That is an old test. Some LRR tires have come a long way since then. Tires like the PureContact, ProContact and Primacy MXM4 offer excellent wet traction and decent fuel economy. New Tire Tests from Tirerack.com | PriusChat
If you are rotating them correctly there should never be a large difference in tread depth between the four tires. Replacing only 2 at a time can get you in a bit of a bind with regards to rotations. If you know your climate well you can put the newer tires on the front during the non-wet season to try and wear them down to match the older tires. This is easy for folks in California but difficult for folks in Seattle.
[quote="ETP, post: 1888377, member: 49640"]A matter of opinion as I put the best on the front since it is front wheel drive and under high pressure. But I understand why people put the worst on the front to wear them out quicker. I just don't do that any more IMHO. To each his own.[/quote] I stand corrected. Put the bad tires on the front. BTW/ I always buy a set of 4 but not all people have a budget for 4 tires at one time. LRR tires are not tires under light weight conditions you want to drive fast in the rain. Slow down and get better MPG anyway. The right lane is the good lane for me. BTW, my personal experience with Michelin tires for a Civic Hybrid and 2009 Touring Prius were not good at all. Hard ride and my MPG went down. I could not go up to 42PSI without the road vibrating to whole car with every road imperfection.
Just returned my Michelin Defenders to Discount Tire for an exchange to Energysaver a/s. Mileage dropped from Mid-high 50's to barely 50. Several 48 mpg tanks. On the Energysavers today, I drove 200 miles and the mpg computer is still at 61.5 ( which will be about 58 in reality)
Got 51 MPG on a regular basis with Goodyear Assurance tires on my 07 Prius. Just don't buy "cheap tires" unless you enjoy getting really bad gas mileage!! Stick with the good stuff!,
I want my tires to wear properly and evenly, so I will rotate my tires at the proper interval as the owners manual says and replace all 4 at once. Galaxy Nexus ? 4
