Best Alternatives to Michelin Energy Saver A/S ?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ngc4565, Feb 6, 2012.

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  1. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Perhaps you misunderstood - we stopped driving it in bad weather. There are other reasons to have a bigger car around you when driving in bad weather. We also put Michelin XIce-2s on the car this winter, but avoided driving it when the forecast called for snow. Same logic. Safety trumps MPGs.

    Speaking of MPGs, the Continental Pro Contact with EcoPlus are still topping out at 55 MPG on the MFD now that we have more than 2000 miles on them. When all is said and done, there may be a slight loss of mileage compared to the stock Yokohama S33Ds. We should know for sure by June when the tires are fully broken in. Nevertheless, these tires are vastly superior to the OEM tires, especially in the rain. It should prove interesting to compare notes with Michelin Energy Saver A/S owners when these tires become available again.
     
    #121 ngc4565, Mar 30, 2012
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  2. revhigh

    revhigh MPG Enthusiast

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    Ah ... OK ... gotcha !! I really hope I don't lose any MPG's going to the Conti's. As much as the amount would be inconsequential, I wouldn't like it. It just about kills me to lose a tenth while driving (not really), but I DO like to max the MPG's.

    Where ya from in PA ? I'm in Eastern PA near Allentown and Stroudsburg.

    REV
     
    #122 revhigh, Mar 31, 2012
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Compared to the Energy Saver A/S the Contis will most definitely lose mpg. Compared to the S33D, the Contis may lose 1mpg or so but it's not the drop you would expect going to a non-LRR tire.
     
    #123 F8L, Mar 31, 2012
  4. revhigh

    revhigh MPG Enthusiast

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    Huh ?? The Conti's are NOT a LRR tire ??

    They have the 'Ecoplus' crap, with treadwear ratings of 600, and are listed as LRR at tirerack .... :D

    Were you thinking of some other Conti, or did you mean some other non-LRR tire in general ?

    I have 'em, so I guess I'll use 'em, even though they're not installed yet, and it seems like you still can't really get the Michelins anyway.

    REV
     
    #124 revhigh, Mar 31, 2012
  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I meant going to some other tire. The ProContact is definitely LRR. :)

    They are not the most efficient but they are a fantastic tire regardless.
     
    #125 F8L, Mar 31, 2012
  6. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Sorry, can't understand the logic. A bigger car is not necessarily safer in bad weather. Bigger just means "travels farther when it slides and does more damage to what it hits". And 4WD is NOT 4 wheel stop.

    Does the bigger car have anti-skid control like the Prius? I have found both our Prii to be quite good in snow. My 2004 has had the VSC light go on twice. Once when I was testing it and once when I was going a bit too fast on a corner in snow. The car just slowed down and went around the corner as if I WERE in control. Never been on in the 2006 and they are they only 2 vehicles we own.
     
    #126 bruceha_2000, Apr 9, 2012
  7. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    The Energy Saver A/S are now back in-stock at Tire Rack. Discount Tire is also stocking them at many of their Southern CA locations for $99/tire.

    I will be trading in my Primacy MXV4 for a new set of Energy Saver A/S on Tues. The Primacy MXV4 were on my car for 14,000 miles and still have 8/32" left. Although the sidewalls were a bit soft, handling and noise were a slight improvement over the OE tires. My main reason for the trade is the 5-10% hit in fuel economy over the OE tires.
     
    #127 The Critic, Apr 13, 2012
  8. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Safety when driving in winter often has less to do with yourself and the capabilities of your own vehicle than it does with the capabilities of the idiots around you. The larger car is for protection from those things we cannot control. A number of years ago we suffered a rear end collision with an 18 wheel semi-trailer rig in a snow storm. We weren't even moving at the time. None of us may have survived had it not been for the Volvo wagon, which was totaled in the accident.
     
    #128 ngc4565, May 2, 2012
  9. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    OK - we are now past 5000 miles and one rotation on the Continental ProContact with EcoPlus. The MFD is reporting 55 MPG on normal commuting runs, which is not much different that the original Yokohama S33Ds. We have a long road trip coming up that combines over 700 miles of Interstate highway and secondary roads. IIRC we peaked out at somewhere north of 58 MPG on the same trip last year before the final 200 mile Interstate sprint home. Let's see if the old 58+ MPG trip record can stand.
     
