A few years ago I started using snow/ice tires for winter on my 07 Prius, and now, as the OEM tires have had it, I'm due to buy a new set of summer tires this spring. I'm currently leaning toward the Ecopia EP-100, does anyone comments on this tire, or any recommendations for a different summer tire? BTW, after well over a million miles of driving in the Northeast, I found that using snow/ice tires in the winter (I have Blizzacks on my Prius and Goodyear Ice Guards on my Accord) is as big an improvement as going from bias belted tires to radials, or from rear to front wheel drive, was many years ago. The Prius is like a different car in the winter with the Blizzacks on it--and is at least the equal of the Accord, with its snow/ice tires, under all winter conditions. I don't hesitate to drive my Prius under any winter conditions, including up to hiking trail heads in the White Mountains. Note that by having my winter tires mounted on their own rims (~$65 each) I avoid going through tire remounting and twice a year.
I have that tire installed on both Prius and am very pleased with the handling, quiet ride, tread life, and mpg.
This is *such* good advice. It should be a sticky. Which is not to say that we can ever convince all people to drive sanely in the winter rather than get in trouble and then whine about Toyota traction control.
GY Assurance Fuel Max are working well for me. No obvious wear after 9 months/5k miles of "endless summer", but they are on the rear, which is much less wearing than the front.
For total savings I would look into the Ecopia EP100 when it goes on sale at Tire Rack and Costco. They offer a $70 rebate so it's like getting a free tire! If reduced environmental footprint (less petroleum used per tire) is your main concern then try the dB Super E-Spec. It is priced near the Michelins though.
Any ideas for the best summer tire? I live in New England and change tires for summer and winter driving, a necessity in the mountains here. Since the OEM tires only lasted about 33000 miles, I'd like to get a good tire that would also be cost effective. Looked at the dbSuper e-Spec that had a good write-up and I thought was on sale, but is very costly. Does anyone have a suggestion? Anyone ever ordered on-line?? Also - where would one find used wheels for mounting the summer or winter tires? Thanks for any help.
I believe Michelin currently has the $70 rebate right now, Tirebuyer.com will have the cheapest prices and free shipping no sales tax. I've always driven with the best winter tires but I've never really cared what I drove on in the summer. yes there are quite a few LRR tires avail that will save you some gas, but they are usually very expensive and don't last that long, so it makes environmental sense but maybe not fiscal sense to use LRR. I do always recommend using Top Tier Gas such as Chevron, Shell, Mobil, BP amongst others for optimum fuel economy & cleaner longer lasting engines. Another factor to consider is UV radiation which is very damaging to tires. If your car will be parked out in the sun all day in the spring, summer & fall they will be exposed to those rays and the sidewalls will crack after only a few years so spending money on Michelins that last 85,000 miles doesn't make a lot of sense as the sidewalls will be deteriorated long before the tread wears down to the wear bars. So if you park in the sun all day buy a cheaper 45,000 mile set of tires but if your Prius will be protected from the sun all day than it doesn't matter if you buy an expensive set of 85,000 miles tires or a cheaper set of 45,000 mile tires. Some will disagree but this is my $.02
This is not always true. TireRack and Discount Tire Direct are often cheaper even when shipping and tax are considered. To verify this I just rechecked pricing on the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max and TireRack.com was still cheaper after tax and normal shipping. Some tires like the ProContact Ecoplus are only $7 more each at Tirebuyer.com so it may work out to be cheaper with them. Point is this is a case by case basis. This is also incorrect. Many LRR tires are within the same price range as any other quality tire and many of them have very long treadlife warranties eclipsing 65,000 to 100,000 miles. Consider the Continental ProContact EcoPlus at $81/ea. and an 80,000 mile warranty as a case in point. This is definitely a consideration for those who drive very few miles each year but like I stated above, the high treadlife LRR tires are not much more expensive, if at all, than another high quality tire that has a lower warranty and is not LRR.
thanks, the only LRR tires I saw were the Michelins energy savers which aren't that much more than non LRR michelins but that's because michelins are so damn expensive to begin with. the goodyear fuel assurance are very expensive as well, even with a $160 rebate using goodyear credit card. I will look into the continentals ecoPlus as I am very satisfied with my continental ExtremeWinterContact, this winter driving was better in the prius than my AWD forester with yoko geolanders. I find Bridgestone, General & Continental give you the most bang for your buck and therefor the best values in tire buying. I just refuse to buy tires made in China or Korea, maybe in a few years but their quality isn't up to par with the big boys yet.
I'll second that, the Continental EcoPlus are FABULOUS tires, mainly for their wet/rain grip (see the tirerack.com review and videos). The Goodyear Infinity tires turn the Prius into a death-trap when they get wet. I drive over 2000 miles a week, and I NEED tires that are glued to the road in the wet. As far as economy, who knows. I run these at 42psi front, 40 rear, and my mileage is no different than with the deadly Goodyears. Initially the EcoPlus tires had some tire noise, but that wore off after a few hundred miles (later the same day I installed them). They are now literally Beloved to me. I can honestly say that they have saved my life, driving in tornadic weather they absolutely kept me on the road where lesser tires would have left me upside-down in a ravine. My second choice was the General Altimax RT for all-season, Altimax Arctic for winter/snow.
