Time for new tires. What says PriusChat?

re: Bridgestone EP422
I have yet to find one. TireRack has two owner reviews, but they're of limited value. ModernTireDealer.com has an interesting story about them. However, the data supplied are all from Bridgestone.

 

You don't need more reasons. Now that I have good tires (TripleTred), I know how bad the Integrities are. The sooner you're rid of them, the safer you'll be.

 

I have given my Prius to the wife :yell: and she has commanded me to improve the noise and comfort of the ride. Not concerned with much of anything else

2009 Touring
S.W. Florida
Potenzas are OE
195/55/16 20,000mi w/ another 5K left on them

I have one with a screw in it that is slowly deflating and one with a nail in it, same deflation. Don't ask.

:grouphug:

Any suggestions would be super and thanks!

 

I'd say your wife has her priorities wrong.

There's nothing more important in a tire than traction. All else being equal, sure, make them quieter and smoother. But there's always a trade-off.

 

i only have 20,000 on my integrities, can't really environmentally justify dumping them. has a study ever been done on what the effect of the rubber worn off tires does to the environment?

 

Feel free to come over and tell her.

I have to go for quieter and smoother so my life will be quieter and smoother.

 

me too, i think the michelin fits the bill.

 

It's true, that if your wife is not happy then you also will not be.

It sounds like you've received wifely approval to buy new tires. Not sure what the problem is?

I am currently using the Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 on both Prius and they are very quiet. This tire comes in all Prius tire sizes: Classic, 2G non-Touring/Touring, 3G.

Looks like the tread life will be at least 50K miles, extrapolating from the wear on my 2004's tires after 10K miles. Great traction and handling, no issues. However this tire is rated as "summer", not all-season.

 

If "approval" is "make the damn Prius ride a whole lot more comfortably and get rid of the tire noise" then, yeah, approval it is.

Summer is fine. Living in SW FL, thanks for the advice:hug:.

 

Just got a complete set of Ecopia EP422s on my 2004. Not many miles yet but they are the quietest tires I have ever had. Cost was $427 mounted, balanced, new valve stems -not too bad in my opinion. I had to wait 3 weeks to get them though.

 

Jerry, The EP422's (as well as Michelin Energy Saver A/S) are on my shortlist for a late September replacement of the Integrities on our '08. The 422's are so new, I can find very little real world feedback on them. I'd be very interested in your reactions to the EP's after a month or so. DavidJ

 

Is anyone considering the Turanza EL400T for a genII non-touring? They seem to come standard on the touring edition (in 16" of course). They supposedly have an 80K warranty and are all-season. Considering getting either those of the EP100. Im in CA so summer tires are okay, but the Turanza are the same price almost and 30K longer warranty.

 

Hi!
I've been researching tires for weeks and I have my eyes on the Ecopias...good reviews for mileage and dry/wet handling! But I haven't found much information about winter handling. I saw that you live in PA (I'm in Upstate NY), have you had good experiences handling snow and ice? how would you rank them with your previous tires? Do you recommend the Ecopias? Thanks so much!

 

ECOPIAS EP422's are "stealth tires". they are super quiet, so quiet that you HAVE to expect people to walk right in front of you in busy holiday parking lots. Mileage was OK. mine are touring version, 16's and they get about 43-45. These should be great for you.

 

I didn't get any responses so I'm not sure if anyone else is interested or looking into the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 tires. I've had them for about two months and I am extremely happy with them. I have used them in dry and wet conditions and they handle extremely well. They are very quiet and the ride is smooth. I live in upstate NY just below the snow line, so we get some snow but not a lot, maybe ~70 inches a year. So far I am quite pleased with how these handle snow and ice. Honestly, I didn't expect them to be this good. They outperform the Potenza RE960 AS, which I was set on buying after reading positive reviews about mileage and snow handling in tirerack. I had a chance to drive cars with Ecopia 422 and Potenza tires, and the Ecopia is a much better tire in snow and ice. The Ecopias handle great with dry snow of up to 4 inches. Wet snow is a little tricky going up hill, which in my opinion has more to do with the Prius' traction system than the tires.

I didn't find any thorough reviews about the EP422, only some information and tests regarding the other Ecopias (EP100), which has a different thread. I ended up picking the Ecopia EP422 over the EP100 (for which information/reviews are available) because the thread looked more like the Goodyear Assurance ComforTred, which has some excellent reviews for snow and ice handling, and mileage.

I haven't been on any long-distance trips with these tires but I'll keep an eye on the mileage and if someone's interested, I will report back here.

 

I bought the 422s and am having them installed in summer weather state of Florida. Let you know. They look great

 

Why didn't you go with a summer or grand touring tire? I would think they would provide better mpg.

 

From May to September, coastline SW Florida can be deluged with heavy, heavy rain. Did I say heavy?

MPG is secondary to surviving aquaplaning :rockon:

 

Gotcha. I tend to forget Florida has bad weather other than the occasional hurricane. lol Smart choice.

 

the tests for the ep100s showed almost identical stopping distances etc on dry and wet pavement, though, so i think he could have gone summer touring if he knew he wasn't going to end up somewhere cold.