Defender vs energy saver and size

Energy Saver A/S is not a winter tire, it's more of a spring/summer/fall tire with the ability to be used in winter if your winters are mild.

Defender is also a 3 season tire but will handle snow a bit better because it's designed more for traction and less for MPG.

You also have the new Premier A/S to consider as it is the new top of the line tire coming out in April. It will be a nicer tire than either of the other two but we don't know exactly how it handles snow yet.

195/65R15 Tires | Michelin Tires

You might lose some MPG going 195-65-15 vs 185-65-15 on a Gen II prius but your speedometer will be more accurate and you get a bigger tire (which is good for when the car is loaded with lots of passengers or cargo) so I'd say go for it.

 

I would like a quiet tire with higher mpg.
Probably can't happen. LLR tires tend to be loud.

Is either better in snow?
Energy Savers have a reputation of poor performance in the snow.

​

 

205/60R15 Tires | Michelin Tires

oh yeah and if the tire offers it (some do some don't) consider 205/60/15 as well. It's a closer match to the speedometer on the Gen II than the 195/65/15 is and in the case of the Defender it comes with a narrower tread so it doesn't cost you as much on the MPG (maybe so on the Premier A/S but I haven't seen the tread width on that tire yet).

 

For the Defender yes the 205/60/15 has narrower tread and a smaller outside diameter than the 196/65/15. Yes that means it will save the tiniest fraction of fuel. I can't imagine it would rub but I haven't tested it. Just take a look at the size of the tires largest measurement:

205/65/15 25.5" diameter
195/65/15 25.0" diameter
205/60/15 24.7" diameter
185/65/15 24.5" diameter
195/60/15 24.2" diameter

tires have so many specs that just looking at the first 3 numbers doesn't tell the whole story. If you only looked at the short numbers you might think that the 205/60 is larger but it is in fact smaller than a 195/65.

fwiw I'm running Energy Saver A/S on mine in the 195/65/15 size because they don't offer it in the 205/60/15 and I haven't noticed any rubbing even though it's a noticeably bigger tire than the stock size for a Gen II.

Gen II or Gen III I can't see a reason not to consider the 205/60/15 size if the tire you are considering offers that option. I am assuming you'll check with tirerack.com or your local tire store of choice for confirmation on that before you buy/mount them but I'm not expecting it to be an issue if you talk to someone that knows enough to look at all the specs.

 

I just put defenders on the 2010 Prius. I have a long history of getting very, very long life from the "harder" Michelin tires. I have noticed a ~1 mpg drop since these were installed. Yet the longer tire life and slightly less road noise more than makes up for this change.

 

I've been reading all the posts on the 195/65 vs the 185/65, but still am not sure...will I get better handling and wear with a 195 vs the 185? Also, I have the standard 2008 model, so have the 15" wheels. To go to the 195/65, do I have to go to 16" and does that mean new rims, too? The handling w/ the Toyo tires is atrocious, and I seem to be purchasing new tires almost every year, would like something that lasts a bit longer & handles better, but not give up too much in the mpg area. I'm looking at the Michelin Energy Saver. I don't need anything that handles snow, but wet and rough road handling is vital. Thanks. It's a jungle out there in the world of tires. Who knew?

 

No, you don't have to go 16" to go to a different size like 195/65. They make them for your 15" rims that's why we type 195/65/15 the 15 at the end means you don't have to buy new rims to switch to that size.

If you did buy new 16" rims you wouldn't be able to stay at 195/65 because the middle number is a relation between two other numbers changing the rim size usually changes all 3 numbers to get the closest match in size that the car needs.

 

I recommend the Defenders. I've never tried the Energy Saver A/S, but the Defenders did well in this most recent worse-than-average winter.

 

I just put Defenders on my wife's car. They handle heavy rain awesome as well as track well. I ran Energy Saver A/S on my SUV thru a couple Minnesota winter's and they handled ice and snow very well.

