Best All Season Tires + Correct Size

Go to Tirerack.com, instead of Amazon. The Hankook 727 looks like a very good tire.
As to the tire size, if you have a 2010 Prius with 15" tires (195/65-R15), then those 16" tires ain't gonna fit your 15" rims. If you want the 16's, you will need to change rims.

 

Good idea to use Tire Rack for research. I just purchased Ecopias

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422

but not from the rack since there was very little difference total cost when I calculated shipping charges, then balancing, installation and fees locally.
These tires are very light and seem to be getting good reviews. So far I'm pleased but have had no bad weather to compare. Check your current tires for the replacement size required.

 

Consumer Reports has, in their November, 2010 issue, reviewed performance tires again, including all-season. Check it out, and pursue a tire that fits your needs.

 

My advice is to get the Hankook Optimo H727. Hard to ignore the fact that its snow and ice performance is as good or better than most of the winter tires tested by Consumer Reports.

My further advice is to get the Hankook Optimo H727 in the OEM 195/65R15 size. It's made in that OEM size. TireRack.com sells it for $72 plus shipping and maybe sales tax. Gripston.com sells it for $80.83 with free shipping and no sales tax. I don't know what the brick and mortar places are selling it for. And if you buy 4 by November 30, 2010, there's a $40 mail-in rebate: http://www.hankooktireusa.com/greathit/forms/Rebate_Policy.pdf.

 

Did you mean the November 2009 issue? If so, here's a copy:

Consumer_Reports_Nov._2009_Tire_Tests-1.doc

 

Also, be sure to remind your tire installer:

1. To watch out for the tire pressure monitoring sensors.

2. To NOT attach balancing weights on the outside of your alloy wheels (balancing weights should be attached, preferably by tape, somewhere on the inside of the wheels). If they're attached on the outside, they'll look ugly, potentially scratch your alloy wheels, and prevent wheel covers and wheel trim rings from attaching properly.

Also, note that with the Hankooks, your long term gas mileage should be a tad less (I'm thinking 1 mpg less) than with your OEM tires. Although the rolling resistance of the Hankooks is rated "Good" by Consumer Reports, your OEM tires have an even better (lower) rolling resistance.

 

2009 with 87000 KM in Calgary Canada. Recently installed Bridgestone All season Ecopia EP422 195/55R16 on factory touring wheels. I was waiting for the first snowfall and cold weather to form an opinion. These tires are really good for an allseason tire on ice and fresh snow. With the traction control and ABS, winter driving is not the white knuckle experience of the past. I removed a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R XL 92R that were slightly better for ice but were very soft and noisy. The Nokians wore excessively quickly because of the combination of poor rear wheel alignment and very soft rubber compound. The original Bridgestone EP100 were quite hard and not a good winter tire, but were long wearing ~50000km. So far I am very pleased with the Ecopia 422 as a good year round tire that is quiet at all speeds with good traction on ice and snow. Now we will have to wait for a few years to check tire wear and fuel economy. Thanks to Bob Wilson4 rear wheel alignment tips. I installed custom made shims and now have rear toe of .1 factory was .57

 

I just purchased 4 Michelin Pilot Exalto 215 / 65 / 15. 2 sizes up, look great, excellent ratings on Tire Rack for the size $88.00 each. My MPG does not seem to be suffering. After one week of short driving in cold weather I am over 50 mpg. Quiet and great handling.

 

I would recommend the Bridgestone Potenza RE960 AS Pole Position. This tires will drastically change the handling of your Prius. They provide a lot more grip, feedback and response! They are excellent dry and wet weather tires. I noticed that the stability control is no longer as active as it was when I had the OEM tires. (I like to drive in a very spirited manner). During the winter I was very impressed with the Potenzas; they provided a level of confidence that was none existent with the OEM tires. They have a very good thread pattern that allows their use during light snow and ice. We had a 12 inch snow day back in January and the tires performed flawlesly. They are currently priced at the tire rack for only $72.00 each!

 

I was pretty happy to get over 50,000 miles from but Avid 333s - pretty good for an OEM tire, but they weren't the greatest in snow.

I just got the Goodyear WeatherHandler Fuel Max in the 195/65x15 size. Huge improvement over the Yokos at a very reasonable price at Sears:

Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

Better grip dry, wet and in snow, and quieter, too. They say the tire will improve mileage by 5%, but seeing as how we're in winter conditions (avg calculated mpg for the same driving profile has dropped from 50mpg to 45mpg), I won't really be able to say until summer.

They aren't a flashy tire, but I am talking an OEM replacement. If I wanted a showy tire, I would have gotten the 17" wheel package... ;-)

 

The Goodyear Integrity OEM tires that came with my 2006 Prius lasted well over 35,000 miles set at 42/40psi. It is time to plan for replacement.

After much recent research, including our beloved PriusChat (PC), I now recognize that Michelin is a premier tire company worthy of first consideration. The brand name tire line is the top line of the Michelin company products; their other close seconds are the BFGoodrich and Uniroyal lines. All three lines place in the top tier of winners in almost all research available on the web.

I concur with many posters on this and several other PC threads that (1) a great replacement/upgrade tire (as of 12/2010) is the Michelin Hydro-Edge, and (2) a great replacement/upgrade size is the 195/60R15. If I can find that size locally, it’ll be my first choice. However, I’m still most concerned with value. I expect the best bang for my buck.

I recently received a coupon for $70 off for any set of 4 Michelin tires at BJ’s Wholesale Club. Yeah! Interestingly, BJ’s only offers Michelin, BFGoodrich and Uniroyal tires. I was able to obtain a lot of comparative research and pricing regarding the suggested replacement tires as listed at BJ’s except for the Michelin X Radial. Michelin has a great web site to evaluate their individual lines. Apparently the X Radial is a unique line/brand name only for BJ’s. Sam’s and Costco may have their own unique Michelin brands..

IMHO, of the widely available Michelin lines, the Michelin Hydro Edge is the hands down preferred way to go value wise, with the Michelin Energy Saver a long and distant second. The Energy Saver has a tread rating about the same as the original OEM tires. No bueno.

For detailed info on the HydroEdge click here:
HydroEdge | Michelin Tires

For the Energy Saver click here:
Energy Saver A/S | Michelin Tires

And the Michelin X Radial, click here:
X Radial DT | Michelin Tires

The point I want to make here is that the Michelin website can help you to evaluate and select between its different lines once you have determined it’s your desired tire manufacturer.

My individual choice is clear. So are the specs. At $116 per tire for the Michelin X Radial at BJs (plus $15 balancing and mounting, less $12.50 coupon), I can get exceedingly close to the HydroEdge’s specs for a very low price. I suppose I might find a slightly lower price overall on the net, but then there is shipping costs and the hassle of finding a reliable tire shop to balance and mount the tire.

[FONT=&quot]Final parting thoughts: higher performance tires such as the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S usually have highly undesirable value trade-offs, and before you spend over $400 on new tires you should check other threads here and read up on Prius wheel alignment issues.[/FONT]