Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

So I can just use 205/65/15 instead of 195? Wouldn't the tire balloon out due to extra width? It is 10mm extra width right?

 

Yes you can just use it.

Do you realize how small 10mm is? You won't even be able to eyeball the difference.

It'll fill the wheel well more, it will look "bigger" but without another tire sitting next to it you wouldn't "be able to put a finger on it" and no one else would ever notice.

 

Seems like low rolling resistance can be pure marketing gimmick with some manufacturers. Pretty pathetic that Cooper is touting special compounds, specifically to lower rolling resistance, and the reality is the opposite. You can't trust the claims.

 

No thanks, I'll stick with the stock sizes, which should keep the odometer accurate.

Using different tire sizes in an effort to correct a speedometer (legislated to read a little high) or Toyota's mpg meter (acknowledged to have a bs factor) is tail wagging the dog.

 

It'll make the odometer more accurate as well in some cases. Keep in mind Toyota and other car manufacturers sell cars with multiple wheel/tire sizes. They don't change the odometer/speedometer/mpg calibration for each tire.

The specific answer will vary between the Gen II (15 vs 16), Gen III (15 vs 17), and so on but you'll often find that there is a significant revs per mile difference between the size differences from the OEM.

Stock 17" might be within .5% accuracy and stock 15" might be 2.5% off. In that case if you want best efficiency and accuracy you choose a non stock 15" size to match the accuracy of the 17" with the efficiency of a 15".

I'm not on my home PC so I don't have the notes to refer back to or I'd give you specific examples.

 

Rather than start a new thread...
I have a 2009 185-65-15 tire size. Although,I planned to get Nokian wr g3 tires this winter, a series of unfortunate events has led to my having to replace 2 tires immediately (upstate NY; lots of snow). So I need to make a quick decision.

1. Get 2 or 4 of the cheapest tires possible and then replace all 4 in December
2. Get uniroyal tiger paw (tie guy says great in snow) 4 for about $400
3. Get Bridgestone Ecopia 422, 4 for about $400, plus $70 rebate
4. Get Bridgestone Ecopia 422 plus for about $520, plus $70 rebate
5. Get the Nokians. I had them before and liked them. Will be extremely expensive right now; I usually buy 3 get 1 in November or December.

The issue is not starting the winter with the freshest tires. I drive around 80 miles a day, so over 7000 miles by snowfall. Whatever I do, it needs resolution asap; I'm driving an express van instead of the prius! I have to special order everything but the tiger paw.

Thanks.

 

Are the Nokians gonna be on year 'round? Or just serving as a snow tire?

If the first, I'd at least price them now, winter's not that far off, and they're a four season tire.

If the second, if the Nokian WRG3 are to serve as a snow tire, I might go for something else, a full blown snow tire , Michelin X-Ice or whatever.

I've run Nokian WRG2 as a snow tire, but it was a desperate situation: late in snow tire season, trying to find anything, and Quebec had just enacted mandatory snow tire legislation, so snow tires had dried up.

 

I just had to replace whatever garbage Yokohama tires that came on my 2013 Prius 2 at 34,000 miles and I drove on them for at least 4k of that when I probably shouldn't have. They were already hydroplaning pretty bad with any amount of water on the road.

I am curious, I bought Goodyear Assurance Comfortred, because they were on sale and I get an additional $80 in rebates because a friend works at a Dunlop/Goodyear factory (So my choices were basically in the Assurance line). Should I expect an efficiency decrease relative to the OEM tires? Is there a significant difference between what I bought and the Fuelmax as far as MPG?

I was told by the guy at the Goodyear store/shop that the compounds were fairly similar and would likely be a 2% difference at most. I went with a different local chain who did the job for almost $100 less out the door.

 

Are they still selling any of the popular LRR tires in 205/50/17? TireRack does not list the Primacy MXM4 or the Ecopia 422 for this size any longer. I bought FRS wheels and trying to decide what tire to go with. Seems the 215/45/17 typically weighs a bit less than the 205/50/17 but the latter will (should) have lower friction and more comfort. I wonder if that friction overcomes the weight penalty.

And in case anyone is wondering, the FRS/MXM4 combo (the tire I'm considering) w/ 215/45/17 is 42 lbs.

The stock Prius 15" wheel and Avid S33 tire is 34.3 lbs. Net difference 7.7 lbs.

 

I think often the 205/50R17 are "extra load", too. I'm pretty much decided to stay stock now. Costco for one will not do anything but 215/45R17. Just go with the flow?

