Psyching myself out over tires

I think my next set will be the Michelin Primacy, which is not a LRR tire. I could lose up to 4 mpg overall, but I've been reading they are very comfortable and the noise generated at highway speeds is less and therefore less is transmitted thru the cabin. Your commute is very long so consider your comfort. Michelin makes great tires so safety should not be an issue. So, you have even more to think about!

 

I have one winter's experience with the Ecopia 422's in SE Michigan on my Gen II. They handle snow and ice extremely well in sub freezing temperatures. Traction control is no longer a concern as it had been with the Goodyear Comfortreads I had been using. SE Michigan is moderately hilly but nothing like central PA.

IMHO, the Ecopias are good all season tires, despite Consumer Reports' thumbs down.

I averaged 50 mpg over a 1250 mile three day excursion last weekend. This is a 4 mpg improvement compared to the Goodyears. So they are a good LRR tire as well.

One caveat. The sidewalls are spongy and the tires make noise when cornering. Avoid these tires if you like "spirited driving". I drive for mpg and I drive defensively (98% of the time LOL!). I haven't been in an accident since 1988.

 

..maybe check out TireRack.com website lots of info there

 

I obsessed over tire choices for awhile too with the same choices, safety or mpg. Went with Michelins in the end as I've done with my other cars and again, no major complaints.

I'm also in central PA and ride a ton of miles a day. I ran 15" Primacy MXV4's on my old Corolla as well as BF Goodrich Advantage T/A's before that, trying for a safe all-season with a good warranty. I liked them both but found the Primacy was a little slippery in the snow over the Goodrich, despite Tire Rack's survey. I think it was because they're harder tires but then the warranty is great. The Goodrich handled and rode great but got pretty noisy at 40k. The Prius Avids were IMO horrendous in the winter, no more Yokohamas for me!

It is hard to find the happy medium between mpg and safety, especially when tires cost so much and you're stuck if you hate them. Even if you take an mpg hit in the interest of safety, you may still be in the 50's which isn't so bad. So much research is opinion-based though but definitely trust F8L's research. Have you seen this thread yet?

Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List | PriusChat

Good luck!

 

My understanding is that the new Continental PureContact delivers everything the Primacy MXV4 does, but with significantly better dry/wet traction and for 15% less.


iPhone ?

 

That is usually fixed by higher pressure. What tire pressure do you run in yours?

 

35 psi. I've tried 40 to 45 psi but the ride is too uncomfortable because the "man" won't use or doesn't have the scratch to resurface the roads I must take to work - highway or surface streets. No such thing as a "bump in the road" around these parts. More like a hundred or more of them to and fro.

 

Unfortunately, a bad monetary decision I made BEFORE I traded in my Honda Fit, was buying a new set of tires. (Oh Well, the next owners have a nice set of tires).

But here's my feelings in regards to the OP's concerns. From what I have read in reviews about the Bridgestone Escopia's they are generally considered a good set of tires. Therefore, I don't think the OP would have to worry about getting a set, and getting a "lemon" of a tire. Most of the reviews I read concerning them gave them relatively good marks for wet handling.

If you are expecting a new child this fall, your priorities in what you might want from a tire can change. Could you find tires with higher rankings for wet/snow conditions...probably almost certainly. So if you want to change your overriding priorities for a purchase, go right ahead.

But I also think the OP is right, in so much is there is no substitute for smart winter driving. So if you have a tire that performs safely and decently? You should be okay as long as YOU are driving smartly. It doesn't really matter what tires you have mounted if some other careless person hits YOU.

But with a new child arriving, I can understand the changing concern to want as much safety as possible.

Have you considered running a Fall/Winter set of tires, and a Spring/Summer? The expense would be considerable, but then you would have the peace of mind of being able to max out your safety choice in a Winter tire, and also then enjoy the gas mileage and handling of the summer tire, with both sets only getting 1/2 a year wear every year.

I can understand the concern with a child arriving.

Semi-Related True Story:

When my nephew was born..and became of " Child Car Seat" viability, I went with my brother to shop for Child Car Seats. This was a mistake. They had two vehicles and wanted two.

After visits to what seemed like several stores, and spending hours and hours researching and "checking in" with his wife, my brother FINALLY decided on a particular child car seat. Oh my god! They only had one!....45 minutes later and a they wheel the second one out from the warehouse.

Okay, it took most of the entire day. But I think, we finally have 2 child car seats, that my brother is happy with. So we wheel them up to the front to pay for them. The girl at the check out, casually looks down at the two car seats my brother had chosen and says:

"Hmm...I thought these were the ones they recalled."....

OMG! She was innocent, she was just talking and being "nice", but it was the wrong thing to say. My brother immediately turns pale at the mere suggestion that they might be recalled or even related to a model that was recalled. Go straight to jail, do not pass go....

Needless to say, Car seats were not purchased that day.

So anyway, I can relate to a parental concern changing parameters of purchase.

I think you would probably be fine with "smart" driving and the Escopias....but you can't really put a value on peace of mind. If you are at all concerned or want even "perceived" better? Then go with your priorities...just don't ask me to go shopping with you...

PS.
It was my brothers first child too....

 

I don't have any winter mountainous driving time with the current tires so I can't make any claims. Personally, if the weather's crappy my solution (now) is to not drive on the mountain.