Mike

SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 ?

 

I had a 10% drop, about 4 mpg switching from Michelin Energy Saver to Defender. Let's do the math. In 70,000 miles (that is what I got out of the Energy Savers before the switch) at 44 mpg I used 1,590 gallons of gas. Now, in 70.000 miles at 40 mpg i will use 1,750 gallons of gas. 1,750-1,590=160 more gallons of gas in 70,000 miles. At average of $4/gallon, that is $640. The LRRs actually pay for themselves for my California driving. No snow and we are in a drought so not much rain either. Now, take into account that the Defenders have a 90,000 mile tread life. That is about 22% more life. Taking that into account, I still save $499 and I drive about 30,000 miles per year. I will be going back to the Energy Savers.

 

I have one of four energy saver tires with a damaged belt. Sams club offered to prorate the two front tires ($55 value each). But they only have the Defender in stock. They suggested putting two Defenders on the front with the existing energy savers in back. Is this an ok mix? Would it affect handling?

 

Based on today's technology, I would go with the new one's up front and the old one's on the back. Pay attention to the air pressures. Maintain the two pound difference with the front's having more air than the back.

Best to buy a full set, but not everyone can do that all of the time.

Too bad Michelin cut production on the Energy Saver A/S. They were a GREAT tire IMO.

EDIT: I posted bad information above. That is old school technology, putting the new tires up front.

In many tests, it has been determined that if you are replacing tires in pairs, that you should place the new tires on the rear and the worn older tires up front.

For more information, please read the following link.

Tire Tech Information - Where to Install New Pairs of Tires?

Ron (dorunron)

 

I know that this will sound silly, but Michelin recommends putting the new tires in the BACK. Why? If you put the new on the front, the rears will feel "loose", like they are slipping or scuffing along. If you put the old on the front and the new in the back, your brain will compensate for the difference and you will steer the car in the intended direction. Sounds weird to me, too. But, I believe in Michelin since they were the first tire company to make a radial tire and obviously have had to deal with customer complaints from around the world.

I would put the new ones on the back and save the money to replace the ones on the front. IMHO, this would be the right way.

I have put a set of Michelin 195/60R15 on my GenII Prius. Generally, I have lost about four miles per gallon but gained traction and a much better ride. Also, I can drive much harder into a corner than I ever did with my OEM Goodyears. Yes, they are a bit noisier than the Goodyears but well worth it. I have driven the car into snow that scraped the undercarriage but the car kept on going.

I accessed the hidden menu to see what the speedometer was showing versus how fast I was going via the GPS. The speedo was two to three mph off. At 42 mph on the GPS, the speedo was showing 40 mph. And the other interesting thing I found that above 70 mph, it was three to four mph off. At 83 mph on the GPS, the speedo was showing 80 mph. So far, no tickets or warnings from the speedo being off. It seems to hit a wall at about 83 mph. The engine revs and continues to gain speed but ever so slowly, topping out at 103 to 105 mph (actual real world roads).

 

Deeper treaded tires in the rear helps resist "swapping" ends or oversteer when braking hard or going into a corner too hot. The act of braking also tends to lift the rear end and reduce weight on the rear tires. This further limits traction. Better to have as much tread as possible back there. All tire manufacturers recommend new tires be put on the rear if only buying 2. TireRack and Americas Tire recommends this as well.

 

Year, after year, after year I see people on Prius chat saying this. Seriously I was told almost 5 years ago that I wouldn't be able to buy Energy Saver A/S tires for my cars.

I just bought some within the last year and after seeing your post I still see them in stock on tire rack in both the 15" size I'd put on my Prius and the 16" size I'd put on a Nissan Leaf.

Maybe some day it will be truly hard to buy these tires but that day hasn't come yet.

Michelin Energy Saver A/S

 

They're really hard to buy in 215/45R17. ;(

 

Ok, I'll bite: Michelin what??