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Tires... Thinking of switching from Hydroedge to Energy Saver A/S or?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by roverguy78, Mar 18, 2013.

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  1. roverguy78

    roverguy78 Elite Lurking Member

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    I currently have Michelin Hydroedge tires in the 195/60/15 size. I have had them for about 26,000 miles. I went with the larger size tire for improved handling, which has been noticeable. However, the steering seems overly heavy at times, and steering is more twitchy at highway speeds. I believe it may be due to the tread design.

    The reason I am looking at possibly changing tires even though they only have 26,000 miles on them, is because they are developing sidewall cracks that I don't believe should be present after relatively low mileage (considering they are supposedly good for up to 90,000 miles), so I may look into having them prorated for replacement.

    We have Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires on our 2010 Prius. They are the stock 195/65/15 size. The car handles extremely well with those tires. They are also free of sidewall cracks.

    So, I am debating what size tire I would go with, if I do end up having them replaced. The 195/60 is a bit wider than the 195/65, which is a bit taller. From what I gather, the added diameter would actually help make the speedometer more accurate, as it over-reads by a few MPH.

    I would appreciate any input on tire size, as well as possible alternative tire choices.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 roverguy78, Mar 18, 2013
  2. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    F8L is the man to ask.
     
    #2 frodoz737, Mar 18, 2013
  3. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    #3 dorunron, Mar 18, 2013
  4. roverguy78

    roverguy78 Elite Lurking Member

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    Thanks guys.

    After looking at the specs for the Energy Saver A/S, the stock 185/65 sounds like the best bet. The revs per mile is 851, and the width is only 1/10th of an inch narrower than my 195/60 HydroEdges.
     
    #4 roverguy78, Mar 19, 2013
  5. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    If I could afford them, they would be on our Prius today. Still running the crappy Integrities. Good luck with your choice.
     
    #5 dorunron, Mar 19, 2013
  6. SteveLee

    SteveLee Active Member

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    I have thought when the time comes that going to the 195 or even the 205 is a real possibility due to improved handling and stability from side winds and passing trucks. It sounds like you have experienced some of that. I believe the Gen3 cars even come stock with the 195. So I'm wondering why you are thinking about going back down to the 185. I just haven't heard of anyone on here going back to the 185 after using the wider tires.
     
    #6 SteveLee, Mar 19, 2013
  7. magnumrtawd

    magnumrtawd Member

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    On the subject of tires.
    I just purchased a 08 touring edition. It has 87,000 mi. and in excellent cond.
    The tires are 195/55/r 16's Mich. energy saver with less then 10.000 mi.
    These are the worst tires I have ever had in the snow!!! Won't stop or go with out anti lock or traction control going off. No matter how much you feather the pedals.
    We also have a 2012 Camry XLE with 215/55/17 Bridgestone Turanza el 400's that is excellent in the snow.
    How much of a fuel mileage penalty will there be going to an all season tire on the Prius???
     
    #7 magnumrtawd, Mar 19, 2013
  8. roverguy78

    roverguy78 Elite Lurking Member

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    The 195/60 increased stability, but it seems as though I sacrificed some control. It could just be the tread design of the HydroEdges, but at high speeds, the steering feels overly stiff and heavy, and making small corrections is not nearly as smooth & precise as it used to be. A tiny correction - even on a straight stretch of road - often results in over-steer. It actually feels worse in the wind than it did with the lousy Integrity 185/65 tires. I had a front end alignment done, as I thought that might have something to do with it. That made no difference. I also don't like that this particular size tire has caused the speedometer to over-read even further. Overall, I am not impressed with these tires. To see that they are developing sidewall cracks has further disgusted me.
     
    #8 roverguy78, Mar 19, 2013
  9. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I think you are on the right track.

    Unfortunately, the GenII comes with tires that are too small for the weight of the car. If you are looking to increase stability then going with the larger size like a 195/65/15 is the way to go but they are quite a bit taller than OE. The 195/60/15 is quite a bit smaller than Oe so that really screws up your speedo and creates a false mpg reading because the smaller tire overestimates the number of miles of traveled. Some members go with a 195/65/15 for increased stability and ground clearance. The other alternative is a 205/60/15 which is taller than OE but shorter than a 195/65/15. The increased handling is nice and mpg shouldn't be seriously affected unless you do mostly high speed driving due to the wider tire's increased width affecting aerodynamics.

    Sooooooo

    Stick with the 185/65/15 Energy Saver A/S for max efficiency or step up to the 195/65/15 for increased ground clearance, load capacity and handling but a lifted look.

    The alternative is a 205/60/15 but the only really fuel efficient tire in that size is the Assurance Fuel Max (so-so handling, bad road noise but good snow traction).
     
    #9 F8L, Mar 19, 2013
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  10. roverguy78

    roverguy78 Elite Lurking Member

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    Thanks for the input, F8L. Much appreciated!
     
    #10 roverguy78, Mar 20, 2013
  11. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    No problem. :)
     
    #11 F8L, Mar 20, 2013
  12. scotrinaf

    scotrinaf Junior Member

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    We put the Michelin Energy Saver tires on our 2008 Prius, so far have noticed almost no change in mileage... We average around 44mpg anyway... We do live in the mountains though, so flat land driving may notice better fuel economy than where we live...
     
    #12 scotrinaf, Apr 21, 2013
  13. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    What tire did you replace and how many miles were on them?

    Was this the Energy Saver or Energy Saver A/S?
     
    #13 F8L, Apr 21, 2013
  14. Zorain

    Zorain New Member

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    My first post here I was noticing my speedo was off about 1.5-2 mph from what my gps was reporting I've had the car a week love it so far it has the 185/65 15 86s Yokohama on it my question is what size do I need to correct the speedo the car says 57 GPS says 55 thanks in advance
     
    #14 Zorain, Apr 24, 2013
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    The speedo on all Prii and most other cars read high by design. The odometer generally reads very accurate, however. So if you use taller tires to make the speedo read more accurately just remember that your odometer will now read slower.

    You can use a 195/65/15 like on the GenIII. This tire is quite a bit larger so I'd take GPS readings for speedo and odometer to see what effect they have should you go that route. The car will feel much more stable and mpg should increase after all calculations are made for odometer changes.

    If all you care about is the speedo error then I would simply try to ignore it. :)
     
    #15 F8L, Apr 24, 2013
  16. Zorain

    Zorain New Member

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    So the odo and speedo are independent of each other?
     
    #16 Zorain, Apr 24, 2013
  17. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Sort of but not really. They are both affected by a tire size change. The speedo display is simply programmed to read 1.5-2mph faster than actual.
     
    #17 F8L, Apr 24, 2013
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  18. Zorain

    Zorain New Member

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    Thanks for the info sir
     
    #18 Zorain, Apr 24, 2013
  19. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    No problem. :)
     
    #19 F8L, Apr 24, 2013
  20. roverguy78

    roverguy78 Elite Lurking Member

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    I wanted to update this thread. I am much happier with the Michelin Energy Saver A/S 185/65. The car handles better, and my mileage has improved considerably (from 47 - 52MPG). My experience with wider tires was not good. The steering was overly heavy, there was very noticeable tramlining, and the MPG decrease made matters worse. 195/65 may be a good choice for some, but I would highly recommend avoiding the 195/60 size, especially with Hydroedges. I went with that size after several recommendations from the forums.

    I will also add that my car does have a strut tower bar and replacement chassis brace. In my opinion, the strut tower bar offered more benefits than the wider tires.
     
    #20 roverguy78, May 9, 2013
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