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Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by F8L, Apr 17, 2011.

  1. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    The Avid Ascend are available in the 175/65/15 size. I recently installed a set of those onto an 09 Fit. They roll well, and judging from F8L's experience, the mileage results should be quite similar to the OE tires.

    The EP422 are also available in 175/65/15 if dry/wet traction are not a concern. :eek:
     
  2. cinder

    cinder Member

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    Thanks , aware of those being available . I should of stated the Defender tires are not in that size as of yet . Keep us up to date on the Ascend performance . Especially wet . As for the 422s' , we decided against those because of wet handling . We had the Potenza RE 92 on a '08 Yaris sedan and they were horrible on rain soaked roads . Would think the 422 not to be any better .
     
  3. bfd

    bfd Plug-In Perpetuator

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    Thanks for the Discount Tire heads up.
     
  4. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I would print out the price from the website. Their in-store price does not always match their tires.com site.

    MB860 ? 2
     
  5. bfd

    bfd Plug-In Perpetuator

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    Thanks for that info too. There's also a $70 Visa prepaid card promo for Michelin purchases. (from now until 4/28/12) So that drops the price a little. :D

    I was told by two other places that the tires were back ordered, one of the two finally agreed to special order them.

    The guy at Discount tires said their warehouse up the freeway had 144 of the tires in stock right now.
     
  6. The Critic

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    Make SURE they are selling you the Energy Saver A/S and NOT the Energy Saver. They tried to sell me the Energy Saver until I caught them. Another member here also bought the Energy Saver by accident.

    The one you want is the Energy Saver A/S. The Energy Saver is a summer tire and is something completely different.

    http://m.discounttire.com/dtcs/tire...bmitProductSize.do?r=CSBINT|pc|93933&pc=35382

    For some reason, SD area shows 123/tire, south OC shows 99.

    MB860 ? 2
     
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  7. bfd

    bfd Plug-In Perpetuator

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    I made sure it was the Energy Save A/S. They're "GreenX"

    We're used to the price gouging. Gas, Food, Electricity - everything just costs more down here.

    Worse than NYC.

    It's the Sun Tax.

    When I went online, they were $128/tire. I mentioned all of this when I called.

    They ended up at $119/tire before the $70 prepaid Visa card.


    Two other locals quoted the $128/tire price - that's MSRP. Both of them said they had to special order it since there were none in stock or warehouse.
     
  8. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Sorry, I just noticed you have a Gen II. Thought you had a Gen III. Sounds like you got a fair price. Be sure to check the tire pressure after install since they put 32 in every car.

    I'll be down in your area next week, and I look forward to the sun!

    MB860 ? 2
     
  9. SuperchargedMR2

    SuperchargedMR2 Diehard Rams Fan

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    I looked into the difference between the Energy Saver & Energy Saver A/S. They are the same compound & rubber. The difference in the A/S is that it is sipped more for light snow performance. In theory the extra sipping could actually hurt mpg a little bit. They are both rated the same for MPG & tread life but the A/S is not rated as high for braking & handling. After I found out the differences I was leaning on keeping the regular Energy Savers that I have & then I found out that the A/S is not available in the 205/55R16 so that option is out anyway.

    So should I keep the Energy Savers or swap them for something else? What do you all think?
     
  10. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Tough call. In theory the summer tire should be better for mpg than the A/S. The next top competitors in the Round and Black test were both summer tires (Ecopia EP100 and dB Super E-Spec). Michelin rates both the Energy Saver and Energy Saver A/S as a 10 for fuel efficiency. They rate the summer tire higher for handling but lower in comfort. The A/S has a longer warranty at 65,000 miles vs 50,000 miles. I wouldn't read too much into it though. If you like the tires and you did not suffer a huge mpg drop then I would keep them assuming your climate is not too cold for them or you have winter tires. Summer tires should not be used in temps below 40deg average!
     
  11. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Hope this hasn't been posted before but from April 2-29, Bridgestone is running a $70 rebate or free Kindle Touch if you buy 4 eligible Ecopia or Eco-Product Tires, see http://bridgestonetire.com/promotions.

    FWIW, I have 2 Ecopia EP422 tires on my Prius and like them. When my other 2 wear out (Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position), I'll probably replace them w/2 more EP422s.
     
  12. SuperchargedMR2

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    The A/S has a little more tread depth & a lower max air pressure so I think that may be some of the reason for the differences in comfort & warranty. I will be getting a set of 195/65R15 winter tires for next winter so I'm not overly concerned about winter use from November-March. Such a tough decision......... :confused:
     
  13. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    They both have very low tread depth compared to other long lasting tires. Depending on the size they are 9/32 to 9.5/32. They are like slicks compared to my Ascend at 12/32. LOL

    I think you are set. Nothing else is likely to match the MPG of your tires and last significantly longer. The 3 tires with he highest tread wear warranty (Ascend, Defender, Eco Solus HM KR22) very likely cannot touch the mpg of the Energy Saver. since you will run winter tires I say just stick with what you have since the A/S doesn't come in your desired size.
     
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  14. The Critic

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    No problem with traction or handling? The TireRack test made the EP422 sound deathly in regards to traction.
     
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Get a real set of tires. EP422s are just riding on the coattails of the EP100. :p
     
  16. bfd

    bfd Plug-In Perpetuator

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    I wanted to get a feeling for the "low pressure" sound/ road feel before I ratcheted things up, so I'll probably give it until this weekend when I can be sure that tires are cold. I went 42/40 on the OEMs and that worked out well. So I'll probably fill to that range again.

    I'm supposedly (at least I've been assured that it will hit the ground this week) getting a Plug-in soon, and we're keeping the GenII, so it'll be interesting to compare the two.

    So far, I've been happy with the ride and low noise levels. Still a little hard to rate mileage, but I'm seeing similar patterns on my every day drive, so I don't think I am experiencing much, if any, new tire MPG penalty (at least compared to the OEMs). My overall MPG has settled in the 49.2 - 49.3 range, and my commute is pretty much the same every day, so it should be easy to make some first judgments about MPG given a month or two worth of data points.


    April and October are really the two BEST months to visit. Hope you have a safe trip.

    April heats up a little, then around the 1st or 2nd week of May it really gets hot in the desert and we won't see the sun again until after the 4th of July. Plenty of night and morning low clouds and fog along the coast.

    Thanks again for the heads up on the tires at Discount. If I hadn't read about it here, I'd have easily special ordered the tires at full retail from another tire shop!
     
  17. cinder

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  18. sunvia

    sunvia Junior Member

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    i have a 2010 prius....will be needing tires in a few months...i am interested in the michelin hydro edge.... they make a 205 x70 15..
    that would be a little narrower than the 65 but i'm wondering if it would fit the wheel well..... i can't find any dimensions on either the original or the 205.....any info would be appreciated
     
  19. SuperchargedMR2

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    Why would you get a 205/70R15? That is wider & much taller then the OEM 195/65R15. Your mpg would go way down with the larger diameter. There are a ton of great choices in the 195/65R15, just stick with one of those. Get a set of Energy Saver A/S or Yokohama Ascend tires. ;)
     
  20. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Aye, I agree with My friend above. There is no reason to go with the hydroedge anymore. They are being replaced by the Michelin Defender. There are tires that last just as long, perform better and get better gas mileage while being cheaper. For longevity and gas mileage look at the Michelin Defender (90,000), Yokohama AVID Ascend (85,000) or Continental ProContact with EcoPlus (80,000). For the best fuel mileage go with the Michelin Energy Saver A/S (65,000).