A friend in Ohio left a message for me asking what I know about Michelin tires for his '04 Prius offered by Sears with an 80K mile warranty. Can anyone help me out with a response for him? Thanks in advance.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MadHungarian @ Aug 25 2006, 01:39 PM) [snapback]309408[/snapback]</div> HydroEdge. Have 'em, love 'em, recommend 'em.
I have a set of Goodyears with a 60,000 mile warranty and it looks like they'll last no more than 30,000. B)
Another vote for the HydroEdge. 50,000 miles on mine so far and a long way to go. Excellent under all weather conditions, but incredible in heavy rain. Worth the money.
Michelin X Radial from Costco, less expensive than hydroedges, but better rated for rain ( imagine that ) and overall by Consumer Reports. I have them on two Prii and they are great.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MadHungarian @ Aug 25 2006, 01:39 PM) [snapback]309408[/snapback]</div> I just picked up at set of Michelin Destiny tires for my '05 Prius at Discount Tire in Arlington, TX. They come with a 80,000 mile warranty which covers workmanship /materials. The total cost of installation, lifetime spin balancing, lifetime road hazard repairs and taxes was $506.80. I initially inquired about Goodyear's ComforTreads but my store didn't have any, however, they gave me the Michelin Desitny tires for the same price of $90 each.
Long-term test results: I now have 65,000 miles on my HydroEdges on a 2004 Prius, and there is 10-20K of tread left I estimate. Very good tires, and I still get 48 MPG, mostly highway.
My Prius has 96,000km on it, I normally don't get better than 60,000km from a set of tyres. I have just removed the factory fitted Michelin Energy XM1's last week and replaced them with a set of Michelin XM1+. I think roads here are harder on tyres. The Energy XM1+ tyres are much quieter and have more grip, I haven't had the traction control interupt my fun since I got them, and the roads have been wet! Michelin claim the XM1+ tyres get 25% more tread life, so I'll report back in 6 years and 120,000km when I might be replacing them again.
For the lazy Prius owner I have questions. What tires work best in locations such as Chicago that experience extreme weather conditions including snow? Also, what service center offers oil changes with tire service? I would like to get a highly rated set of tires (when I need them) have balancing and rotation included in the tire purchase and be able to get an oil and oil filter change at 5000 mile intervals. I would also like the ability to make sure the service center uses oil and oil filter of my choosing, even if it cost me a little extra. I love my little Prius but I do not want to be running around having the service intervals occur at different places on different times. I may be b presumptuous but I think other Prius owners would like this too.
The previously mentioned X-radials are good. For the best winter traction and low rolling resistance the Nokian WR and WR-G2 are the best. Wayne
I installed Hydroedge 195s about 3K miles ago. Very nice difference. Steering is a bit stiffer, which I like. Cornering feels a bit more solid. MPG dropped about 5% (42 to 40) for the first 1000 miles or so, but now it's back where it was before. The tires are quieter and smoother than the OEM Goodyears.
My HydroEdges (740 treadwear, back then) would have made it to 80,000 miles just fine had it not been for bad seasonal timing. It was the peak of snow fall. I replaced them with fresh HydroEdges. What a great decision. That thick heavy snow was a reminder why I upgraded to them in the first place all those years ago. Great tires! .
