I just replaced my stock Goodyear Integrities with Yokohama AS530's. Any thoughts on these tires? I have noticed a much smoother and quieter ride, but have notices a small dip in my gas mileage. Is this just due to a "break-in" period?
im looking at these tires at NTB in Fredericksburg i was wondering how well they have held up for you?
They do not appear to be low rolling resistance tires. Is there a reason you are looking at these tires when there are likely better tires suited for the Prius and that offer $70+ rebates?
I've had these tires on my Prius for about a year. While they are quieter and provide more grip, I have lost about 2 MPG with them. I run them at 42 PSI front and 40 PSI rear.
well there was a deal at ntb going on "buy 2 get 2 free" on these tires, and i couldnt find any reviews on them so i just decieded to ask the most knowledgeable people in the field :first: i am thinking i will not go with these tires, as much as i love a deal, i don't wanna put a bullet in safety. so if there is any good suggestions to a tire for my 09 prius, i would be most appreciative! i live in northern VA so we get all kinds of weather, so i need a good all season tire. also i am most curious as to how these LRR tires work. i cant quite wrap my head around the claim that they offer a lower rolling resistance yet not sacrificing traction, i.e. the don't necessarily just use a harder compound rubber. ... help me understand? thanks guys
They generally use a different tread desig, sidewall construction and tire materials like silica, orange peel oil, sunflower seed oil, etc. The tires generally have lower traction ratings than a full on performance tire but most drivers do not need an ultra high performance tire. Early LRR tires did tend to sacrifice longevity and grip but they have come a long way since then. Modern LRR tires deliver better fuel economy, longevity and performance on par or better than a lot of cheaper performance tires. It is my belief that the more agressive the tread design raises rolling resistance even if they are rated as LRR. The manufactures must also changed tire materials to handle the colder weather. That is why some of the most fuel efficient tires are summer or grand touring tires. For areas with light snow a good all season tire will work fine. There are some tires like the Hankook H727 that are not LRR rated yet the offer great winter traction and don't lower your mpg by much. Fuel Efficient Low Rolling Resistant Tires Tire Tech Information - Tire Rolling Resistance Part 2: Defining Rolling Resistance
If I were looking for tires now, knowing more about LRR rated tires, I probably would not buy them. The wear is holding up nicely, the ride is still much quieter than my old integritys, but my overall mpg is down 2 to 3 mpg's than before.
Just run them till they expire then get something new. If they are quiet, safe, and last a long time then at least your got your moneys worth.
Yeah I'm glad I've learnt a bit about the LRR options before having to replace my tires. F8L's done some really good work documenting LRR tires in the thread linked in his sig. It's actually pretty surprising what a 3 MPG difference can cost over the life of a set of tires. For example 48 versus 45 MPG over a tire life of say 67000 is over $350.00 (at $3.80/gal). calc: 3.8 * 67000 * ( 1/45 - 1/48)
FWIW, I was in for service at a local Toyota dealership, and they said my tires were shot, thanks to worn-out struts. Lots of tread left, but they were making an awful racket. They claimed that Toyota Galactic Headquarters was recommending the AS530 over (any?) Michelin tire. When I asked about getting tires after the other service was done, they said that their support of the service was dependent on installing the tires at the time of the service, since (they felt) the tires contributed to the other problems. Bottom line: I'll let you know how the AS530s perform. They'd better be good -- dealer price was just under $500 all-up.
I've been running Yoko AS350 tires on my '07 RAV4 Ltd. for about a year now. They're OK in the tread-wear department, but I'm thinking of replacing them already with Michelin Defender tires in hope of getting a quieter ride and boosting the RAV's MPG (I'm averaging about 22 now). I got the 530s at Big O. The guy there said they were equivalent to the Yokohama Avid tires. I don't know if that's true or not. We have Michelin MXV4s on our '12 Camry hybrid and I love 'em. In fact, when the dealer couldn't swap the OEM Bridgestone tires (awful) for Michelins -- they said they didn't have any TCHs that came with Michelins on their lot -- I ordered a set from Tire Rack and had them installed in place of the Bridgestone's toute suite.
Well, I've had them now for 3 weeks and over 1000 miles. They s*ck. Noisy, and my mileage appears to have dropped from 48-ish to 44-ish, but I'd like to withold the mileage verdict for another couple of tanks.
