Tires Choices for Prius Gen 3

I picked the PureContacts because the are rated "H" . The TrueContact's are "T" rated. I suggest that you take a look on Tire Rack and compare specifications. The two tires are very different in construction and technology. Too, much information to elaborate on, mon the forum.

 

Yes the EP20's were the original factory tire. It was changed at 40,000 miles but could have gone a few thousand more.

The Michelin Premier appears to have been skewed toward performance while giving up longevity, which is what I prefer. I believe the tire's compound and structure contributed to the performance over the EP20's. Most noticeable in increased braking and cornering grip.

Tire age could be the most important factor is sidewall cracking. There are websites which can interpret the sidewall codes to determine a tire's manufacturing date. The Michelin's were manufactured 12 weeks before I purchased them.

 

I might be wrong but I think a huge contributing factor to sidewall cracking is the use of silicone based tire dressings. That's why I only use a rubber lube to clean my tires. Some tire compounds are more subject to ultraviolet damage than others...Michelin for one, seems to be more susceptible.

 

Tire dressings I equate with gas treatments, cold "remedies", etcetera.

 

I have the stock Goodyear Assurance 15" tires my 2013 came with. They need replacing after 23,000 miles! I think they are Eco-Treads, as they have a little gas-gauge symbol on the the tire. Anyway, I am looking for the best replacement in terms of mileage, treadwear, and decent winter traction (These were not good). How are the EP20, EP422+ and Continental PureContacts, which I have not heard about before, in terms of winter performance? Treadwear? I don't trust treadwear numbers since these are supposed to be rated 540.

 

Wow. I'm at just over 40K. Yeah, they'll need changing soon, but I expect to have no issue making 45K before replacement. Stock tires too.

 

I made 48,500 miles on ours (not sure which exact model) and they could have gone longer, but we have an 8,000+ mile trip coming up and I wanted new tires before then. I took a chance and replaced them with Michelin Premier A/S on sale at Costco after considering Defenders for the longer tread life. Assuming mileage differences between the 2 models, they both work out to be about the same cost over 180,000 miles. If the mileage turns out to be better than it would have been with the Defenders, then the Premiers will be the better deal.

That said, I really no longer care. Compared to the Goodyears, the Premiers have a much better ride and less noise. But the biggest factor was the first time I had to really "hit" the brakes. They stopped the car like never before, certainly much quicker and smoother than the Goodyears ever did. It's hard to explain, but I was seriously surprised and said "Wow" out loud.

From what I can tell, mileage does not seem to have changed. It's kind of hard to quantify because I have yet to drive over the same routes as I have in the past. We did take a 2,000 mile trip to Grand Junction CO and the mileage between here and there pretty much matched part of a trip we took in summer 2014 covering some of the same ground. I can say for sure that my overall mileage stayed virtually the same, 47.6 vs 47.7, even though the speed limit for 50 miles of the trip was increased to 80 mph and I passed a lot more cars on the 2-lane roads than I did in 2014 when I was still getting used to driving a Prius.

 

Looking at the Goodyear models I see now they are Assurance "Fuel Max"; that said, these tires were regularly rotated, inflated slightly over as per most Prius owner recommendations, and all service through Toyota through 2 1/2 years. I think I am going to go with either the Conti PureContact or Brigestone Ecopia 422+ based on all the recommendations I read here. The Michelin Premier A/S you mention are about $35 more a tire at Mavis compared to those. If anyone thinks one or the other of those choices is WAY better for a Gen 3 with 15" wheels, I would love to know, and why.

 

I think you'll be just fine with any of those. I don't know anything about Mavis, but I do a lot of freeway driving at 75 & 80 mph in all kinds of weather, except snow, so I opted for safety throughout the life of the tire and $70 discount made the Premier comp

 

How's the mileage on those tires? I liked the price of the contis, wasn't sure about rolling resistance.

 

Actually, I went with the H rated tire for a bit more sidewall stiffness to aid with the handling. The mileage has not suffered significantly and if l am diligent the mileage is no different.

 

I can't decide on the Pure- or the TrueContacts, but one or the other of the Contis will be mounted on Tuesday...I'll report back after some experience with them. I read all I could; most reviews give the TrueContact an edge in wet and snow traction, but the differences are pretty minor. The speed rating is a consideration, but for my driving it doesn't make much difference.

 

I elected to buy the PureContacts. They have a pretty aggressive tread for a LRR tire. I would attribute that to their traction and wet performance ratings. They surprised me, being very quite and fuel efficient. All in all, they are a great tire IMHO.

 

I previously had the Yokohama's and switched recently to the Michelin Defenders and have been pretty happy with the decision so far.

 

I ended up with the TrueContacts; they were a bit cheaper, and reviews were a little better. I have not done much highway driving with them yet, but local driving has been good, and I see no hit in mileage. Traction and handling are much better than the OE Assurance FuelMax. Will tae a long highway trip this weekend and will see if highway MPG has decreased. I could usually get close to 52 on straight highway driving on the old tires.

 

Nov 16 update: Tires handle very well dry/wet; initial 2-3mpg drop seems to have disappeared now that the tires are broken in a bit. Have not had any snow yet to jdge any improvement in snow traction, but as a whole, I am happy with my choice so far.

 

Hi everybody,
Continental has a 70 USD promotion till the end of the month. I bought a set of TrueContacts at amazon with free shipping ($320 before mail-in rebate, so total will be $250), but was also debating over the PureContacts. Reason for decision towards the True Contacts is slightly better comfort/noise ratings at Tirerack. According to Continental the TrueContact have 'ComfortRide Technology' while the PureContact don't have that. Also it seems the PureContact are directional, while the TrueContacts aren't. This will allow more flexibility on the tire rotations. Also the TrueC is rated for 80k while the PureC is rated for 70K

I will report back in Spring after I put them on, till then I will have Michelin X-ice3 on for the winter (awesome tires btw), but can't wait to get the OEM Yoko Ascend S33D off. They have reached 3/32 but started crumbling at the edges after 30k (rated for 32k) Not very impressed at all with those tires. Will stay away from Yokohama in the future (they are also twice as expensive as the Continentals).

I will also measure the circumference of the Yoko's vs. the Continentals exactly. New tires with more tread will automatically lead to a drop in mpg. I will try to see if I can calculate that.

 

To compare the two diameters, this works well: stack the two tires on a smooth concrete slab, and align two edges with a carpenters square set on the concrete and against the tire faces. Then repeat the exercise on the other side, see which one has a gap, and how much.

Still, I think diameter differences have trivial impact on odometer readings, even less on mpg.