Tires - Noise vs Fuel Economy

We really have tire noise issues on gen 3s I've got 45 17s on a persona that doesn't really make any noise although the tires don't really hold the road that well but you know whatever is what came on the car My gen 2 doesn't really have any road noise issues that I noticed and I don't ride a lot with the radio blasting or anything either Air conditioning on low and 60 miles an hour Don't really hear any road noise some wind noise but at the time of manufacturer this is one of the lowest drag coefficients you could get in the vehicle. On the gen 3 right now I'm running waterfall eco 205 50 r17s I wanted a little more sidewall than the 45s and these tires are like $45 a piece 40,000 mi where at warranty I like to change them often so they stay black I don't care about Michelin defenders and 60,000 mi and I'm changing the tires when they're light gray colored no thanks. But I had no idea we had noise issues I'm down here in Orange county North Carolina

 

I had Arizonians before (on a Jeep Patriot), They were good tires but only average for road noise. For the price they are pretty good.

 

If price is not a factor, buy a Michelin brand tire. They are superior in longevity and quiet ride. But out of your choices I’ve tried the Yokohama and the Arizonans. Yokohama tires are quiet and has a nice ride. Arizonan will wear out very quickly and noise level is still average

 

Dunlops are a good option

 

Michelin Defender T+H is what I’d likely get, if I was shopping for 15” all-seasons. A Goldilocks decision mostly.

 

Any tire designed for high traction in the rain & quiet driving is going to destroy your MPG... You can expect no better than 36-38mpg in a Prius with that choice. Also because you're only getting half the lifespan that most people get on their tires I suspect you're driving around with significantly low tire pressure, which is great for a quiet ride, but super expensive on your wallet.

If I were you I'd get a set of Michelin low rolling resistance tires and keep them pumped up to over 40psi and some noise cancelling headphones and another set of floor mats with sound deadening material added. That way you eliminate the noise of saving a huge amount of money over the lifespan of your tires because you're getting 50-52mpg like most Prius drivers that keep their car optimized for MPG

 

Doesn't the Prius have bad road-noise anyway regardless of what tires you get? You'll still hear everything because that's just how the Prius was built. Thin lightweight materials.

 

Exactly! If you own a Prius you get great gas mileage and save a ton of money and your car in general is nothing fancy, even kind of cheap and noisy. It's an economy car... If you want something that rides quiet and gets kinda good gas mileage buy an expensive Lexus hybrid instead.

 

You need to install sound dampening insullation if you want to reduce the noise.
Or turn the volume up more on the radio, or both.
Many have installed the insullation. Do a search on here to find it.

Tires are a personal thing. You'll need LLR tires to get the better fuel mileage.
The Continental True Contact I had lasted 80,000 miles. Handles GREAT no matter the weather.
But they are noisey. I then put Cooper tires on. Very quiet, but lost 5mpg, no matter what I tried.
They were on sale and they said they were good for fuel mileage. They lied!

I know have the Bridgestone Ecopias, which are too noisey, but good mpg's. They have
40,000 and don't look bad except for the edges. So I increased the tire pressure.
Ibought these because they were on clearance for $80 each.

I'll try Michelin's on next time if I can afford them...

 

If you look at the sticker on the door pillar it will tell you 36 front 32 rear.
Most don't do that. I personally do 38 front and rear.
Maybe start with 36 and 36 and check the sound and mpg's.
Then adjust from there. Some say they put 50psi. But it's not safe.
And has to ride like a rock!
You can look on the tire itself and it will tell you the MAXimum pressure.
It is wise NOT to exceed it.

I don't know anything about that brand. I don't care for off the wall brands.

 

i put on michelin energy saver a/s after the oems. same mpg's, a world of difference in noise.

still in good shape after 35k, but i drive carefully

 

Michelin tires are rated for 45psi... Also I've gotten 70K miles out of my last two sets of ecopias at 47psi front and 45psi rear, which is 10K miles more than they were rated for.

The folklore your mechanic is representing is common with folks who don't have direct experience trying it. They incorrectly think of a tire as a more like a balloon and if you overinflate you'll have more tire wear in the middle. But truth is a steel belted tire doesn't inflate like a balloon.

And everyone has different roads they regularly drive on so your ideal tire pressure is dependent on that. But if you have more wear on the edges of the tread than in the middle, that's a sign of under inflation.

Of course if you're looking for a quieter ride, you won't enjoy the harder ride of higher tire pressure, but if you're trying to save money and want to maximize the value of your tires and your gas you might learn to get used to it.

 

Toyo is primarily an off brand sold in bulk to tire store chains... Out here on the West Coast tire chain stores like Les Schwab sell them almost exclusively. And these tire chains usually offer free flat repair and there's one in most every city so can be worth it for some people.

As for the quality of Toyo tires, you'll have a hard time finding any formal consumer comparison testing on them because they aren't a primary name brand like Michelin or Bridgestone that get tested and reviewed regularly.

 

I’m on my second set of Pirelli P4. Got my new set at sams for 360 out the door. I put almost 100k on my old set and were still at 4/32. I can say with 100% confidence that these are some of the smoothest all around driving tires I’ve ever use. I lived in the wettest part of the country and never had any issues with traction until the end of the tires life. My average MPG on screen is 50 but calculated is 47. Never had a noticeable drop in mpg after the new set of P4.