tires

It must be wet weather traction every one is talking about because I have 1500 miles on my new Integritys and I think they seem to have pretty good traction in the dry. We haven't had any real rain yet to try them out in the wet though.
They are very noisy, I have to agree with that. But even tonight coming home with the kids I took the corner near my house without slowing down (they love that) and aside from a tiny bit of tire squeel they stuck perfectly. I will have to see what the wet weather handling is like. But so far I thought they are quite acceptable in the dry.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tony_Min @ Oct 8 2006, 08:31 PM) [snapback]329918[/snapback]</div>

take your rosary beads with you if your going to try that on wet pavement. Let us know before hand so we can all say a little prayer for you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Oct 8 2006, 09:17 PM) [snapback]329937[/snapback]</div>

And please don't try it with the kids in the car!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 8 2006, 10:31 PM) [snapback]329950[/snapback]</div>

I just bit the bullet and put HydroEdges on the wife's car and what a difference. On wet it's like day and night and it tracks so straight. Best money spent on that car.

 

Be sure to check out Nokian WRs. Excellant wet and snow traction. Work well on dry pavement too. Seem to last forever - 100,000 km prorated warranty. Kal tire have them "on sale" right now, about $10 off per tire. They are a little noisier than a "summer tire", but they have decent tread, so you'd expect to hear them a bit. I like the way they go "shh" when you corner hard.

Being so good, they aren't cheep, as you would expect.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 9 2006, 10:01 AM) [snapback]330074[/snapback]</div>

Paid $136.28 each installed and balanced. Plus tax.

 

How is the rolling resistance and mileage on the ComfortTreads? It's academic for me at the moment, but I'll probably need another set in 18 months or so, thus I'll be keeping an eye on the tire threads.

I'm really amazed at the contrast between the Hydroedges and the MXV4s. Handling is pretty equal, but the ride and noise on the MXs is superior by a noticeable margin. And perhaps most dramatic, esp for a Prius owner -- the rolling resistance/mileage. I'd been averaging 43-44 mpg on the HEs, though that was creeping up as the tires broke in (I had about 3000 miles on them when I jettisoned them under the wty). With the MXV4s, I've started out at 47-48 mpg. The car also snaps into a deadband glide easier than it did with the Hydroedges. Don't get me wrong -- Hydroedges are superior tires, I absolutely loved the set I put on my V-6 Camry. Perhaps a human footwear comparison is in order: Hydroedges are top quality, high traction, heavy weight combat boots, whereas the MXV4s are like a set of really nice comfortable running shoes.

I got the set of MXV4s for $120 per tire installed (and added a roadhazard program on top, which makes great sense for me, as I drive in New Orleans 4-5 days a week...). Hint: for the second time, I've used the "lever" of TireRack to get a deal from a local store. I tell them I'd prefer to do business with a neighbor, but the price delta is too great. I offer them the chance to beat TR (including TR shipping and local install, of course). This is the second time I've had a local store cut their price to beat TR. Competition is a good thing. . .

 

I inquired about the MX's but as we get about 6 feet of rain a year and I really worry about her slipping and sliding I went with the HE's. She's already damaged the car because of the crap Integ's, avoiding a crash, and the Trac will kick in on any wet and slick road I wanted something with a sure grip in the rain. In the downpour we had a couple of weeks ago I really had to stomp on it around a corner and I just managed to get it to kick in, before it would have fallen flat on it's face on the same corner.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ekpolk @ Oct 9 2006, 04:13 PM) [snapback]330149[/snapback]</div>

Hi Ekpolk,

That is interesting info. Yea, my Hydroedges were quite noisey out of the box, and over time they have quieted down. I have almost 4000 miles on them already. I think it has to do with the factory siping (those little slits in the tires) that help improve wet weather road grip. Each edge has to be worn in before the tires get quiet. At the moment I am getting 56 mpg, at daytime temp in the 60's and overnight in the 40's in mixed driving, with a highway speed of 65 mph. Running 42/40 psi at 70 F setting temp.

There is predicted snow tomorrow night here. Probably something you are not going to need to worry about there in Pensacole, eh?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Oct 9 2006, 07:00 PM) [snapback]330322[/snapback]</div>

Nope, no snow expected anytime soon down here! It did drop to a shivering seventy-something tonight -- why, I thought I was going hypothermic or something . Given that I grew up in New Hampshire, I think it's true that one's blood thins out after a while living down south. Mark your calendar -- I'll be expecting a good finger in the eye somewhere around 8/1/07. . .

