Tire Upgrade

I would recommend the Michelin HydroEdge, 185/65 x 15. I think it has about the widest footprint for this size, long-life and significantly better handling than the original. You will take a slight hit in mpg, which is why I chose the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max. My priority was mpg, life and price. I think the HydroEdge would fit you well.

PA P

 

The Extenzas in the 205 do not rub, so that's what's on. (they are given a different name for LesSchwab, but I am assured that they are the same tire)

 

Well it is about time for me to join the tire upgrade club. And boy am I looking forward to it. I bought Michelin Destinys for my sons Hyundai Elantra and he says he likes them much better than what the car came with (and he is usually pretty oblivious to things like that, kind of a tire is a tire kind of kid). My local tire store likes the Destinys. But there have been great comments aobut the Michelin Primacy MX4 (or something like that) and I noticed they have also come out with a specific LRR tire (can't remember the name of it right now).

Does anyone have any opinions between these 3? Or strongly recommend something else? while I appreciate my mpg (tire store already said get anything other than an integrity and your mileage will drop, guess they have had customers complain about that), I really want a quieter, more comfortable ride and better handling for safetly. Live in California so rain is more of a problem than snow. But potholes and bumpy roads are the worst so...

I am defintely going to plus size up from 185, any opinions on how much additional advantage of going all the way to 205 instead of 195?

thanks in advance

 

I just replaced my Nokian WRG2 tires that I had for over 2 years with 51k on them. They were great for winter driving and have great handling... But they will get very very loud around 30k-35k. I kept 42/40 psi with nitrogen. I just got the Michelin Hydroedge with Green X going off of the Tirerack's high marks. Plus a $70 rebate!

 

Nyprius, thank you so much for posting your tire recommendations. Even though your post is 5 years old, these tires are still available. I took your advice and brought 4 Goodyear Tripletred tires, and upped them to 195/60R15 (on July 10, 2010).

My old tires got a slow leak in 1 tire, then a week later 2 tires were causing me to find air every 3-4 days. My husband noticed my tires were bald and he was very concerned about my safety. It’s been 3 years, not too bad for 50K miles (2007), on the tires that came with my Prius. I headed up to NH (45 mins over the boarder) to buy new tires for my Prius. Wow, the new tires are amazing; the car rides so much better. You were so right about the feel of the car, it’s like driving a new car, and they really hold the road. I'm still suffering from sticker price shock ($700. With balancing, alignment and TPMS valve service). I keep thinking it's an investment for the next 85,000 miles (under a penny per mile).

Back when I first purchased my Prius, I was trying to decide if I should purchase the extended warranty on my car. After lots of reading the posts on this site and price searching I decided not to buy the extended warranty (50k miles or 5 years), I’m at 49K and no problems with my Prius. I took the risk and came out on top. The money saved paid for these new tires. (Keeping my fingers crossed)

The place I purchased the new tires from had no problem upgrading me from 185 to 195 tires. They told me I should be rotating my tires every 6,000 miles (that will be each time I change my synthetic motor oil). I looked in my car maintenance book and there is a check mark in every box except for the tire rotation, it has a line through it. Next visit to my local service shop, I will ask them if this meant they skipped the tire rotation each maintenance check time.
(I think they did me a favor because I had to get new tires before 65K.)

Came home, with my new tires and found that a friend of mine put the same tires on her minivan, who just returned from a summer cross country. They love their tires:thumb:, they had no problems on their trip, told me they were great in the snow and they paid the same price.

 

Just FYI... (11 months old report )

Tire Test Results - TIRE RACK

Ken@Japan

 

I went with the Yokohama's on my touring. Good gas mileage. Quiet. MUCH better handling than stock (wet and dry). Highly recommend.

Jonathan

 

Same here

 

I am getting ready to put on new tires on my 08 with 50000 miles. Consumers Report rates the Michelin Energy Saver A/S high. Has anyone used them as yet? I would like to also go to a larger size 195 or 205.

