The MPG difference between the two is appx 52 for the A/S and 49 for the Defender all things equal. While others may disagree, these are pretty realistic numbers driving realistically. At my local Discount Tire Dealership the A/S cost $1 more tire. If you do the value math for each they are very close. I will say the Defenders are more sure footed and my indicated wear levels put them on par with the life time expectancy. They are both quality tires and you really will not go wrong with either, but for traction, safety and Mileage I went Defenders. Even put them on my Boy's TDI Beetle, but that's me.
I sat down and calculated the gas savings from switching to the Energy Saver A/S from the OEM Toyo, it came out to about $400 over 50K miles based on $3.50/gal. If you're paying $4.50 in sunny California the savings are more. Bottom line: the gas savings will pay for at least 1/2 the cost of the tires, and the longer they last the more savings involved. Its not inconceivable that the gas savings could pay for the tires completely. So I vote and voted for the ES-A/S. Handling, noise and ride all improved over the OEM tires as well.
I went with the Energy Saver A/S , I got them from Tirerack and shipped to me. No one had these available and required ordering. Over all, the shipping was a wash with Cal sales tax, and install is $12 a tire, over all still a bit cheaper than Costco. Now just waiting for them to show up.
Re: MPG- Make sure you check TireRack.com user comments for Defender for Prius owners. I thought I saw some MPG disappointment but I cannot swear it was XT version.
Yes the Defender was rated with less MPG, but maybe got you 30-40k more in milsage. I got almost 50k on my Toyo stock tire. I got the ES going on today. You could look and say well if the ES got me 40k and the Defenders got 80k, it may be better to get the Defenders, so like getting twice the mileage. I drive 90 miles a day. I perfer to just get the better mileage and I will report back after a month of driving to see how it works out.
I got just about 70,000 miles on my first set on Michelin Energy Saver AS tires, 195x65x15. Kept all at 44 PSI (max sidewall pressure listed on tire). Tires wore perfectly even and perhaps could have got another 5,000 miles or so. Tried the Ecopia 422's, they were terrible and gave less mpg's. Took them back during the 30 day money back program from Costco and purchased another set of Energy tires, quieter, 2-3 mpg more, and a much more stable tire at high speed over the Ecopia. The Ecopia would start to wander over 70 mph as if you had a side wind....
I was going to say 60K for the ES, I think they have a 50K warranty. My OE Toyos got 1500 miles, and as far as I am concerned that was too long to spend on them.
I plan to go with the ES if they are available when I need new tires. They were not available a couple of years ago when I needed to replace the OEM's. I replaced mine with the MXV4's and lost about 5 mpg. I really like everything else about the MXV4 over the OEM but I really miss the mpg. The high mileage of the Defender is tempting (and probably the better choice for pure life cycle cost) but I will go with the mpg next time.
I will add that the ES are real quiet, but then I was driving on pretty bare tires before I changed them out. They do grip better, but again, worn tires before.
I received my '11 Prius back from loaning it out this week, drove a couple days and felt something wasn't right. Sure enough, there's a big bubble on the right front sidewall. (Not going to assess blame, just going to replace all 4 tires as the factory Goodyears are lousy in rain, check the wheel for damage, and check the alignment.) My local tire store had trouble locating Michelin ES tires so I looked at alternatives on the forum and selected the Conti PureConnect. They will be installed next week, along with a TRD rear sway bar. My birthday present to myself.
We have used Ecopia 100 (presumably the 422's are the latest name change) for over 60k miles on our 2007 Prius (about 110k miles on the car and we recently put on a second set after about 40k miles (not the 70k advertised, but we took over 4 years). The mpg's did not change at all (not 1/10 of a mpg). We routinely get 55.0 mpg which is mostly highway routes in hilly or mountainous areas. We also drive lots of straight highways (we drive from Santa Cruz to San Francisco) at 70 mph without any wandering issues. In short, I've been very pleased with the Ecopias and would recommend them.
I went with the As energy savers and my mpg skyrocketed instantly. I was given a 65, 000 mileage warranty with them. If they should fail to meet the mileage they will prorate them on the spot towards new ones. Go Michelins just saying.
hmm.. need to make a decision between the two types also. We have an air leak (small nail/pin with no head) in one OEM tire with approx. 36,000 miles, 6/32 left. Probably need to replace it/all 4 sooner than later. Safety factor and the tire pressure light is coming on every few days. Discount Tires/America's Tires guy recommends the Defender based on better ride and drive. Yes, better mileage on Energy Savers though. Both same price. $70 Visa prepaid card mail in rebate 8/18-8/29/13 for set of 4 Michelins installed. So rebate good for both types. In the past, we've only bought tires through Costco. Costco doesn't carry the Energy Savers & might start their Michelin promo on next sale rotation 1st or 2nd week of September. If I recall correctly, forum members have had good experiences with Discount/America's Tire?
America's will work with you. My store mounted/balanced my Tire Rack Michelin X ICE on my Ebay 17" Ct200h rims. Programmed my new Ebay Schrader EZ Sensors and Amazon EZ rebuild kits and gave me a road hazard/replace warranty on my Tire Rack tires for $104. They will also switch out my winter/summer tires for free each season. A couple of months ago I bought 16" TSW rims, Ecopia 422's (Michelin did not make right size in ES 16") and got some major rebates at an already low price. I needed to drive past Les Shwab, Goodyear, etc., etc. but they are worth it. They are relatively fast with rebates.
Thank you Aerolite & FranklinS. and... if can wait til Aug 30-31... Discount Tire Labor Day Sale... $100 Rebate Any 4 Best Rated Tires installed Looks like the Defender is currently rated as one of the "Best" for my replacement. http://www.discounttire.com/laborDay.html
