Anyone use Michelin Defender Tires?

Over 20K miles on my set. About 48-49 mpg if you drive like a regular person with 80% frwy/20% city with traffic and no jack rabbits. Better MPG for the Energy Savers but better miles with the Defenders. I had the OEM Toyos that barely lasted 40K, the Defenders are far superior and better handling. Wear pattern/rate indicates they will make 90K. Can not speak first hand for the A/S but rated better than OEM as well. Based on upfront cost, MPG and lifetime mileage...the basic consensus is the cost is a wash. Both tires are good...some people like to brag about their MPG. some change their tires less often. Hope that helps.

2010 Toyota Prius Base Tires | Michelin Tires

 

I concur with all of the above, except my OEM Yokohamas lasted until 53K miles, which surprised me. I only have about 6K on my Defenders, so they're not fully broken in yet, so I accept the slight MPG hit (~3-4 MPG) in exchange for the increased tread life and (somewhat) better handling on wet/snow-covered roads. In any case, I'm still averaging 47-50 MPG (calculated).

 

I think that the expectations for Energy Saver A/S is much higher than for Defenders which is a contributing factor to the overall ratings. These tires are not comparable as they are not in the same class. Defenders are ultra hard rubber compound while the ES has better design for less resistance when rolling. People who buy Defenders probably don't have much expectations in particular and its cheaper = more satisfied customers, especially when the tires don't claim to do much more than last 90k miles.

 

Bridgestone Ecopia EP20 are fairly cheap, decent tire, LRR, readily available through Costco and others. I think they pretty much only come in 195/65R15.

Bridgestone has a $70 off on set of 4 offer, maybe twice yearly. Costco will take the $70 off at time of purchase, as opposed to mail-in rebate at other places.