Advice on new tires

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Michelin energy savers all season. That's one of the first things I did with my 2013 when I got it about 3 months ago. Great tire, & I do consistently get my 50 plus miles per gallon. And yes, you can still get them. I've noticed a lot of tire shops won't actually have them in stock, but it's just a matter of getting them ordered from the warehouse , usually just takes a few days. I got a set of 4 installed balance with lifetime balance and rotation for around $530 if I remember. You can go cheaper, but at least in my case I plan to keep the car a long time so I figured I'd get the best tires.

 

As an alternative: Bridgestone EP20. Cheapish, LRR, readily available. They get a little noisy as the tread gets low, but otherwise a decent tire. They ONLY come in 195/65R15, are used as OEM tire by Toyota. You might actually have them now, lol.

 

I am hesitant to say much about tires. Tire experience is a very individual thing. Tire performance varies with driving style, roadway, weather, maintenance ... so many things. You also might want to check out another source for tire opinions that I found useful. Look up all the various brands for your Prius on Tire Rack and other sites, and read the reviews. I have posted before about the tires I use. Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring filled 42 front 40 rear and rotated every 6K. Good warranty to 80K. I drove a set down to 4/32" on my Gen II at 80,002 miles. Working on another set on my Gen III now that are probably close to 30K. Others report mid-life road noise, and this probably is characteristic of most tires. These tires have a shock absorbing layer in the belts and start out very quiet. If there is an increase in noise over time it is gradual. As always, YMMV.

 

One possibility would be for you to buy the tires that this guy wants to sell:
Replace tires on brand new Prius? | PriusChat

 

I have read the ComforTred have high rolling resistance. What king of MPG are you getting on them? Do they ride nice and comfortable?

 

Unless something unknown and amazing comes to market before I buy tires I'll go with the Continental TrueContact. I've got the OE Bridgestone EP20's now and they are an ok tire but I want to go with the Continentals. I'm the guy in the thread mentioned above. I might be selling a set that has only a couple hundred miles on them.

 

Geesh I just don't get this aversion to EP20, lol. TireRack opinion has a herd mentality, I'll just keep buying them EP20's, slapping them on our ex-Civic.

 

I'm not against them. I'm just not for them, especially if I was buying them as replacements. I'd rather have the Continentals for $80 than the Bridgestones for $90.

 

In the 15" wheel size, it would be hard to go wrong with the Continental TrueContact. Continental builds a very good quality tire. Initially you'll probably see a drop in MPG, but as the tire breaks in, the MPGs should head back up. Takes a tire a few miles to "break in"... anywhere from 500 to 1000 miles. All tires tend to get a little noisier as they wear down. Some are noisier than others during the process of wearing.

I've driven friend's Prius with Continental ProContacts and Continental PureContacts. The ProContact was a quieter tire than the Pure, but the Pure was rated better overall. I would rate the PureContact a noisy tire on a Prius. The TrueContact is rated better than both of those tires in all areas.

 

Nice and quiet. Or as quiet as you can get in a Prius at 78 mph. I have a 140 mile commute every day, and I get about 49 on the way down and 53 on the way back. Eyeball averages. There is a 2200 foot elevation gain.

 

Uphill both ways. In the snow. Oh, sorry, channeling my grandfather for a moment.

 

I would suggest getting the Michelin Premier A/S they are an excellent rated tire and keep high wet traction even when the tire wears.

 

the best tyres I have found is hankook k115. B rated fuel B rated wet and they are very good in the snow. Im a taxi driver doing a lot of miles and they are giving very good mpg . £80 a tyre fitted

 

I agree with Duke. I bought the Michelin Premier tires and their grip is incredible. It's a very quiet riding tire and the wet traction is fantastic. I bought these for my 2004 Prius. When my 2013 needs tires I'm going to get the same tire. A little expensive but worth it.

 

EP20 are kinda noisy compared to OEM Yokohama Avid S33 in my cousin's Prius.

Do you know what tires are the quietest?

 

Sorry no. One thing, it's hard to get good opinion, because pretty much every new tire is quieter, so you'll get really scattered opinion. Check on TireRack, don't they have a category for quiet ride?

 

My opinion is to get whatever Costco is selling, except, don't get the real expensive stuff. Middle of the road, etc.

Mike

 

Don't ever cheap out on tires. There are some tires out there that have poor performance in wet conditions. That's why it's very important to get a tire with excellent adhesion in wet weather. You'll also want to make sure it has ability to resist hydroplane. There are many tires out there to choose from. Refer to Tire Rack for customer ratings. I find those to be very accurate. Two highly rated tires are Michelin and Continental.


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