 

Costco has their coupon for the Michelins. Got the Premier A/S to replace the Ecopia (that didn't last 16,000 miles.) What a HUGE difference in ride. The Ecopia were like cement/rocks. Hard to turn. Unresponsive. The Michelins are like riding on ice skates. Car handles SO much better. Turns are effortless. Feels like a completely different car/ride. Maybe that's why I hit a curb at night after 3 days on the new tires.? First flat ever. 10 pm on a Friday night. Toyota Road Service had a flatbed there in under 20 minutes. Towed to Costco. New (free) tire installed today! Funny (not at the time) moment - when Costco went to install the new tires, guy calls asking where the locking lug nut was located. Not in glove box or center console?! Local garage had it, because they rotated tires recently. Call them..."we always put it back". I get home with no new tires and remember, even though there is no spare, there is a jack. Find it under driver's seat. Get a flashlight and find the lug nut key tucked in under some rubber bands. Amazing. All good. I'll report back in a few fill ups (Christmas) with mileage results. Either way, easily recommend the Michelin Premiers - and Costco. (you get 25 lbs of nitrogen?!)

 

Looks like it's between the P7s and Premiere A/S. I'm leaning towards the P7s. Not too many choices in 205/50/17.

What are all your thoughts on 215/50/17 on the Prius LB? (excluding the V)

 

Time to replace my Ecopia EP422. Which one should I get?

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus
Yokohama YK580

 

Decided to get a set of Prius 17 inch Persona wheels. Researched tires for a couple or 3 months. Came up with Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus LRR tires. Ordered them from TireRack. I decided to try the 205/50 17 size instead of the OEM 215/45 17. We have rough roads at times and getting a little extra sidewall can be good for the wheels. Diameter is very close to the OEM 15 inch Yokohama that came with the car. I got well over 50,000 miles... 52-54K, I'd have to look it up... and still had tread that was a couple of millimeters away from hitting the wear bars. The Avids wore down very round, no flat spots or wobbles or differential wear from shoulder to shoulder. I kept them about 40 psi front, 38-39 psi rear throughout and rotated them every 5,000 to 10,000 miles. No complaints about the OEM tires.

I was very worried about losing major MPG amounts to the new wheel/tire combination. Got them mounted, balanced at our Toyota Store in Portland Maine, and I brought them home and bolted them to the Prius myself. These wheels are great looking on the car. Washed and waxed the car, and two days later in early May we took off for a trip to help family members in Florida who were not doing well health wise.

The trip ended up being over 6,300 miles on Interstates and city roads. Hot weather, heavy rain, wind, everything you could expect from a trip like this. MPG worries were up there in the "red", as I couldn't get much beyond 49 MPG with the car on the way south. Back seats were down, with max load of travel stuff including 2 bicycles. One was inside on top of everything and the other one was out on the bike rack behind the car. I did remove the seat on the racked bike, but that was it. Aero damage from that bike was significant.

Once in Florida, unloaded and bikes out of the car, I never got much past 50 mpg driving around town. Last year, under similar conditions, I was getting 57-58 mpg in Tampa suburban driving. Was thinking the new normal would be well below the levels I could achieve with this car and the original 15 inch Yokohama Avid Ascends.

We returned home in mid July. MPG worries still not gone. On the way back I eventually took the wheels off the bike on the rack. That allowed the loaded Prius to get up to 51.2 mpg by the time we crossed into Maine. Felt a little better. We unloaded at home, cleaned out the interior, washed the car and set about normal driving routines.

Fuel efficiency numbers improved to more normal 52-54 mpg that my wife usually gets with the car in local driving. She uses the Interstate a lot more than I do. Imagine that's why I see better MPG than she gets. I've only driven it a couple of times since we got back and was seeing pretty good numbers on the MPG-ometer.

So, I can say that the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus all season is a great tire. It's quiet, smooth and easy rolling. Doesn't impact MPG nearly as much as I thought after a change from 15" to 17" wheels. The car feels more linear than it did and turn in response is pretty good. A lot quicker than I had imagined using the 50 sidewall instead of the OEM size 45. Takes a great set in curves, too, very steady. We now have over 10,000 miles on these tires. Still quiet and smooth. I've kept the pressures at 39 front and 37 rear.

 

Hello David.

I have the EP20 too. I am hoping to get the Premier A/S.

The thing i concern the most is the tire noise? My EP20 is very loud compared to the Yokohama Avid S33D on my cousin's 2013 Prius.

How is the road noise of Premier A/S compared to the EP20?

 

Replacing the Toyo Proxes currently at 46,500.

Purchased Michelin Premier A/S
215 45 17 at my local Costco

$606 (out the door).

 

Sorry, wrong thread

 

I have over 50,000 miles on my Ecopia 422 and have averaged around 48 mpg over their life.

 

I have no noise with my ep 20 with about 20 ,000 kilometers on them. Best LRR tires I have ever used. This is my 5 th LRR brand I have owned. I really like them. H

 

Wore out a set of Michelin Defenders and put on Continental Control Contact Tour AS from Discount Tire and my mileage is up, like them better than the Michelins.