    #129 ngc4565, May 2, 2012
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  10. mainerinexile

    mainerinexile No longer in exile!

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    On-line reviews of the Continental ContiProContact LRR (as well as Consumer Reports) all talk about the tire 'wandering'. I wanted The Energy Savers when I bought new tires last month, but out of stock, so I bought the Continentals. I figured how bad could wandering be, and besides, I run higher tire pressure which ought to minimize the issue. NOT! We have to fight the steering wheel constantly now to keep the car going straight. IMO, Consumer Reports should report the Continentals as 'unacceptable'. Its going to be a long 80,000 miles.
     
    #130 mainerinexile, May 2, 2012
  11. cossie1600

    cossie1600 Active Member

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    I spent $150 to return them and got a set of Michelins. I just hated the rough ride on the Conti.

    F*^$ consumer report, always wrong
     
    #131 cossie1600, May 2, 2012
  12. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    That's odd. The only time I notice this is when crossing an open grate bridge.
     
    #132 ngc4565, May 3, 2012
  13. durant7

    durant7 Junior Member

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    Ha! Did all my research and TireWarehouse says the Cont ProContact is "pending" which is worse than back order.

    Seems I am going end up with Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max based on price due to a 80 rebate should you get their credit card. I had the credit card thing but, cash is cash.

    I scanned a number of pages and cannot see anything bad with the Goodyear Fuelmax. I just don't like the low UTQG=580. But we got 55,000 out of our OEM Yokohamas. They are so thin our mpg is up to 66! I will keep them and report weight and worn diameter.
     
    #133 durant7, May 8, 2012
  14. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Our Continental ProContacts have seen their first rotation and about 7000 miles of driving. The latest trip included about 150 miles of 40-60 MPH driving in the mountains of Southern Vermont, followed by a 70 MPH Interstate sprint back to Pennsylvania. 444 miles on 8.4 gallons, or 52.9 actual MPG. This represents a loss of about 1 MPG vs. the stock Yokohama S33Ds. That difference should be easily recovered by the greater tread life of the Continentals.
     
    #134 ngc4565, May 16, 2012
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    And cheaper replacement cost. I agree with you. :)
     
    #135 F8L, May 16, 2012
  16. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

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    I almost bought the Conti's, but changed my mind after finding the Michelins.

    Those swapping out the OEM Yoko's for new Michelin Energy Savers A/S will be happily surprised. I had them installed earlier this week and I'm amazed at the difference. No more following grooved roads (thank God!). My instant MPG indicator has been going through the roof. I haven 't seen it go into the 60 MPG range in almost 3 years. The LRR of this tire compared to the Avid 33's was a wake up call. Its still a little early to tell, but I'm very happy about purchasing the tires so far!!
     
    #136 GSW, May 18, 2012
  17. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Argh!! You're killing me here. After 7000 miles on the Continentals we are back to where we started with the Yokohamas. Nevertheless, the Continentals are a superior tire and I am happy that we did not give up anything significant in terms of mileage. In my case the Michelin Energy Saver A/S is the proverbial fish that got away.
     
    #137 ngc4565, May 23, 2012
  18. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Remember, the cost per mile is not significantly different between the two tires and the ProContact is a much better handling tire. So there are things that each tire excels at. :)
     
    #138 F8L, May 23, 2012
  19. ngc4565

    ngc4565 Member

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    Agreed. I certainly have no regrets replacing the Yokohama S33Ds with these Continental ProContact with EcoPlus. Nevertheless, one always wonders about what could have been. We'll try again in two years.
     
    #139 ngc4565, May 23, 2012
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  20. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    My AVID Ascend tires average about the same mpg the S33D did as far as I can tell. I am going to swap wheels with The Critic so he can test my 17" Primacy MXM4s and I can test his 15" Energy Saver A/S tires. I'll keep you posted.
     
    #140 F8L, May 24, 2012
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