet stopping ability on dry road is very good. My experience is that front tires wear much faster than the rear which makes sense since the friction between those tires and the road has replaced the friction that would normally occur between the pads and rotors in a conventional system. Does this make sense to anyone else?
     
  18. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    Normally, 70% of the braking force is applied to the front axle/wheels. In a Prius, yes, this balance is enhanced to the front due to the regen deceleration.
    In my Prius, at 8k I could still identify the "original" honing marks on the rear discs. From my point of view, it makes sense.
    So rear tires are less worn, can this be stated true?
     
  19. snead_c

    snead_c Jam Ma's Car

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    Tires...negligible :rolleyes:
    Brakes...I'm not sure they even wear out :D
     
  20. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    Last Tuesday my wife hit a sidewalk and damaged one rear tire badly.
    I made some tread measurements on our 215/45 17", which gave:
    new - 8mm - 0.315in
    balanced 9300miles front (12k total) - 5.8mm - 0.228in
    balanced 2700miles front (12k total) - 6.5mm - 0.256in

    legal wear limit 1.6mm - 0.063in

    front wear rate = 8.18mils per 1k = term expected 30.5k
    rear wear rate = 3.93mils per 1k = term expected 63k