Hi everyone! I'm new to the board and looking for tire advice. I have a 2007 Prius which I love but need to find better tires. I have had the following tires: Goodyear Integrity (2007-2009ish) They came with the car. Did alright but don't want to put them on again. Goodyear Assurance ComforTred (2009ish -2011) Really liked these tires but they are expensive. Also, have seen declining reviews. Bought them in sets of two about three months apart (poor college student) Michelin Energy Saver (2011 - now) My husband had theses tires put on as a Christmas gift - salesmen talked him into these. They did "fine" the first winter, last winter we didn't have much in the way of snow or ice, but the are slipping in the rain already and that makes me nervous. So looking to buy new tires. I would like to stay under or around $400/ set. The Assurances are over budget so I have done a little research and these are what I am looking at: Hankook Optimo 727 Firestone Precision Sport I live in central Illinois but spend lots time during the holidays traveling to Wisconsin so I need tires that are good in snow and ice. Thanks!
If you can spend a couple more dollars, I would recommend the Nokian WRg2. Excellent grip in snow and rain, and also LRR rated.
It sounds like the Energy Savers might be newish still as they are not quite a year old. It might make sense to get yourself a set of dedicated snow tires in addition to them. Given your budget you might just want the tires and have them swapped onto your rims at a local tire shop, but you can also buy a second set of rims with the tires already mounted - if you are interested take a look at places online like tirerack.com. If you go this route (no rims, just snows) you can probably do it for a fair bit under your budget as even the least expensive snow tires will be a big upgrade from all seasons in the cold and snow and you will able to keep your current tires and get full use from them.
My Energy Savers are almost done. I have two that need to be replaced within the month. So I have decided to go with a new set of all seasons. I can't find ANYONE who will put the Hankooks on my car. I would really like to try them, but don't think that is an option right now. For people who do have Hankooks on there, where/who installed them?
Did you have the Energy Saver or Energy Saver A/S? The former is a summer tire and the later is an all-season. I'm curious how you wore out a 65k mile tire in less than a year. Or did you mean Christmas 2010? The Energy Saver A/S is currently the most fuel efficient tire we have in North America so anything else is going to drop fuel efficiency by 2-3mpg. The Ecopia EP422 is affordable and does great on snow, has a 65k warranty and is cost effective (Costco has a $70 rebate). They are not the best handling tire and are not the best in wet (neither is the H727) but the ones that are great in wet and dry are usually poor in snow or have low tread wear warranties or are not fuel efficient. You can't have everything so pick two things you really need and live with the rest. LOL
We have Continental eco's on our Prius. They are (sold as) low rolling resistance and have been just fine for the couple of months we've had them. They replaced Michelin hydroedges which we loved but can't get any more. The Continentals are in your price range. Worth considering.
