I just put a new set of Michelin Defender tires on my Prius. They "feel" smoother than the stock tires, and are 8db quieter as measured on a sound meter. Not sure if there will be an improvement in mpg's, so I will report back after another tank or two. Nexus 7 ? 2
The OEMs I have (Bridgestone Ecopias) are very noisy at higher speeds. My next set will be these no matter what they cost and no matter what the mileage trade-off is: Advantages and Disadvantages of the Michelin Primacy MXV4: About $123 each Very good tread life. With a 60,000 miles treadwear warranty. Low rolling resistance for good fuel economy. Impressive all-season performance in dry braking, wet braking, handling, and snow traction. Advantage: Compare to the Defender, it has better performance in producing less noise, better ride comfort, lower rolling resistance for better fuel economy, better snow traction. Disadvantage: Compare to the Defender, it costs about $6 more per tire, has slightly worse performance in the hydroplaning test, and has a worse tread life. Read more: Prius Gen III 2010 Needs New Tires | PriusChat
Expect a pretty big hit in fuel economy with the Primacy MXV4. They are a good tire but that 3-4mpg loss stings. In the long run they cost a lot more to run than other quality tires out there.
I replaced the original tires on my 2010 Prius after 60K. I averaged about 63 mpg since car was new. my 80 miles a day commute is well suited to a Prius. With the defenders it has been about 57 mpg, I now have about 12K on the new tires. I don't mind the trade off for the otherwise all around better performing tires. But it is weird that I get better mileage with my snow tires (just put them on) than with the defenders...
Magical compounds can only do so much to skew the Magic Triangle of tire performance. More reading on the Magic Triangle and LRR tire technology Stretching Tires' Magic Triangle | Cover Story | Chemical & Engineering News
