After much research here we decided on the Nokian WRG2's for our 2008 Prius. Here is my question(s); What tire pressure are the owners of this tire running? Is there different pressure for different seasons? Thanks... especially to all that helped in my earlier post with the decision making process for new agressive all-season tires!
I run mine at 38/36 psi. I'm not a hypermiler, so I don't take it to extremes. I like the way they feel at those pressures. Tom
Hi Tom... thanks again for helping out! I don't understand why the man that installed the tires who is a Nokian and other brands tire dealer out of his home garage for 30 years would tell me "it is absolutely imperative to keep them at 32lbs psi... no matter what the door sticker says... that will allow the best wear" What is the reason he would say that... do you think?
Hi Jeff...Not sure if I mentioned it in my last thread but I have purchased the H rating on mine too. I mentioned to Tom above... the dealer told me he had them set at 32psi and to leave them there absolutely...
Often dealer experience will suggest a different pressure than that on the door sticker. The Prius calls for relatively soft tire pressures. Many of us find that we get under-inflation wear patterns when we use the door values. Your tire dealer must think he knows something different, but it goes counter to the collective experience on this site. I would go with the recommendations here. Either way you should have your front tires two psi higher than the rear. This is due to weight distribution in the Prius. Tom
Higher pressures will give you better mileage, and clear snow out of the tread better. They WILL run a little rougher. Some think the higher pressure will cause the tire to wear faster in the centre than the edges, but modern tires are pretty resistant to that. Lower pressures will ride better, but may actually wear faster due to the sidewalls deforming on cornering and from increased tread squirm (we hyper milers don't slow down for corners do we? ). On the highway the lower pressure will build due to more heating so you may end up with similar pressure to those who started out with a higher pressure. You can easily test this with your tire gauge (you DO carry one, don't you? ). The tire will run hotter though. Although I have the older tread WR tire, a further data point, I run 40 front 38 rear. Just had them rotated at a "real service" tire shop. They studiously marked the pressures down on a cardboard "hanger" I found on the rear-view mirror. They marked the pressures from the door placard. They didn't change the tire pressures one bit. I found 40 PSI in the rear and 38 in the front. Don't trust ANYONE to adjust your tire pressures. Do it yourself, and carry a good pressure gauge!
I'm on my second set of WRg2's. I ran the first ones for a little over two years and wore them out completely. I usually kept them at 42/40 year round. The installer set the pressure on the new ones at 30 all around, and they felt great! I only noticed a 2% decrease in mileage over 400 miles. I've increased the pressure to 38/35. The ride is noticeably rougher and I haven't seen dramatic mileage difference. But I don't expect to see a change with such a short test. I do a 10-week rolling average on my mileage spreadsheet to get a more accurate reading. I think I'll go back to 32/30 and see how that goes. Ya think I'll remember to report back in 10 weeks?
Yes I carry a pressure gauge and even bought a compressor for the garage to keep them where they are suppose to be (according to the door sticker until now that is ha-ha) I am going with Tom's 38 front 36 rear recommendation as that seems like a perfect "in between" place to be! Thanks for the info Ernie
Good choice. I run mine at 38/36. I got over 80K out of my last set, with better mileage and grip than the stock Goodyears.
Thanks for the information ! If you don't remember... I will try to remember to remind you. I guess the 29th of October should be near the end of the 10 weeks. I would really be interested in your findings!! Talk to you like the 29th!
