Ecopia 422 plus vs Michelin

I also put the Ecopia 422+ on my 2017 Prius Four. From BJ's wholesale club. About 9 months and 30k miles in (I put a lot of miles on my car!). I haven't noticed the problems you state, but while it might be my bad luck, I have to say I've had at least 4 punctures to be patched and one tire had to be completely replaced when it had a 2nd puncture too close to the first one! Thankfully it was within six months of purchase and so the replacement was free. So I've been wondering myself if these tires are somehow more susceptible to picking up nails and screws. Thankfully also, the TPMS system does a great job of warning me when a tire is low.

 

Costco also sells the Michelin X-Tour which is the exact same tire as the Defender, just relabeled for warehouse clubs. They are about $10 less per tire than the Defender.

I have had the X-Tours for about a year and a half. I am very happy with them. I don't think 15" rims are the issue. We don't have much in the way of rain grooves here, just pot holes, so I can't speak to that.

After a bit more than a year and 11,000 miles, I got a puncture that was close to the tire edge and couldn't be fixed. Costco replaced the tire with a new one for a total charge of $14.16. Tire wear was so minimal that putting a new one on with the remaining three has not been a problem. Great service and great tires in my opinion..

 

Food for thought:

Better Handling On A Budget ! | PriusChat



Rob43

 

Haven't had an issue with any Bridgestone tire that we've run on any of the cars - several demo Honda CRVs, my Insight's Bridgestone Potenza 165/65R14, or the Prius' Bridgestone Ecopia 185/65R15. Bridgestones are great tires.

If you go Michelin, I'd recommend the Michelin Energy Saver.....if they can even be found in the Prius' size anymore.

 

I got the michelin defenders at 45k miles (at 60k now) and it does handle much better but my gas mileage definitely took a hit, even pumped up to max sidewall pressure. Had the original toyos and never really found the noise super bad. The defenders are great tires otherwise than the MPG hit. One may say that the MPG hit is worth it but it is annoying to get a few less MPG going the same speed than with the Low rolling resistance tires. Realistically I went from hitting above 60 MPG most every tank to averaging 57 or 58 a tank. Definitely 3-4 MPG hit.

 

That could cost $150 or so over the life of the tires but most likely would be partially made up by longer tread life for the Defenders. So, in the long run the cost issue isn't much. I do understand that it is nice to see that 60 mpg figure.

 

Toyota sets these chassis up from the factory with (IMO) A LOT of toe in, but if your prime is running the Bare Minimum of acceptable toe in it will favor tramlining. Take it to any alignment shop that gives a Free alignment check, get that printout and post up a clear picture of your results.


Rob43

 

I will choose two options from Bridgestone and Defender to compare, which are the Bridgestone H/L 422 Plus and the Defender LTX M/S. Defender LTX M/S tires deliver a smooth and comfortable ride because they have dedicated noise reduction technology. The rolling resistance of the H/L 422 Plus is also great, but it is loud on highways and the handling is average.

 

I just had a set of Bridgestone Turanza QuietTracks put on yesterday. The OEM Toyo NanoEnergy were down to 5/32" at 66K, noisy, and drifting about in the lane. First 140 miles on the commute today they were quieter and solid in the lane. Took the expected MPG hit too, down 10 MPG both directions. That should improve soon.

 

Bridgestone Touranza Quietracks here. Nothing notable on Florida highways, nor cross-country traveling to the Northeast.

I will say that the handling in corners is better with 41 psi up front instead of 39 psi.

This is my first set of Bridgestone, and I wasn't sure I was going to like them. Until I try some other brand (perhaps Michelin the next time - and I've had Michelins before) I can't say much about them other than they are pretty good at allowing me to travel faster than all other traffic in the heavy rains.

 

It's now 4000 miles later, and the 10 mpg hit is still there. It is Winter too, here in AZ. My untouched vehicle average, calculated over a little more than two years now, went from a steady 59.1 to 58.5 mpg, and will likely continue to slowly drop. My down and back commute mpg is consistently down by 10 mpg. Those numbers are still pretty good, and maybe they will improve when the warmer weather comes back.

 

I have to say that I really liked the Ecopia’s that came standard on my Prius Prime. They were quiet and gave good traction in rain and snow. I would definitely get them again. The car tracked and handled well. While I don’t have an abundance of rain siping on our roadways, I never noticed the car pulling in them. Just wondering if you had the alignment checked? I had about 45,000 miles on my Prime when I sold it and still plenty of tread. I would not be willing to take a 10 mpg or more drop with the wrong tires on the car. It’s the reason I drive a hybrid in the first place. Interesting how others have also had positive results with the Ecopia’s? Also don’t depend on the tire store to know the best tire for you Hybrid or EV. 99% have no clue, as well as everyone saying their tires are eco friendly. There should be some sort of posted rolling resistance on tires so you can compare them. In the end you need to be happy- what tire was originally on the car?

 

There’s three iterations of the EP422; the ones that came on your car were likely the made in Japan type, diff than US or Mexican tires, with same name but…

 

Interesting you should mention alignment. It has been checked and complained about a bit. Straight road, no appreciable crown, the steering wheel is canted about 5 degrees to the left. Let go of the wheel and it stays there. It's due for another alignment check at 75K, and I mentioned the ongoing problem (concern) again to my service writer. I told him every time I look down at the steering wheel I'm reminded of this inaccuracy. I don't think this is contributing to mpg loss since it was there with my original tire set, OEM Toyo NanoEnergy. Those only lasted 66K and were twitchy in the lane at the end.

 

If you took your car for alignment and the guy was too lazy or inattentive to center the steering wheel (or didn't explain why he couldn't center it), I'd use a different place next time.