What kind of tires should I get?

San Ramon CA seems to be in the coast range east of Oakland CA. If that is the San Ramon you live in, wet traction should be more important than snow or ice.

This test When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green hints that Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 may be a good choice or Michelin HydroEdge with Green X for the wet.

The Bridgestone may be 2 MPG better than the Michelin. but both are a better tire in the wet than stock.

 

The Michelin Primacy MXV4 was rated #1 in the Performance All-Season category and got good low rolling resistance on a consumer report tire survey in Nov. 2009.

I need to get tires soon and I'm leaning towards the Yokohama AVID Touring-S because it got almost as good of low rolling resistance as the Michelin, but costs less. I drive in Los Angeles so I don't need snow or ice traction.

 

I actually bought my tires at Walmart, Goodyear Viva Authority Fuel Max, for $79 each. All I need my tires to do is stay round. Lots of Walmarts in the south and I can get them repaired in any town

If I lived in the Northwest I would buy whatever Les Schwab had in the way of LRR tires, same reason. Looks like Les Schwab is in Northern California, they are a good choice.

LIVERMORE (925) 245-9995 2650 Las Positas Rd Livermore, CA 94551-8802

CONCORD (925) 825-5940 625 Contra Costa Blvd Concord, CA 94523-1514

FREMONT (510) 796-1985 36761 Fremont Blvd Fremont, CA 94536-3631

 

There's a bajillion tire threads on PC (now a bajillion and one) and they never seem to get old.
I'd stay away from the Yoko AVIDs - had a set on my Honda Odyssey that were nothing but trouble, uneven wear and impossible to keep balanced.
My Michelin Primacy MXV4s on the Prius right now are doing very well. Expensive tires but no disappointment at all.
Whatever you get, have an alignment done when they go on and up the PSI. No faster way to ruin new tires than low pressure and/or bad alignment.

- D

 

I pulled the trigger and went with the Michelin Primacy MXV4 in 185 65/15. I've driven about 300 miles so far the the MPGs have decreased some (around 2 mpg).