Since my last post, I'm now wondering if I might not have had a bad tire in my set of Hydroedges. Why? 1) the mid-speed "wawawawawawawa" drone never went away, at least not after 3000 miles on them, and 2) the mileage stayed pretty low. My yardstick drive is my Sunday night (Monday this week) trek from Pensacola to New Orleans, almost always driven under the same conditions. With the OEM Integs, staying at the speed limit (as it varies throughout the 200 mile drive), I'd get 47.something. With the HEs, over their 3k miles on my car, it was 42.x to start with, which had risen to 44.x by last week. Tonight, same load, same conditions as always (well, a tad cooler), running the limit, and I recorded an amazing (for me) 50.8 mpg with the brand new Michelin Energy MXV4-Plus tires!!!!! They're much quieter too. My wife always calls me about 2 hrs into the 3 hour drive to make sure I'm awake and chat. I immediately noticed that she was easier to hear over the speakers (I have BT on this car), and she commented that I was coming through clearer as well.

Gee, can you tell that I like the MXV4s better than the HEs? OK, rave off, I'll continue to monitor how these tires develop over time and miles and report back. In fairness to the HEs, the UTG rating on the MXV4s is "only" 400, whereas the HEs are 800, so I'd definitely expect more life out of the HEs. We'll see how it goes.

 

One more thing to add to my last post: I'm pretty compulsive about tire pressures. Early on, I settled in on 38 front and 36 rear (in each case, +3 from OEM spec). Yes, I like 'em a tad on the firm side. I had the Integs, the HEs, and now my MXs set at these pressures. It's quite possible that the HEs "prefer" a different setting than I was using, and that I never found their optimum pressure.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ekpolk @ Oct 10 2006, 01:10 AM) [snapback]330435[/snapback]</div>

Hmm, don't know. The 185/65-15 Hydroedges I have seem to be quieter than the same sized Integreties that were original. Escpecially in the 35 to 50 mph asphalt road driving. The only time the tire noise is up loud enough to be noticable is when I am on the highway with the crossed grooving (for water drainage) on it.

Did you have your alignment checked?

 

I doubt it's the alignment, though I can't totally rule it out. The car tracks perfectly, steering feels symmetrical, and so forth, no pulling, drifting, or other symptoms. In addition, the contrast between the car's behavior with the Hydoredges and the MXs is so stark, realistically, I can only attribute the change to the tire swap. Of course, this again begs the question of why the HEs weren't working for me. It is certainly possible (though I have no basis to assign a probability) that I had a bad one in the set. Maybe, as with the Princess and the Pea, I'm overly sensitive. My opinion at this point (with due respect to those who like them) is that the HE is simply not that good a match to the Prius. Too much rolling resistance, at least relative to better choices like the MX, and the aggressive tread pattern makes too much noise in the quiet, lightly insulated Prius. HEs will certainly suffice, and if I'd had to keep them, I could have lived with them, but I'm a lot happier with the MXs (and with how my avg mpg is now above 50 and climbing).

 

Well, after reading all of this and experiencing severe hydroplaning in wet weather, I "bit the bullet" and replaced the tires with Michelin Hydroedge tires this afternoon. We're taking a trip up to northern Michigan tomorrow with the car and they've reported an early winter storm up there with snow/sleet/ice/rain. Hopefully, the car will handle better and we won't have any problems with traction or hydroplaning.



PS - These tires seem to be quieter than the Goodyears.

 

Well either way, the Integrities are pretty much a joke for a tire. Im thinking on either checking out the Hydroedges or the Comfortreds.

I have a question on the TireRack site, in checking that out i saw that my tire choices are a tad cheaper than Discount Tire.....I could order from them. Do they ship with just the tires or what? If so I could order them and then have Discount put them on.

Whichever I look at it, just about any tire would be a drastic improvement over the joker Integrities anyday, especially when safety and handling is involved

 

I have tried few tires, I think for Gen 2 Prius best option is Continental TrueContact. Have excellent traction in wet and dry, as well as decent traction in Ice and snow.

I also replaced my previous tire at half the thread life(still had 5/32") on my Hankook H727 (highly rated by Consumer reported). Previous car I tried Michelin Defender, I think Continental TrueContact is better than that at much better price. This tire is also highly rated by Consumer Reports.

Check the Tire Rack reviews for this, this has direct comparison with Defender

Tire Test Results : Testing Passenger and Standard Touring All-Season Tires: Which Are Truly More Than Just Round and Black?

I have Continental PureContacts on my BMW (replacing Bridgestones), and was impressed with traction and smoothness. That helped make decision to put Continental TrueContacts, and I think it is best decision. It has best smooth ride, quiet ride as well excellent traction in rain.

BTW, these gave best mileage also (LRR tires)