Touring Tires: Advice Wanted

Michelin Primacy MXV4/MXM4, pricey but they are luxurious and per Michelin, last a while. Both are Green X LRR tires.

 

Those are among the tires I would get too.

But they don't come in the Touring Prius OEM size of 195/55R16 which Prianista seems to be insisting on.

Personally, if I were in Prianista's shoes, I'd move to the 205/55R16 size -- which a huge variety of tires comes in -- and get a tire that I'd really want.

 

I think it would be better to go plus+0 to 205/50-16 if you want to keep the odometer/speedo and VSC happy.

Here's what Tire Rack lists as LRR in the OEM size - but I know Michelin does engineer some LRR characteristics in most of their tires from experience. I had a set of Pilot Exalto A/S on a V8 Lexus and I got 19-26mpg out of them. I have Bridgestones on it now and I saw a huge drop in MPG.

Tire Search Results

 

I used the miata.net tire calc - which allows to see how much of a difference in diameter and revolutions per mile between your current tire and a different size - 205/50-16 is about 1-2% off from the OEM size.

There's also a concept called Plus sizing - which aims to keep tire dimensions close to OEM but allows you to size up in wheels. In this case, we're looking at Plus 0 sizing. If you upgrade to a 18" wheel, that is considered Plus 1 sizing and so forth.

 

what about Michelin's test?

Michelin Takes the Tire Full Circle
The 10-in. wheel is back. Well, maybe not just yet, but from a performance and efficiency standpoint, there are many reasons why large wheels and tires are going to be replaced with something smaller. Michelin demonstrated the benefits of downsizing by swapping a 14-in. wheel/tire combination (175/65R-14) with a 10-in. one (175/70R-10) on a Citroën C2. To do this, the suspension, brakes and body were modified in conjunction. The result is a reduction of about 88 lb., as well as an improvement in aerodynamics thanks to smaller wheel openings. Part of the specification for the 10-in. package was that it didn’t sacrifice performance or load-carrying ability. In my back-to-back comparison around a section of the Nelson Piquet International Autodrome (home of the Brazilian Grand Prix 1978–1990), I sensed that the 10-in. setup actually performed better. The steering is lighter and the car responds quicker. The only theoretical reason for running larger wheels is to fit bigger brakes, and this demonstration proves what racers have known for years.
Yet, regardless of how this technology improves fuel efficiency, the real question is if buyers will accept it.—Shaun Bailey