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Coveted Michelin Energy Saver Tires Impression

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Aerolite, Aug 16, 2013.

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  1. cary1952

    cary1952 Member

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    My 2013 came with Bridgestone eco20 tires. How do these compare with the Michelin Energy Saver A/S? Would it be worth an immediate change or should I burn them up/or use them as winter tires?
     
    #21 cary1952, Aug 23, 2013
  2. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    You can check TireRack.com for good tire comparisons and test results. You can sort for Prius owners and you will see some felt the Bridgestone were better. The A/S are probably the best LRR high MPG tires out there, but not necessarily the most cost effective tires. The Bridgestone have quite good rating on Tire Rack, quite a bit higher% would plan to buy again vs. A/S. I am confused if OEM tires are somehow less quality than the retail version of the same tires, but I don't think I'd toss out the Bridgestones.
     
    #22 wjtracy, Aug 23, 2013
  3. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    It varies from model to model, probably based on whether the car maker is willing to pay for retail tires. But often it'll be the same tread with cheaper construction than retail. When you're buying tires by the millions they make whatever you want.
     
    #23 rdgrimes, Aug 24, 2013
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  4. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

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    After 10,000 miles I can only confirm what others have posted about the Energy Saver A/S tires. MPG was instant. 90 degree heat here and 56+ mpg on the last fillup (calculated), which was a little surprising. Usually I get better mileage when temps are in the 70's and low 80's. 33 miles one way to work each day. Old OEM tires were the Yoko Avids and do not compare to the quiet ride of the ES A/S. What surprised me was that the car did not have problems with grooved roads like it had with the Yokos. In my own opinion this tire was made for the Prius (MPG wise).
     
    #24 GSW, Aug 26, 2013
  5. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    I noticed the same thing. My Toyos wandered all over the place on grooves, the Michelin ignores them.
     
    #25 rdgrimes, Aug 26, 2013
  6. tach18k

    tach18k Member

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    I got close to 1k on my A/S version Tires, increase in mileage, no not yet, infact below my worn out Yoko OEM. sure I can get a 100% at 75mpg, but I'm gliding. I drive 90 miles a day, same road/freeway in socal. I'm down about 4 mpg on the tires right now. they are very quiet tan the OEM's were.
     
    #26 tach18k, Aug 26, 2013
  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I like the EP20s. They are a decent tire and very fuel efficient. Sure I like the Energy Saver A/S more but you have a good tire that is already paid for. Run them down before purchasing a new set. You may want to purchase a dedicated set of wheels for winter/snow tires given your location. Regular all-season tires are not appropriate for temperatures below 40F. Stopping distance (braking ability) is severely decrease as temps drop below freezing even if the roads are dry.
     
    #27 F8L, Aug 31, 2013
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    I'd think tread life would decrease as you increase siping. Snow tires for instance, have lots of siping, allowing more flex, making the tire surface behave like a giant brush.
     
    #28 Mendel Leisk, Aug 31, 2013
  9. Aerolite

    Aerolite Junior Member

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    Ok, here two figures. On the first tank I used absolute hypermilng techniques and on the other I drove midly conservative.

    Hypermile on Energy Savers:

    746 miles on a full tank traveled
    79.2 miles per gallon average
    0.05 cents per mile

    9.422 gallons consumed
    From ODO: 37,839 to 38,585.

    Mild conservative drive on Energy Savers:

    615 miles on full tank traveled
    65.3 mpg avg.
    0.06 cents per mile

    9.422 gallons of gas consumed. Both full tanks cost $35.79 ($ 3.7XX for reg. out here).
    From ODO: 39,100 to 38,585.

    My hypermile run was max regen brake, max speed while turning, max battery assistance on pulse & glides, FRWY speed of 55 set on cruise control, minamal AC use, windows/sunroof closed, etc...

    Only huge variable is the temperature. During the hyper mile run it was 69-75 degrees F daily.

    Over the conservative run, the avg. temp had gone up from 75-91 [here in SoCal].
     
    #29 Aerolite, Sep 1, 2013
  10. terry brecheen

    terry brecheen Member

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    Is there a way to tell when you are getting max battery assistance when you are pulse and gliding? .
     
    #30 terry brecheen, Sep 2, 2013
  11. Kimoy

    Kimoy Member

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    #31 Kimoy, Sep 2, 2013
  12. Aerolite

    Aerolite Junior Member

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    Observe the HSI (hybrid-system indicator) [for gen III] and attempt to maintain a 25-40% electric assistance; meaning, use the juice to keep rolling but not enough to discharge the battery to the point of kicking on the ICE (engine).
     
    #32 Aerolite, Sep 2, 2013
  13. terry brecheen

    terry brecheen Member

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    At what speeds does this work?.
     
    #33 terry brecheen, Sep 2, 2013
  14. Aerolite

    Aerolite Junior Member

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    Really depends on terrain... I think the quote from Toyota is up to 30 MPH.

    On flat ground and no cars behind me I can usually coast around 32 MPH w/ electric assistance.

    With a good downhill grade you can get higher than that... 37 MPH Aprox.

    Uphill... usually not worth the bother unless it's dead of night and no one is out. Trick to high MPG is really learning the pattern of how to drive minimizing the combustion motor in the city. On the freeway usually set my cruise to 55 MPH which does piss off a certain percentage of drivers but that is something I am ok with -- when they slow down they are saving gas too ;). When coming off the FRWY on exit ramps I'll usually coast all the way to the stop light.

    If you just drive it like a regular car then 50 mpg is quite doable. If you drive like most of the crazies here in SoCal, then you'll usually net around 46 mpg. But if you treat it like a Gen. I Honda Insight, getting 60+ is quite realistic... but be aware, you REALLY have to alter every aspect of your driving routine. I would know.. I went from a 4.0 L V8 Coupe to a Prius.

    I've put 1,000 miles on these tires and can accurately claim a 5 mpg boost over the Doral tires that came w/ my prius. I assume the difference from these to Ecopia's (or even Assurance tires) would be less dramatic than the improvements I have seen.
     
    #34 Aerolite, Sep 2, 2013
  15. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    It is a shame this did not include the average speed for each test.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #35 bwilson4web, Sep 3, 2013
  16. Aerolite

    Aerolite Junior Member

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    From what I recall is was somewhere near 26.3 average MPH.
     
    #36 Aerolite, Sep 3, 2013
  17. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Excellent! That makes a lot sense for the reported numbers. Are you using a GPS for the average speed?

    The reason I ask is our 2010 model trip meter only reports integer mph. That is why having a snapshot of the trip meter helps as it includes, indicated miles to 0.1 mile, MPG to 0.1 MPG, and average speed mph to nearest integer.

    Thanks,
    Bob Wilson
     
    #37 bwilson4web, Sep 3, 2013
  18. Feri

    Feri Active Member

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    How far on the way home?:)
     
    #38 Feri, Sep 3, 2013
  19. Aerolite

    Aerolite Junior Member

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    Nothing but standard arithmetic, taking calculations of a range of average MPH. Adding up and and averaging the intervals. I know that GPS would be the best in accuracy but I figured I'd give my mind the workout :)
     
    #39 Aerolite, Sep 3, 2013
  20. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

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    Lol, quoting it that way, 9967 miles to home.:D
     
    #40 GSW, Sep 3, 2013
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