Thanks for any feedback.

Tom

 

As a friendly commentary, Bigger tire size will be a hit in MPG.
If you want to squeeze as much distance from your gas tank, keep the same size.

 

I want a better handling tire and it sounds like you need to go to a larger tire from the post on this thread. Even my manual shows a 195 tire on the page about tires. I have been checking around at tire places. It looks like it is one of several. Goodyear Fuel Max or Michelin Hydroedge seem to be the best so far. The Michelin Energy saver I have been told does not get good life ( about 30000 miles ). This is why I asked about them to get some real world input.

Money is another factor. I don't see spending a ton on tires when a less expensive tire will do the same.

So again any input at this point would be helpful......thanks.

Tom

 

I bought Michelin Pilot Exalto sport tires from Sams when my original tires had 22k miles on them. I gave $93/ piece and that was 2 1/2 yrs ago. Next time I will pay the difference for Michelin's better tire, the Primacy's at $108/ piece. The tires I have now at 47k miles (or 26k on the tires) are noisy. They make "singing" noise on the highway (unless the radio is loud enough) so I would advise against them.
The handling is great, the ride fine but the noise is NOT good. They seemed to be half worn so mileage on them is good also.
For me, I would pay the difference and get the better tire. You will be glad you did in the long run.

 

I thinking about getting the Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires. What is the difference between the 88V and the 88H models? Other than the $40 cost per tire?

 

Meh. Not necessarily. If everything else is kept the same, then going to a wider size (205 vs. 185) could result in a hit on mpgs. But everything rarely stays the same relative to what was originally installed on the car as it came from the factory. For example, there are new low rolling resistance tread compounds that result in better mpg numbers than the OEM tires.

You can also reduce the mass of the wheels to offset any increased frictional losses from the tires. Or, horror of horrors, you can swap in lower mass wheels and lower rolling resistance tires to get the maximum achievable economy.... When gas was at $4+/gallon, such an approach actually made sense under certain circumstances. Whether it is still true at $3.20/gallon gas, I don't know.

 

Higher speed rating (V vs. H). If memory serves, H tires are rated to 130 mph (V tires are rated to something like 150 mph). Since the Prius maxes out around 105 mph, the H rated tires are plenty safe.

 

As tires wear, they get more noisy than when they were new, so keep that in mind with any upgrade.

 

I checked out Consumer Reports also. I decided on Michelin X Radials 185's when the Prius only had 25,000 miles. My MPG improved from 44 to 45 overall... nothing like 53 mpg. The ride was so much smoother, no hydroplaning, better wind and lower resistance. However, when I was in Marlborough, MA at a Best Western, I did a relatively slow 3 point turn and backed into a broken rough granite curb. My rt rear tire developed a slow leak as the sidewall was damaged... needed a new tire. I was disappointed in the damage at such a low speed. Since I do not intend to dump this car soon, I'll be looking for new tires in another few thousand miles. I will look into 195's. Thanks for the info.

 

I got 80K out of my HydroEdge, they "only" were on the car a little over 4 years.

Since they still haven't produced the stock size (my last email from them said July/Aug), and the rebate was ending 8/9/10, I went with the HEs in 205/60-15. While I might lose a little mpg, the increased traction is well worth it. So far, I see a 1-2mpg hit over the stock tires (I had a spare set of take-offs I was using, hoping the HEs would come out in stock size), but they're brand new, once they get a few K on them, the hit will be almost nil.

 

I upgraded to using 205/60 R15 Falken Ziex Ze 512 and I am very happy with them at $43 each.

 

I've been reading this thread and have had 05/60 R15 Falken Ziex Ze 512 for a year -- they're good. i drive fast on mountain roads for my everyday commute. I'm getting Michelins and am about to try
mxmv (new model) in a 205/55/16 (touring) My tire guy says these will handle better that /60/ I have no snow.

any ideas?