What tires did your Prime come with?

michelin energy saver a/s. really quiet and smooth, good handling, may not have superior longevity though, i just got them.

 

I had Yokohama Blue Earth on my 2012 Prius V and got 100k miles on them. Handled all conditions very well. I even overinflated them for better mileage. When my Dunlops need replacing, I will go back to the Blue Earth.

 

Bridgestone Ecopia EP 422 Plus on my Prime Plus.
Purchased in MD on Feb 2, 2017
Vin 0048XX

Does anyone know what tires are used by Toyota on the Prius Model 2 ECO?
Does any one have rolling resistance data and tire weight data on the Prime and Prius ECO tires?

 

Would appreciate if you could you please post: country they were made (it should be embossed on sidewall), and a pic looking face on at the tread, if possible. Say at ground level, looking straight at either a front or rear tire.

 

Some reason to think they would be different than the ones on the web such as?:

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus (H- or V-Speed Rated)

No country of manufacture on mine, at least that I can find.

 

Going to your link, then the spec's tab, I see, using 195/65R15, two versions: one Mex, one US, with numerous differences, including number of rows of ribs. I believe there's also a Japanese version, with again a different tread configuration, UTQG, and LRR description.



I'd suspect the Prius sport the Japanese version, likely the best of the lot. There should be a diminutive text on the sidewall stating "made in _____", you really need to eyeball it inch by inch, with a good light. And a pic of the tread pattern would be helpful, in my quest, lol.

 

Well, I bought mine at Firestone, they are 185/65/R15, treadwear 640, and they look like this:

 

The Eco uses the same tires as the Liftback with a higher recommended tire inflation. Various tires are used. There was a thread last year in Gen 4.
My Prius has the Japanese Ecopia 442 Plus.The Ecopias are made in 3 countries with differing ratings & tread design.

 

Thanks. Those look like the US version. The Japanese appear to have wider intermediate tracks, less of a gap in between. And some difference in the tread pattern. This is supposedly Japanese 195/65R15, with wear index 600:




More info here:

Feedback of Ecopia EP422 plus? | Page 8 | PriusChat

 

Made in Japan K1502 EP4AYZ DOT EL 9N (DEA4641) (in brackets is changeable mold insert. I know 4616 means 46th week of 2016), Treadwear 600, Traction A, Temperature A.

 

Many thanks!

 

I believe the version on the Prime from looking at my tires are specific to the Prime. The link above is for 91H load and speed ratings which should be a more generic tire to fit various vehicles with more weight. My Prime's tires have load and speed ratings of 89S. Max Load 580Kg 1279 lbs. Plies thread: 1 polyester + 2 steel + 1 polyester. Sidewall: 1 polyester.

In my former job in automotive I learned that tire manufacturers fine tuned tires for each model of car to the OEM Car company handling engineers requirements. But the actual car owner could not generally get the same tire when replacement was needed. The tire manufacturer responded to my questioning as the car owner could not tell the difference. I agree since once the tires get worn the handling characteristics, noise etc change for the worst. Putting on a new tire of similar but not exact construction will please most consumers.

 

One thing I think would irk most consumers is obvious tread pattern variation. It would certainly bug me.

 

The tire manufacturer is not likely to expect consumers to accept an obvious thread pattern variation.
It is what you can't see on the inside: construction and compounding that is different.
However, if we observe what is posted in this thread and the link to the Gen 4 discussion we see differences:
89S vs 91H clearly understandable on the sidewall
Tire construction code: EP4AYZ for the Prime from Japan vs the EP42EZ from USA and EP4WAZ from Mexico being different for the tires sold at Tire Rack which are not Prius specific.

I wish I could find rolling resistance data, along with actual tire weight, to go along with the good data that is posted on tire rack to help in making the decision when replacing my car's tires. I don't think I will face this challenge for my Prime for at least a few more years.

 

If those are 15 inch they are probably what is on my Prius Liftback.

 

Yes 15 inch

 

Quite a difference:

 

I must say, I'm not a fan of those wide grooves on the US version (less rubber on the road). That said, I put a set on my 2013 liftback the other day. Took advantage of the Costco $70 off sale. The ride is smoother and quieter than my worn EP20s, but I guess that is to be expected.

 

I emailed Bridgestone a few days back, asking about these differences. Nothing back yet. To be fair it could still be plinkoing around their beurocracy. I'll post if they respond.

 

1. Any experiences of using Stock tyres in snow? I am wondering whether to put Michelin Cross Climates on my coming new Plugin/(Prime), because I like the ones I have on my Gen2 so much. (Am assuming I could sell the stock tyres almost new on eBay and get a fair amount of the value back to help pay for the Michelins.)
2. Re aging and noise, in the UK new tyres now have to have a decibel rating for noise and other ratings such as rolling resistance. Are you saying simply that tyres get gradually worse as they age relative to their starting point, or that as they age, they all become as bad as one another?

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