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Tires Choices for Prius Gen 3

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Preeeus, Mar 5, 2016.

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  1. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    The tires on my Gen 3 are showing serious sidewall cracking. It's too bad, they are expensive Michelin Green X's that are only a few years old. The Michelin's on my previous car also had sidewalls that cracked early.

    There are a couple threads about this topic, but they are old enough that it's probably best to start a new thread. Tire manufacturers seem to like to change things up almost every year.

    I went to two tire shops, and each shop recommended completely different 15" tires:
    • Discount Tire (aka America's Tire) heavily pushed the Continental Control Contact Touring AS and the RoadHugger GT Eco. They said those tires only weigh 17 pounds each, and claimed lightweight tires are important for mileage on the Prius. Never heard that before, maybe someone can say if that makes any sense.
    • A competing chain strongly recommended against buying Continental's for the Prius. They recommended the Yokohama Avid Tour S and the Hankook Optima H727.
    Here's what I'm looking for (all are important, listed in order of importance):
    1. Safe (i.e. reliable composition, short braking distance, good wet and dry, road handling, minimal hydroplaning)
    2. Good MPG (prefer low rolling resistance)
    3. Good tread life to price ratio
    4. Quiet
    5. Smooth driving
    Tire choice should be compatible with 80% dry road driving, 18% rain, 1% snow, and 1% off-road.

    (Oh, and the photo in my Avatar is not my vehicle... no camper shell on mine!)
     
    #1 Preeeus, Mar 5, 2016
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2016
  2. matt b.

    matt b. Member

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    You do realize that you're driving a Prius right? The best tires are the Michelin premieres.
     
    #2 matt b., Mar 5, 2016
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  3. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    What you have indicated as your "Order of Importance" criterion points strongly in favor of the Continental PureContact tires.
    I just removed a set of factory equipped Yokohama Avid tire with just 32,000 mile because they were terrible in wet conditions and were overall dangerous. They also exhibited early tread wear. I replaced them with the Continental PureContact's.
    I must say that I am totally impressed with these tires.
     
    #3 BZzap!, Mar 5, 2016
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  4. Tandem Rider

    Tandem Rider Junior Member

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    I replaced Yokohama Avids at 45,000 with Michelin Defenders on the advice of the tire shop. I lost 1 or 2 mpg but the Defenders are quieter and at 40,000 the Defenders look like new.
     
    #4 Tandem Rider, Mar 5, 2016
  5. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    Thanks. Any change in mileage since switching to the PureContact's? One review on the Discount Tire site says they lost 2 MPG on the Prius.
     
    #5 Preeeus, Mar 6, 2016
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  6. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    I can't speak for anyone else but my mileage has not suffered and I can easily match or exceed the the previous the readings from the Yokohama's. As an example, I can maintain at least, the Toyota EPA claims for fuel mileage. I certainly am not a Continental fanboy by any means. In fact this is the first set of Continental's that I have ever owned. My choice was based on the research not on spontaneity. As a result, I've made a (IMO) a very educated selection for a very good tire.
     
    #6 BZzap!, Mar 6, 2016
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  7. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    That's great feedback. Thanks.

    Any other feedback on 15" tires for the Prius? I expected more healthy obsession on the topic! (y)
     
    #7 Preeeus, Mar 8, 2016
  8. Steve terry

    Steve terry Member

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    I went with the Bridgestone ecopia EP422+. They are good tires and last a lot longer then the ep20 tires it came with. Mileage is good. Look up thread about Bridgestone ecopia 422 tires. And you will see new updates.


    iPhone ?
     
    #8 Steve terry, Mar 12, 2016
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  9. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    Thanks... I'll look it up. I seem to remember Bridgestone having major problems with tires a while back. Has all that been corrected?
     
    #9 Preeeus, Mar 12, 2016
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2016
  10. alanwagen

    alanwagen Member

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    I think you are thinking about Firestones and not Bridgestones. Bridgestone make an excellent tire. I went back with the EP20 as I was very satisfied with its mileage and performance. I get very good MPG with this tire. My wife has the EP422 and they perform good to but the MPG is not quite as good.
     
    #10 alanwagen, Mar 13, 2016
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  11. Steve terry

    Steve terry Member

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    No issues here. Bridgestone on car when I bought it and have 1 year and 15,000 miles on EP422+ now. Great wear and smooth ride


    iPhone ?
     
    #11 Steve terry, Mar 13, 2016
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    EP422 plus is maybe the "Goldilocks" tire. I've been thinking Premier, but so many mpg drop reports. I'd be needing 17" size fwiw.
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, Mar 13, 2016
  13. Steve terry

    Steve terry Member

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    I made two trips to Chicago in 2014 and 2015. 1800 mile round trip. Same time of year (May) and first with ep20 and second with ep422+. Overall the ep20 I got 40 mpg and ep422+ I got 44.5 mpg. Not a big difference but some. On my daily drive of 75 mile round trip for work I average 40 to 42. Have north or south wind as a big factor here in Oklahoma.
     
    #13 Steve terry, Mar 13, 2016
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  14. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    The difference between 40 and 44.5mpg is very significant.

    It's interesting to read that Alan got better mileage on the Bridgestone EP20 than the EP422, and Steve got better mileage on the EP422+ than the EP20.

    Obviously, we need more data.
     
    #14 Preeeus, Mar 13, 2016
  15. Steve terry

    Steve terry Member

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    When I have light traffic in town, I can get 55-60 mpg but that is a steady speed of 30-35 in traffic

    I should also mention that the speed was on average 70 mph after I left Oklahoma which was 200 miles at 75mph no babying with gas peddle.
     
    #15 Steve terry, Mar 13, 2016
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  16. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    More importantly, those two trips to Chicago, on two different sets of tires is very useful data. Same car. Same driver. Different tires. Different MPG.

    Yet what you experienced is the opposite of what Alan reports.

    Good info. Did you do that on both trips to Chicago? If so, your test would still be a useful comparison.
     
    #16 Preeeus, Mar 13, 2016
  17. Steve terry

    Steve terry Member

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    Yes. Drove the posted speed limit the whole way both times
     
    #17 Steve terry, Mar 14, 2016
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  18. Preeeus

    Preeeus Member

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    That makes your data pretty strong.

    I wonder why the difference between what @alanwagen reported.
     
    #18 Preeeus, Mar 14, 2016
  19. Steve terry

    Steve terry Member

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    Maybe driving habits. I did not like the longevity of the ep20s. Replaced at 35,000
     
    #19 Steve terry, Mar 14, 2016
  20. SAronian

    SAronian Active Member

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    I recently switched from Bridgestone Ecopia EP20 P195/65R15 89S to Michelin Premier A/S P195/65R15 91H, added my observations below

    Safe - So much better than the stock EP20's that the Michelin's make the Bridgestone's seem unsafe in any environment.

    Good MPG - Only three fill-up's so far but MPG has remained the same.

    Good tread life to price ratio - The tire is more expensive than most, and the Michelin Defender will lsat longer.

    Quiet - Much quieter than the EP20

    Smooth driving - Only slightly smoother over surface irregularities than the EP20. My experience with other cars found the Continentals to be a smooth tire.
     
    #20 SAronian, Mar 14, 2016
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