All About Tires...

Since the max Prius speed is 106 mph, while the H speed rating is 130 mph, I personally would not worry about using H (or for that matter S or T) rated tires.

I'd be cautious about increasing the tire size as the wider tire might start to interfere with the fender well when you are making a sharp turn.

 

If you want to stick with the Touring OEM's 195/55R16 tire size, then I think the tire to get is the Falken Ziex ze-912. It has its strengths and weaknesses, but it is generally highly regarded and it's cheap -- about $75 a tire. It is among the tires tested by Consumer Reports in the November 2009 issue, so check it out yourself.

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If you want to broaden your selection, you should be able to safely change to the 205/55R16 tire size where there are a large variety of tires available. Lots of Touring owners have moved to this size. And I haven't heard anyone report that it scrapes the fender well or report any problem at all with using this size.

Because I live in New York City and need tires that perform well in all conditions, if I had a Touring and needed new tires, I would go for the Hankook Optimo H727 in the 205/55R16 size. They only cost about $111 in that size, and as you probably know, they are Consumer Reports' highest rated tire for 4 season performance. Its snow traction and ice braking ratings are as high or higher than most of the winter tires tested by Consumer Reports.

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There are various threads and posts here by Touring owners about replacing their tires. Do a search including the words Touring and tires. Here's the first major thread about tires for the Touring Edition:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-modifications/37637-touring-edition-tire-upgrade.html

 

I like my Bridgestone Potenzas (G019) just fine, and they were only $85 a piece from Tirerack.com. Feel great at 80+ mph, and did well in 4 inches of snow last weekend. They look good, and have an aggressive tread pattern as well.

 

My vote is for the Noiken WR-G2 as a OEM replacement. Safety is something one should not compromise. After all, you and your loved ones (along with friends, etc) will be riding on them for some time to come, so why not get the best you can afford.

The tyres were 140.00 each, and should be good for 50 to 60K miles. They also received a recommendation from Consumer Reports.

 

I have a 2008 Touring also and replaced the original tires with Michelin Energy Savers at about $160/pop. I really dislike them for the noisy whining sound, rough ride and the decreased gas mileage(-2mpg). Get something else! I now have 5,000 miles on them and they should be broken in by now but nothing's changed.

 

I hope Boo's answer helped you out. I recently purchased some of the Hankook Optimo 727's and I had to go to the next larger size tire, which is basically a wider tire (not taller so they don't interfere with your fenders for example). The OEM size was not available. There are web sites you can go to to compare your old size to other sizes so you can pick a replacement size that does not affect your speedometer much (need approximately same revs per mile on the new tires).

 

I even have a Potenza on the back of my motorcycle, I like them so much. $526 for 4 tires ain't bad. Glad you like them.

 

How are the Potenza's working out for you?