If your idea of Central PA is State College I'll say I am happy with the current tires in the local mountains. My fuel economy on the rallies was higher this year compared to last year. I believe it is at least partly due to the better handling of the current tires compared to the OEMs. Sets of seasonal tires will produce the best performance. Any single set will be more of a compromise between fuel economy, wear & handling. It gets to the point where you overthink the problem, as Electric Me's brother demonstrated. Any of the tires mentioned are "good" or "decent". Wait for the 4 for 3 sale & $70 rebate then buy a set of something.

 

I too have my head in a spin about tires. I've always equipped at least one vehicle with winter tires and would very much like to equip my Prius. But, there's zero support from Toyota on this ---- no factory winter tire package offerings, and no specifications for winter wheels or tires. Top this off with non-self-learning TPMS sensors and the winter tire situation seem very involved and expensive.

Others here have identified TPMS sensors that can be programmed to duplicate the serial numbers of the original sensors, but initial programming is still required by an equipped service provider or by the purchase of a $300 tool. Pricing out this approach does make sense, but I note alloy wheels seem the only option. Steel wheels that accept the OEM wheel covers would be perfect!

I could choose my next set of "all weather" tires based entirely on their winter traction, ignoring most everything else. I'll lose some gas mileage but it's probably less than spending over $1000 for wheels, tires, and a reset tool. Wearing out these tires would still be an issue; I couldn't start the winter with 1/8" of tread .....

 

go with Michelin Energy Saver All Season tires. Comfortable, on the quieter end, and maintain your good mpg. last thing you need for your Prius is more "performance."

 

Columbus, OH ~ Late yesterday (Fri.), my wife was driving her 2o10 Prius in a thunderstorm and hit a huge pot hole. This resulted in an emergency tire replacement, of the original Yokohama Avids. I read many of the msgs posted here about replacement tires and decided to get Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 or Michelin Energy Saver A/S.

Since I had to get this task accomplished today, I didn't have time to use Tire Rack. My initial call Fri. evening to Firestone, resulted in finding the Ecopia was out of stock. An internet search and a couple of calls informed me that a Toyota dealer had Ecopia and Mr Tire had Michelins. Costco is not an option and Sam's Club didn't have any LRR tires. A few tire shops were willing to sell me a tire, but it wasn't a LRR tire. The dealer required a wait of 4 hrs. min.

I called two different Mr Tires and neither on had the Energy Saver. One shop said they carried it's replacement at $140 ea. and the 2nd store had MXV4s, for the same price. I believe this is a fair price, but I decided to call Firestone a 2nd time.

With my second call (Sat.) to Firestone, they were able to locate the Ecopias and give me an appt. for 11 a.m. So, I decided to get the less expensive tire. My main priority is good gas mileage and tread wear. The basic cost of just the tire is only $101.00. I also need an alignment. I purchased the lifetime alignment service for $160. So, I have lifetime alignment, lifetime wheel balancing and free tire rotations road hazard protection, two new tires for $485 . I was in the shop just before 11 a.m. and finished by 11:45 a.m.

This Firestone shop is where I usually get my oil changed and I've been going there for more than twenty years.
A full synthetic oil change with a coupon or Firestone CC is $4o. So, if I keep this car as long as my old Suzuki, I'll have ten years of free alignments, wheel balancing and tire rotations. I know from experience, my wife makes use of the road hazard warranty. [GRIN]

2 tires .. $202.00
Balancing 26.00
Sensor Kit 24.00
Road Haz 24.00
recycle chg 7.00
alignment 160.00
supplies 11.00
tax ........... 31.00
$485.00 total

The new tires are mounted on the front and the short drive home revealed they are very quiet tires.

That was my morning,

 

Seems like nice morning -enjoy!
Safe driving!

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Consider getting separate rims and snow tires?

Just fyi, this is the route I went:

Michelin X-Ice2 195/65R15
Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471-SW
steel rim lug nuts: 90942-01007
(no tpms)

 

When the Yoko avids on my 2010 Prius wore out I ended up with Goodyear Assurance fuel max tires. They were only about #4 from the top as far as fuel economy, but no Michelin ESAS avalible here, although I looked for nearly a year. The Goodyear fuel max tires did take a small fuel economy hit, but the ride is so much smoother and quieter than the Yoko's, even with 44 psi in the Goodyears . Makes a Prius ride like a Lexus.
They have 10,000 miles on them now and appear to have less wear than the Yoko's, so I suspect will last much longer. Wet or snow traction seems good, better than the Yoko Avids by far. At the dealer for service a few days ago and noticed the Goodyear fuel max tires on a new Prius as the OEM tires.

 

Please research advice on locating 2 new tires on the front axle. If rear ones are noticeably worn they may be inclined to "break loose" in a sudden move (esp on wet road) before front ones. With less grip on front you're more likely to sense the early stages of slip and correct.

 

Thanks for the advice. The two older, but original tires look good. I just did a tire rotation and oil change at the 25,000 mile reading. So, the older tires are now on the front. Fortunately I've experienced no problems and the new tires still seem quite.

 

Tire Rack has an excellent overview on tires...everything from effects of inflation to rotations. Their prices are also competitive and user reviews useful.
No I don't work for them just like to share insights. Consumer Reports is also useful.