Well, the OEM tires just bit the dust (Prius 2010 base with 195/65R15), 2 are at the warning bar level or close to it, and one has 2 nails in it, one in the middle the other in the side wall . So after looking for the Michelin Energy's and finding out they are "out of stock everywhere" I opted for the Nokians. I also considered the Goodyear Assurance High Mileage tire. I will post a review after I get a couple of tanks of gas to verify the mileage. Will also give some comments on the handling and hopefully "snow" response. In weather above 32F/0C I typically get 50 to 54 MPG according to the dash gauge. From the manufacture they have a 50,000 mile warranty, tread rating of 700 AA which is promising. Everybody have a happy and safe new year! Gerry My 1,500 mile update. Nokian eNTYRE UTQG=700 AA 50psi max, I am running them at 45psi $125 apx. Initial impression is they are quiet riding, however they are stiff compared to the Yokohama Avids (probably due to the higher air pressure). Noise: No difference compared to the stock Yokohama's. Handling: Significantly stiffer, my wife says the Prius now rides like my old explorer. It did rain one day, the tire did not hydroplane, but it wasn't a thunderstorm. Traction: Significantly better than the Yokohama's, especially in snow. It is snowing today and I did straight line braking, the abs kicked in, and the car stopped in a nice straight line. I did the same on some curved roads, again the car followed the curve and remained in control. Note all done at 30 mph, on empty roads. UPDATE in 4 inches of snow stopped at the top of a slight hill, had to back down to get to the top. Mileage: Now what everybody is waiting for, the car computer said between 50 to 52. Almost all the driving was in cold weather below 28F. I compared the Yokohama's at a calculated mpg of 48.97 vs 48.26 for the Nokians. Please NOTE the Yokama's had less than 1/8 inch thread left on them, and the air temperature was well above 32 probably closer to 45F, the Nokians have only been in real cold weather. Driving style, at speed limit in town. On the divided highway I keep up with traffic which is always above the speed limit. Note half the driving is city and half is highway. Appearance:They are black. . Price: $550 included mounting, tprs maintance (1 unit) and insurance for the tire. Summary: I like them. UPDATE 15 APRIL 2012 So with a full tank of gas, 80% highway driving +speed limit, minimal heat, no AC, I am getting 53.84 calculated, 56.7 car computer, over 361.5 miles, temp +40F, AVG speed 38 mph (which I don't believe). UPDATE 16 JULY 2012 11,ooo miles on the tires. All computer mileage below, 65.2 mpg end of march over 87.1 miles, 60.8 mpg average speed 24-26 mph 2 fill ups no AC or heat used. Wear has been uniform.
Thanks, Gerry. Because these are new tires and no one else has really done a review of them would you mind doing one for us? Some of us post the review in an easy to read format like this one: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/95554-michelin-primacy-mxm4-review.html If you have the time I and I'm sure countless others would really appreciate it. For the MPG difference it would be good to see what you observe when they are new and after they have broken in fully since your MPG should get a lot better after a few thousand miles.
A quick update here and I mean quick. The original tires were Yokohama Avid S33's which I ran at 40 psi front and back getting between 50 and 53 mpg (typical) according to the computer (a quick check shows it to be about right will do a 10 tank average when I get the time). The new tires over 200 miles / above 0C / typical driving half city / highway got only 47 mpg according to the computer. I checked the tire pressure the next morning (mechanical gage) air temp 2 to 5 C showed the pressure to be 32 psi . I filled the tank, and pumped the tires to 45 psi and have driven just over a hundred miles the computer mpg is now at 56 mpg, air temp has been above 0C the entire time, again a 50% split on the type of driving. Unfortunately we are going into the deep freeze here for the next 4 days so I expect the mileage to nose dive. Gerry
I am looking quite closely has the Nokian Entyre being our next tire for our Prius. Currently we have 54,000 miles on our Michelin Energy Saver tires, 195x65x15. We replaced the factory Avid Yoko, same size, when they had 10,000 miles on or so with the Michelin Energy Tires. Right away we noticed a 2-3 mpg increase over the Yokohama tires even though they were well broken in with 10,000 miles. Also inflated with max sidewall of 44 psi, same as the Michelin tires. As far as wear I expect the Michelin to have a life span of 60,00 to 70,000 miles. The old yoko tires were installed on my 2003 Jetta Tdi wagon which needed tires and are the same size. al
Thanks for the update! I really like everything about these tires except the price but you get what you pay for. Compared to other premium tires like the Energy Saver AS and dB Super E-Spec, the enTYRE is not so expensive and has a lot going for it. It is on my list of replacement tires when my 15" db Super E-Specs wear out this summer.
Good evening all my 10,000 mile update. Here North of Boston my BEST mileage is 65 mpg on about 87.1 (not 200) miles of driving. My next best is two complete tanks at 62 mpg, minimal AC, temperatures between 40-80F, no hills no fast driving. Just got back from a trip to the lake w (moultonboro), do over the speed limit on 93, at an outside air temp of 95F with the AC cranking for all it was worth (not on auto), and got 55 mpg. Note tires inflated to the max at 50 psi. Gerry
Sorry about that these latest numbers are from the fuel computer which is about 2mpg high compared to manual calculations. Gerry
Well I have +15,000 miles on them, they are wearing nice and even. Pressure still being held at 50 psi. Gerry
I get between 55 and 60 on the computer gauge with a high of 65 (around town). For a reality check my wife got 45 mpg driving back and forth from CT at 65+ with the AC on with probably harder starts and stops than my typical driving. Gerry
