Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

Today i swap them out with the Premiers A/S today. So Far, the Premiers are slightly better than the Defenders, but I need a few more weeks and sample points of gas fillups to be sure or not.

BhamPrius - did you get the Premier A/S as well? I got them at America's Tire and they are filed with regular air (not sure if that makes any difference in deltas or not).

 

I got the Premier A/S from Costco. Filled with nitrogen - not sure of if that would affect MPGs at all, though I suspect not? I'm still really on the fence of whether I should return them for the Energy Savers or not. I have 5 days to figure it out. Please keep us (me) posted over the next few days if you have any other thoughts re: the Premiers!

 

i have the Ecopia 422, i got them at Costco and i run 43psi nitrogen. I get in the mid 50mpg driving conservatively.

 

I have the stock Ecopia EP20and they give great FE as well as quiet and comfortable on all surfaces. H

 

^ Yeah, that's what keeps going on our ex Civic Hybrid.

With our current 215/45R17 requirement, not sure what it'll be. Still got lots of tread on the OEM Michelin Pilots though.

Just wondering: what happens to all these tires return by people trying, then switching? Sold at a discount?

 

Just drove 45 miles and got a really low 49mpg. I got 51mpg or more on the same trip the other day with the defenders. What the hell is wrong with these premiers? It felt like I was driving on resistance.


I'm not entirely convinced that Michelins ratings are accurate when it comes to fuel efficient.


iPhone ?

 

Maybe the tires need to be burn in or something? I should check my tire pressure


iPhone ?

 

^ I hear that "new tires take time to get good mpg" a lot, and it sounds plausible, but: I've had experience, putting on new LRR tires, and getting good mpg right from the outset, no drop comparing to the old tires. I strongly suspect this "new tires take time to get good mpg" saw is promoted by tire dealers, hoping you'll go away, just keep working on your technique, 'till you convince yourself the new tires are not so bad.

And yeah: the Defenders are not even listed by Michelin as LRR. And, they tag quite a few of their offerings as being LRR when really only the Energy Saver A/S are stellar in that department.

 

Bought a set if Energy Savers from Costco today. The Premiers are going back to Michelin. Having a Prius and all, I can't justify the excessive MPG hit I was taking with them, break in period be damned. Didn't want to have buyers remorse with them. Unfortunate, but I don't see how they are rated as a 10 on FE, according to the Michelin site.

 

I for one think they mislead about the fuel efficiency. Are you seeing better mpgs now ? I may have to go back to Americas tire again and get these swapped out for the energy savers. I thought the Defenders we're bad but the Premiers appear worse at least initially.


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The energy savers had to be ordered so won't get until mid-week but will keep you posted! I was seeing probably on average an 8-10 MPG drop on my daily commute with the Premiers, which was unacceptable in my hybrid book.

 

That is a really bad drop of mpg. I maybe experiencing the same. I'll have to special order them from Americas tire as well since they are being replaced by the Premiers which is bad for the future outlook. Sounds like the Defenders are the way to go if and when the energy savers are no longer special order.


iPhone ?

 

So to sum things up-one recommends the Energy savers, even going with a 17" wheel?

 

That would be nice. Unfortunately, there's no 215/45R17 Energy Saver A/S. I've even emailed Michelin, nothing positive.

 

I just requested to have my Premier A/S 195/65/15 replaced by Energy Savers for my 2006. The only available size was 185/60/15, OEM size. I liked the feel of the car with Premier in the 195 size, and my speedometer was only 1 over GPS actual instead of 3 over actual. I drove 400 miles then did a division computation over the next 500 miles. I was running Michelin Hydroedge with 65K miles. My GPM went from 54.5 to 49 with my daily commute of 48 miles, mostly freeway at 65 mph. I'm an efficient Prius driver. After suffering a 3mpg drop with the Hydroedge from the OEM tires, I expected at least the same, but was disappointed. I didn't want to switch tires because I think its wasteful, but I was strongly encouraged by just about every Michelin dealer to get these tires over the Energy Savers. Its a good feeling tire, and purportedly, fantastic in heavy rain, but decided to stick with maximum efficiency. I wanted the 195s, but they were giving me some discouragement as they would have to bring them in outside of the local region and they didn't want that expense.

I could coax great MPG on the digital readout when traveling 35-50 mph, but they really dropped off when at 65mph. I wish I could have tried them longer to be sure of my impressions with more data. I think if you live in a very wet area, perhaps they would be worth some decrease in mph for the purported safety.

 

So it looks like from several prius owners observations that the Energy Saver A/S is #1 in fuel efficient and possibly #2 is the Defender.

Others have echoed the same opinion in that the Defenders feel lot more cushy and "lexus" like if you like that kind of ride. I've had the Premier A/S for about 500 miles now and i can tell you the ride quality is definitely about the same as when I had the Avids. Not as great as the Defenders..

I'm eager to try the Energy Saver A/S and want to know how the ride quality is compared to the Defenders.. Does anyone tried that yet?

 

So the plan tomorrow is swap my current Premiers A/S with Energy Saver A/S. That means I'll have one more week left before my 30 days is up. If i dont like the ES A/S , then i'll go back to the Defenders.

Cliff notes so far
* Had Yoko Avids S33 - Great MPG, but noisy on the road
* Put on Defenders from Michellin - Took about 2-4 mpg hit. VERY QUIET and comfortable ride. Prius felt like a luxarious Lexus (almost)
* Put on Premier A/S from Michellin - Initially was good, but has gotten a bit louder. Ride quality is about the same as the Avid. Took a worse hit on MPGs. Out of the 3 , this is dead last on MPG.
* Energy Saver A/S tomorrow morning!

Yes... I am gonna fully utilize my 30 day satisfaction policy!

 

I just bought my first set of Energy Savers from Costco last night (after returning the Premiers due to a big his in MPGs). Costco STRONGLY suggested keeping my PSI at 35/33, as per the door panel recommendations. They said higher PSI would void the replacement warranty. I had them set the PSI at 42/40 in the hopes of greater MPGs and they said that any MPG savings would pale in comparison to the cost it would take to replace the tires early due to uneven tread wear from the higher PSI. I'm wondering if I should have them drop the PSI down when I go in to have the lug nuts re-tightened today.

My question for you all, with the Energy Savers on your Prius, is what PSI do you keep the tires at, how many miles have you had them, and did you experience uneven wear? Anyone have their warranty voided due to this? TIA for your information!

 

too early to say, I had cupping on my last set of tires but I replaced the rear shocks when I replaced the tires. I've only got 4,000 miles on my energy saver A/S and I'm running them at 44/42.

On my Yokohama Avid Envigor I ran as high as 51/48 for many months. I did notice more wear to the inside than the outside but the difference was minor. It wasn't enough of a wear pattern issue for anyone to notice without grabbing tools to measure.

I can't imagine anything in the low to mid 40s to cause enough wear oddities to void a warranty.

oh and if you did the 35/33 as per the sticker you'll most definitely see excess wear on the outside of the tread. Not enough to void the warranty but it'll will cost you in terms of miles you can use the tires for.