2003/ first gen tire options???

Any final review of what tires to get? too mant opinions... Is there any LRR high psi capacity tire @ 175 that lasts a nice amount and is reasonable (under $80/tire)

 

Woop, I missed this back in December when it was posted. The Defenders are what I have on now, and I am happy with them, though they are not as quiet as my old Harmonies were. But when you look at the load index (82 instead of 81), you have to remember that these are Euro-metric tires (no P in front of the size designation) and the Kumho and Yokohama are P-metric, and P-metric and Euro-metric load-index numbers mean completely different things. (In fact, in the Euro scheme, whether the tire is XL or not completely changes what the load index number means--totally unlike the way it works in the P scheme.)

I wish the system were less goofy, but there it is. (Or maybe the goofy part is just that there are two systems.)

-Chap

 

We just replaced one on our car and had the choice of two that were in stock locally: the Yokohama and one I didn't know, the Hercules Tour 4.0 Plus. The Hercules was cheaper (around $80 total for tire and mounting/rotating--tire itself was less) and was also what our local independent shop, which specializes in hybrids and has a lot of Gen 1 experience, was reporting the best success with, so that's what we went with. We only replaced one and it's just been on a few weeks, so no sense of whether it's affecting mileage or overall performance. They aren't high PSI, though (44 max).

 

Comparing anything on a car with only one tire different would be very difficult. I had heard of Hercules before.
TomK

 

The short answer to that question is no.

If you want the 175 size the choices are extremely limited. On top of that LRR tires tend to be more expensive, not less. So you're kind of wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

I don't think there really are any very good LRR options for the first gen Prius. The really good LRR tires only come in sizes that work on the later generation Priuses. If you want more choices (as far as ride quality, handling, and wear go) then you need to look at the 185 tires. You should also really read ChapmanF's posts about load ratings on tires and decide how much you care about having a 175 tire that doesn't meet Toyota's specifications.

In the end, I went with the Michelin Defender in the 185 size. I wanted a higher load rating and it seems like the best quality tire in that size. I don't know how much it's effected mileage, since it sounds like new tires pretty much always cause a slight dip in mileage, even replacing an OEM tire with an identical OEM (a lot of people seem to be confused about this, since they're expecting fabulous magical even better mileage with their fancy new tires). I decided I'm getting incredibly good mileage anyway and I'd rather have a tire that would last longer and perform better (for braking, handling, etc.) than the OEM tire which was always a big disappointment. If it maybe effects mileage 1-2 mpg, it's not a big deal to me.

 

Glad to hear I'm not alone in choosing the Defender. Sounds like you went with the 175 (base on the load rating). As I said above, I decided to go with the 185. I read all your posts about the load ratings and how they work, so I understand that the 175 should be fine. But (irrationally perhaps) I decided I felt more comfortable with the 185 with a load rating more in line with Toyota's specs. And I figured the slightly wider tire would give me a little better braking and handling, which seemed valuable from a safety perspective.

 

I wasn't rating it one way or the other, as I think was pretty clear--we haven't had it long enough to say anything on the tire's longevity, and since there's only one (we'll likely replace the others, which are all Potenzas, sometime next year, but may trade in the car before then, so decided to wait) it's clearly not a test case. But it is one of the few we found in tposs001's price range and comes recommended from a well-regarded shop that services many Gen 1 Priuses, so I was simply putting it out there as an option--it wasn't mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

Excellent drs33. When I am in need of tires I will keep my eye out for them as I know I have seen that brand before in my area and if they are recommended can't be all bad. I see from online photos the tread looks like the Continental Extreme Contact which are all season, wonder if they are made by them?
TomK