Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max vs. Hankook Optimo 727

I have 43,300 miles on my OEM Integrity tires and the tread is almost worn down to the wear bar. After scouring Prius chat for tire recommendations, I was convinced that I should get the Hankook Optimo 727 195/60R15 for my next tires. The determining factors for me are better handling in rain, snow, ice, and wind, as well as comfort. Also, I don't want to take too much of a hit on MPG, plus I don't want to pay too much.

I have a good deal lined up for the Hankook, but the store really tried to talk me out of buying it. They said they didn't put much stock in the Consumers Reports ratings; and also that it wasn't a good idea to change the size from the OEM tire. They highly recommended the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max in the same size as my OEM and are willing to sell it to me for almost the same price as the Hankook, only $36 more for the 4 tires.

According to them, The Goodyear Fuel Max would give me better gas mileage and would perform as well as the Hankook in all of the areas that I care about.

2 questions:
1) Anybody agree? Should I go for the Goodyear instead?
2) If I do go with the Goodyear, should I get the Goodyear Fuel Max in the 195/60R15 size, or should I follow their recommendation and stick with 185/65R15?

Thanks for your insights.

Chuck

 

Thanks for your opinions. The salesman (salesman#1) said that he doesn't think that the ratings found in consumers reports are completely unbiased and can be trusted. He told me that in his experience with customers, many purchase a tire based on those ratings; and then are not happy with their choice. He doesn't believe CR's testing methods are thorough enough, because they don't test the tire beyond a certain mileage amount. I think he knows about tires because he is dealing with them and his customers every day. I'm not sure how many customers he has that drive a Prius, however.

Altogether I went to 3 different stores. Of the other 2 salesmen, one pushed the Pirelli over the Hankook; but also liked the Goodyear. The other really knew nothing about the Hankook and was recommending the Goodyear. All 3 were reluctant to consider the 195/60R15 size instead of the original size.

I value the opinions of people on Prius Chat who can provide real world experience on what works well for the Prius. It seems there are a lot of smart people that I can learn from on this forum. I'm still not sure what I will decide, but I agree with Boo that it might just be possible that I need the Hankook tires to go with my shiny trim rings and door handles!

Chuck

 

Ok, a couple of you mentioned you have the Goodyear tires. What size? OEM, or 195/60R15?

Is there any reason to stick with the original size? All 3 salesmen seemed to think so. The Goodyear was recommended by all 3, whereas only 1 salesman thought the Hankook was a good option.

 

Good point about dealers being biased. Because I'm honest, I tend to think others are like me, but it's not always true.

What would be the benefit of going with 195/60R15 as opposed to 185/65R15?

 

Assuming the same size tire size for both the Fuel Max and Optimo, which tire do you think would give me better MPG?

Currently my speedometer reads about 1 mph hour faster than actual speed with the 185 width OEM Integrity. Will the bigger size tire make the speedometer read slower?

 

All right, it is time to make a decision! (my rump is sore from sitting at the computer too long!!)After reading reviews of both tires on Prius Chat as well as elsewhere, it seems to me that the Hankook is the tire to get. I will get it in the 195/60R15 size. It is cheaper, and is supposed to last longer; and just about every review I read raved about the handling and comfort as well as the quiet ride.

There is no way of knowing for sure if the Hankook will last as long as it is supposed to, but that seems to be the only knock against it. Because it is less expensive I am willing to take the risk. From what I can tell from reviews it might be more comfortable to drive, and may perform slightly better than the Fuel Max. I am willing to lose a couple of MPG's for the tradeoff in the handling and better performance.

Thanks to all of you for your opinions, and for answering my questions!

Chuck

 

Ok, because I know nothing about balancing tires, what's wrong with the weights? Is it possible to balance the tire without them?

 

Thanks for alerting me to the small weight issue. I thought the small weights on the outside were my only alternative, since every time I've had tires balanced that's the way they did it. In light of this, I'm not as worried about insulting the intelligence of the installer!

Chuck