2008 Base Prius in SoCal needs new tires ASAP! ... help please

I am going with the Michelin Energy Saver AS $120 each.
Or just go here and read..''

Tire Search Results

 

Will be getting the michillins as well. They date high on mileage and have 80000 waranty i believe. Your owns had 50000 miles so u right at change time

 

I arbitrarily decided you lived in Encino CA*, Walmart carries
Goodyear Viva Authority Fuel Max tires for $89 each.

Car Tires by Make, Model, Size, Oil Changes, Auto Care - Walmart.com


*Walmart will not show you any tire without a car and a location, you gave a good description of the car.

 

get the michelin energy savers if you get any weather. quieter and better mpg. if it's warm year round, there are some summer tires that might be a little better.

 

Like what, I would like your input!!
Thanks!

 

i'm sorry, just what i was reading in another thread. i think pat wong had a recommendation, but, i can't remember the brand. see if you can find the thread.

 

At Wal Mart, try these...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Viva-Authority-FM/11983134


or, Tire Rack, try these...

Kumho eco Solus HM KR22

$248 for a set of 4

 

According to WWW.TIRERACKS.COM test of the Kumho Eco Solus KR22, they are terrible in the rain. Very poor wet cornering and braking. This is as close to the Tire Rack saying "don't buy these" as I've ever seen. The Kumho's seem to get their long life from very hard rubber, not high technology.

If you liked the Integrity's, shop around for the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires. They are a mid priced 65,000 mile tire that can frequently be found on sale. The get very close to the same mileage as the integrity, but a better in the wet, handle better, and my local tire store says they don't wear on the edges as badly as the Integrity's.

Here's the link to the test:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=133

 

I'm using Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 for both Prius. The price is moderate at Costco and Discount Tire.

 

good eye pat, thanks!

 

As usual, Patrick's recommendation is a good one. Follow the link to another Tire Rack test. This is a spider chart of the results. Spider charts are new to me, but I've found I really like them after learning to read them. If you put the cursor over the color legend for each tire, it highlights the pentagon for the tire. This makes the chart much easier to read when severa tires are tested. The result is that the Integrity wins by a little in the dry, there are a few tires that get even better mileage, and virtually all do a lot better in the wet.

Tires : Test Results : The Tire Rack

The Costco Goodyear Viva Fuel Max may be a variation on the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max. Costco negotiates a good price with Goodyear and Goodyear changes the name of the tire so shoppers can't cross compare by name. This keeps the Goodyear stores happier too because they can always say the Costco is a cheaper / less desirable tire than their version. I suspect there is no difference, other than name, but I have no real data to support my suspicions.

 

The Walmart Fuel Max does not have the same tread as the Goodyear store Fuel Max, but they are similar. So who knows how they'll perform. No body tests the house brands, so we are depending on you.

If you get the Walmart brand, tell us how you like them and what kind of fuel mileage you get compared to your Integritys. Remember that brand new tires that are exactly the same brand and model as the old ones will get a little worse mileage, according to Tire Rack. This is because the rubber gets harder and rolls easier as the tires age, the deeper tread squirms more and creates more friction, and the new tires are about one half inch taller because they have tread. Tire Rack said that in the Prius, this usually amounts to about 2 to 3 MPG less than the worn out tires.

At least with the Goodyear, you get to buy something from an American company that's made in America. I like supporting American manufacturing, even though I can't always do it (I couldn't buy an American 50 MPG family car).

 

The tread pattern of the Walmart variant (Goodyear Viva Authority Fuel Max) differs from the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max, but the inner tire construction is the same. They are 'average' tires at a low price. The 'best' tires cost more.

In Seattle you want a rain tire, in Chicago you want a snow tire, in Mississippi you want a round tire.

 

Oh Jimbo, you really know how to push a guy's buttons.

Just what is the best tire? The one with the quietest ride, the most grip, the longest life, the lowest initial cost, the lowest cost per mile, or the lowest possible rolling resistance. Many of these goals are mutually incompatible. And there is a cost benefit ratio and that can be different for each person also.

The Goodyear Integrity's were state of the art low rolling resistance in 2004 with very good dry grip. The Goodyear Fuel Max has maintained the dry grip and the low rolling resistance and much improved the wet braking and cornering. And the Fuel Max maintains a quiet and comfortable ride. They are good enough to come on some Gen 3 Prius' and the new Chevy Volt. I wouldn't call the Fuel Max an average tire, because the average tire sold in America is the cheapest thing a customer can find (as in average = mathematical mean). I will concede that they are a mid priced tire with a lower initial cost than high priced tires.

The down side of the Goodyear Fuel Max for me is that they are not sporty. I'm spoiled by high performance tires. My Goodyear Eagle GT HR-4's (now discontinued, darn) are some of the "best" tires for the Prius, by my standards, even though they were mid-priced to buy. I believe they will run away from all the low rolling resistance tires on a wet or dry track and feel responsive in the process. My Prius went from scary when pushed in the corners to feeling safe and secure with lots of grip in reserve. My wife says it drives much better also. I can still get 50 MPG in the summer playing the hybrid game (medium intensity, no post and glide), but I'm sure I take a MPG hit and my tires have a shorter life span as well (as do most H speed rated tires).

My point is that the Walmart Goodyear Fuel Max tires may be the "best" for our OP.

I knew I shouldn't have gotten stared on this topic.....

Thanks to All for the patience, Dan

 

I do not mean to push your buttons, I am just naturally irritating.

I think that was my ending point. If you know what you need, there is a better tire for that than the Fuel Max. If you need a cheap all round tire, the Fuel Max is good enough at everything. (we all want our tires to be all round)

That is why I pointed them out to the OP in the forth post in this thread, they are on my Prius now that the Integritys are worn out.