recommended tires for 2012 Prius v

We recently chose Continental Pure Contact LRR tires to replace the OEM Toyo A20s on our 2012 v Five, and I recommend them.

 

I usually look for a local store of this place, and seriously considering this tire if the 3 I suspect will wear out first I want to switch to this Plus 0 sized tire. Price can’t be beat.

Sentury UHP Tires | Passenger Performance All-Season Tires | America's Tire

 

I've used TireRack several times. I've had good results; they also promptly corrected a delivery when their online tire/wheel tool delivered the wrong wheel (offset didn't clear the brake caliper) for my car.

 

I've replaced the original 17" Toyo A20's twice now with Michelin Premier A/S. They are very quiet and very good in wet weather. Check out their ratings and user survey at Tire Rack.

 

The Michelin Premier A/S tires seem like a good bet. We have them on our Sienna van. They are quite nice - especially in the torrential rains we've been driving in lately. They start out with only 8/32" of tread which means they aren't going to last very long on our 4,600 pound Sienna which is very hard on tires. They should last far longer on a Prius.

I've given up on LRR tires due to their poorer ride, handling and braking. The Toyo tires that came on our v/Five were awful - made the car ride like a lumber wagon. I'm not necessarily recommending the Goodrich tires we bought but they transformed our v/Five into a much more comfortable riding, better handling and braking car: BF Goodrich G-Force Comp-2 A/S tires transform ride quality | PriusChat Our Prius v is my wife's car. Since she doesn't drive much, tires on her cars are usually replaced due to age instead of due to wearing out. The original Toyo tires were replaced due to damage.

I'm not much a fan of Tire Rack anymore although I like reading their tire reviews. I bought many sets of tires and two sets of wheels from Tire Rack them starting in the days long before the Internet when their primary outlet was through car enthusiast magazines. They've steered me wrong too many times.

These days, I buy tires only from Costco. Every time I check, Costco is always substantially less expensive than Tire Rack when all costs are considered including that no-cost balancing and rotation are included as often as needed.

 

Just an FYI, you can take any valid price, including Costco or Sam’s Club, to America’s Tire, aka Discount Tire depending on state, and they will price match out the door. They even price match Tire Rack but split the shipping.

http://www.tires.com

Around here there are several shops with very similar names, but not the best deals like them....

 

Probably the last 10 sets of tires I've bought have been Michelin. From min-van to sports car to sedan to wagon. Both my cars have them now and I replaced the previous Michelins on both only due to age (6 years plus since they sit in a garage most of the time).

 

I went to Costco today to buy new tires for my 2012 Prius v Five. I have been waiting for Michelin tires to go on sale wanting to get Defenders. They said they could not and would not put them on my car! They said the Defender only comes in 215/50R17/XL 95H and the car requires a W speed rating! WTH this is a Prius not a Corvette! They said I could get the Potenza RE980 AS (I have never heard of this brand) or the G-Force Comp-2 A/S. What tires are people putting on this car from Costco? I live in Ohio with all seasons. I don't care to much about mpg but would rather have max tread life.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

And what really blows my mind is this sticker on the driver's side door which makes me question the Speed rating even more!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

nate358, speed rating and load capacity are two separate issues. I do feel Toyota either didn’t set the pressures high enough or should have specified XL tires... Costco policy is from the company itself, not the workers I’m afraid. Potenza is not a brand, it is a Bridgestone line.

 

We use Continental Pure Contact load range 98 XL tires and find the ride to be improved over the OEM Toyo A20s. No MPG hit, even when new.

 

Costco used to have no problem selling me H-rated tires for cars that came with V-rated tires as long as I signed a release. I don't know when they tightened their policy - sometime since 2012. I bought the G-Force Comp-2 A/S from Costco when my wife damaged one of the OEM Toyo on a curb. My wife was about to depart on a trip and the Comp-2's were the only tires they could get quickly. They've been fine and are infinitely more pleasant that the OEM Toyo.

I inquired a few weeks ago ago at Costco about getting Michelin Defenders to replace the Michelin Premier on our Sienna when they wear out and got a similar answer. Even though the Sienna is speed limited to 118 mph, it came with V-rated tires and Costco won't sell anything with a lower speed rating for 3-season use. Oddly, Costco has no problem selling us winter tires with lower speed ratings for these same vehicles.

 

What pressures are you running. Comfort settings allow the tire to roll over and edge wear to occur. Experiment with settings up to about 42/40 and see if that helps both your handling and your wear. It will help your MPG.

 

I've had the Pure Contacts for about 12K miles and have been very happy with them. Ride, handling, wet traction, and fuel economy have all been good. Fairly quiet, too.

 

If you live near an America’s Tire you can always try a set. The higher speed ratings have better performance. Since they have increased silica content they are usually excellent for rain as well. Look for higher treadwear rating for longer lasting tread if that is important to you. My parents’ v with the original tires looks like it will need tires very soon. We have very little rain here, but I am looking at all season with W speed ratings, but size 225/50R17. Currently only $47 per tire.....

 

Our experience, as well.

 

My wife was really uncomfortable with her 2008 Gen II in wet weather. We've done business with a local Goodyear dealer for the 14 years we've been here, and I saw a recommendation elsewhere on PriusChat for the Goodyear Assurance. We got a set of those tires in the all weather version before the snow set in, and she has told a number of people that she never knew she could fall in love with a set of tires before. The bad news is that extra stickiness cost us about five miles per gallon. I'd do it again anyway just to keep my wife safe, but tires do affect mileage. I run the tires at 45 psi front/ 43 rear. Michelins are also excellent tires; one question is, do you have a local dealer with whom you have a relationship?