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What brand/model of tires do you like on a Gen1?

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by mroberds, Sep 14, 2019.

  1. mroberds

    mroberds Member

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    Hello all!

    My 2001 currently sports a set of Michelin Harmony tires, that were made in early July, 2011, and installed in October, 2011. In my opinion, they are the best set of tires I've ever had on the car. They also have over 72,000 miles on them, and the belts have shifted in one of them, so it's time to re-tire. Of course, Michelin stopped making the Harmony tires in a Gen1 size. :/ The replacement line is apparently Michelin Defender, but no dice there either.

    I am looking for a stock P175/65R14 size all-season tire, for the stock wheels. When I take out the low-end brands, Tire Rack currently offers everything from a Kumho Solus TA11 @ $66, all the way up to a Dunlop SP31 A/S @ $129. I plan to check other retailers as well. I'm in the USA.

    I read the helpful stuff about load ranges and inflation in the wiki, at Gen 1 Wheel Rims and Tires | PriusChat , and I'll be using that to filter the offers some more. I also did a search and it seems like most of the recent-ish threads on tires have talked about changing sizes, which I am not that interested in.

    Question: what are you all running on your Gen1 Prii? What do you recommend?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Sandy Meyers

    Sandy Meyers Member

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    Hi There,
    Two years ago in August 2017 I installed a full set of General Tires I purchased online from Walmart at $58/ each. I’m uploading a photo below. The tires were shipped directly to the store of my choice, whereupon I had them installed. The deal was too good to be passed up. I believe they charged me $10 per tire to install and since I purchased the tires from Walmart this deal also include free rotations for life. I don’t drive my Prius all that much so I found the General Tires to be a reasonable buy. The warranty is also very good. And after two years now in September 2019, the General Tire seems to be holding up really well. Granted I’ve only got about 1,500 miles on them.
     

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  3. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I'm going to forgo a specific recommendation, because I think what tire is best for the person, depends a lot on what attributes that person wants in the tire.
    So my advice is use the internet, it's your friend here.
    Tire Rack will give you a list of tires that fit your vehicle, with reviews for each one. That's a good starting point. Then you can look at price, attributes, reviews and come to a decision or at least narrow down a group of acceptable choices.
    You can gain further information by simply googling the name of whatever tire you wish to research.

    The trick IMO to knowing what tire is best for you, is knowing what you want in a tire. The tire I like, may not be a tire you'd like.
    Beneficially, once you determine that for yourself, the internet is full of information.

    My only further advice, is I don't go too cheap on tires.
    Given that they are literally the most direct thing between yourself, your vehicle, and the pavement, they are huge safety issues. So I don't look too hard for bargains or at odd/off brands.
     
  4. mroberds

    mroberds Member

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    Thanks for the advice!

    I ended up going with General Altimax RT43s - the same ones Sandy Meyers mentioned. P175/65R14, 82T, standard load, 75,000 mile warranty. I got mine from Discount Tire; they didn't have them on the shelf in the local store, but I ordered them late Saturday, and the store called me to tell me they had come in on Monday morning.

    The nominal price of each tire was $73. Out the door, with installation, two different waste tire fees (one state-mandated, one they're making up), lifetime balance and rotate, and sales tax, $100.95 a tire. I did not get their road-hazard coverage.

    They seem okay, but I've put less than ten miles on them. Ask me again in a couple of years. :)