Bad Tire Choice

Buy good tires. You don't have to give up mileage for good tires, you just need to do a little research before buying. I have used both Micheline and Nokian tires on my Gen II, and both did as well or better than the mileage of the OEM tires. Both were far superior in handling, noise, and winter traction.

Tom

 

Most people report a slight drop in MPG when they get new tires, but it usually comes back after a few thousand miles as the tires break in. At 10,000 miles I'd assume those tires are well broken in so I don't think you'll get much more MPG back at this point.

It's interesting isn't it, when you do the calculations, just how much LRR (low rolling resistance) tires are really worth. I figure that over the life of the tire it costs you at least $100.00 for each one MPG drop in fuel efficiency.

To see just how much variation there is in FE even among different LRR tires see this report where they get about 7.5% varation (and you could be sure there would be other tires not tested that are much worse than any of these). : When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

 

On the advice of my dealer I took advantage of the 4/3 +$1. I questioned the parts man about the mileage I would get on my 2006 Prius. He said there should be no difference and the Dayton Signature tires are recommended replacement tires by Toyota. DON'T even consider them. I am extremely irritated. The guy either lied or had no idea what he was talking about. I've gone from 49-50 mpg to 41-43. I'm furious. The tires now have 1000 or so miles and are no better. They are rolling resistant. They feel like I'm driving with the brakes on. I used to take cruise off and coast down several hills in the neighborhood. Doesn't work now. Car will actually come to a stop. Used to have to keep a foot on the brake at lights. Not now.

Am now paying a huge fuel penalty and can't afford to throw the tires away and replace them. If your dealer tells you to use Dayton Signature tires, tell him he doesn't know what he is talking about and go elsewhere. I will from now on. Tho their service till this has been great, the dude who talked me into these expensive tires at Palmiero Toyota in Meadville, PA has sure soured me.

 

First of all let get one thing straight very few and I mean few dealers care and know very little as far as the knowledge of people and there experiences. Just as with any business their goal is to make money period. He most likely has no personal experience with LRR versus non LRR tires on the prius and really cares nothing about your situation at all. I would have to do the math but considering just a few mpg loss can result in more than the cost of the tires over the run I would sell the tires to a used tire dealer and buy some good LRR tires and learn from the experience. In most car groups that I have been apart of the dealer has gotten the nickname of Satan for his greedy behavior. Just my 2 cents.....

 

Do check out the round and black link above. Also, Tirerack now allows you to sift tires to identify LRR, and even show only LRR choices. That said, LRR tires still vary within that class.

Really, don't rely on the dealership, or even dedicated local tire dealers. You have to research for yourself: the internet is opening up info on tires..

 

Absolutely. What you have to understand about tires oftentimes is that the higher the treadwear rating...the lower the tire's performance in almost all aspects other than just lasting a really long time. When you couple that with a cheap, poorly constructed tire you have a recipe for what you're experiencing.

When you owned your Civic, you just bought tires and all you cared about was that they were cheap and lasted forever. What you have to realize now that you have your Prius is that you now care about performance, and caring about performance will often reduce that treadlife.

Its not performance like cornering, or ride or noise isolation...its fuel economy...but its performance nonetheless.

If it were my car I'd replace them. Its the only part of the car that touches the ground, can be the car's greatest strength or its weakest link. Don't go cheap, go excellent. Excellent doesn't have to mean the most expensive (and often does not), but it usually means not the cheapest.

 

Frankly I think tires are one of the most commonly under-thought-about item on a car. I had a set of Rikon Raptors on my Prius when I bought it. After a year I decided it was time to replace them: I was have "drifting" issues on the freeway and "slipping" issues when pulling out of parking lots.

I did A LOT of research on tires. I read many reviews of tires at various sites, but mostly at the Tire Rack. I found a couple of tires I liked, but when I read about how they performed specifically on a Prius, I changed my mind. (Ironically the Raptors are sold at Discount Tires as their lowest price tire and rated very highly by THEIR customers--but there were NO independent reviews or test results available.)

I took into consideration handling, especially wet weather, snow & ice handling (I have to get to work no matter the weather), stopping distance, tread wear and price. I was going to go with Michelin Hydro Edge but they are expensive and hard to find. After further research I bought a set of Yokohama ENVigor tires. They rated tops in test results and customer survey results. They were about $40 a tire LESS then the Hydro's, so that helped!

The difference on my Prius was amazing! The ride was WAY quieter, way smoother, and the handling and "slipping" issues are gone. I found my mileage immediately IMPROVED (not supposed to happen with new tires) and I could tell the car was running in "stealth" mode more often than before!

My concern was NOT with just getting the most MPG. The savings are minimal as to gas costs. But just one panic situation a year that a top rated tire can handle much better then a cheap tire (like the Raptor) or a tire made more for HI MPG, would be MORE THEN WORTH IT--in many ways-- if it saved me from an accident!

So the best thing I can say is consider your driving circumstance (no snow, or little rain, etc) and chose a couple of tires and research them. Read what other Prius drivers report on them--the handling, MPG and all may not make a difference to a BWM or a Cadillac owner, but may to a Prius owner. In other words, tires are important. take the time to research them and don't take the word of the sales person who probably does not have your best interests at heart.

 

Absolutely! The most important component on a car IMHO.