For anyone with the 2016 or 2017 Prius Four Touring with 17 inch rims, has anyone put on high perfor

I haven't changed my tires yet. I am also interested in any reports from people who have. My MPG average after 15K is just slightly above 52 mpg.


iPhone ?

 

How fast are you going that you need all that "stopping power?" Prius drivers are supposed to make a nice - long - slow - glide - up to a stop.

But I would sure like some quieter tires, and I'm all for good wet/dry handling and good stopping power.

 

I'm considering aftermarket wheels and tires. I wonder how these crappy stock tires will do in the snow so I can swap back and forth or get a good all around tire on the new wheels and run them all the time.

 

Based on my past experiences with my gen 2, getting high performance Pirellis ruin the point of the Prius. I was getting 42 MPG and then I got around 34 MPG. It's sad that a lot of the reason the car gets great MPGs is all in the type of tire. I'd say stick with the LRR eco tires.

 

We have Pirelli cinturat p7 215 50 17 on a12 v g

We have '12 V 5 w/ 107K m w/ Pirelli Cinturado 215 50 17 stock whls getting just under 44mpg/ AC always on...in flat / semi flat San Diego terrain. Probably going to switch to ES Mich @ $500 installed soon
Any replies encouraged

 

I can't entirely isolate the MPG effects of grippy tires from the effects of going from 15" to 17" wheels (although I tried to keep the weight similar). That being said:

Last fall I swapped out the OEM low rolling resistance (LRR) tires on the stock 15" wheels for Blizzaks, and the car performed wonderfully (way better than SUVs with all-seasons) in snow/slush/slick conditions--you're limited only by clearance unless the snow is nice and fluffy. Beating expensive CUV/SUVs off the line in the snow with a Prius doesn't lose its charm--and braking & handling are just as dramatically enhanced.

In the spring I bought a set of 17" Motegi Tracklite wheels (16.7 lbs/wheel--I was going for the same weight as the OEM 15s) and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires. These tires are amazing, I've never had this much grip off the line, cornering, and stopping (no squeeling), and they're also the best tires in the rain I've ever had. Going from the stock 15" with eco-tires 2016 Prius 4 setup to the sticky summer sneakers package brought the milage down from 52 to 46 in a mix of assertive/quick highway and gridlock city traffic (pretty hardcore horrible) commuting into one of the worst traffic cities in the US with some of the most aggressive drivers (Boston.)

If you're considering applying relatively expensive super-grippy performance tires on a hybrid, you'd have to be okay with sacrificing 10-12% of the amazing milage capability of the vehicle in return for being able to exploit its handling to the fullest extent possible while legitimately enhancing active safety in both dry and wet conditions. It's an immediately evident improvement in all the above listed areas, but with the Prius' OCD-enabling ability to monitor energy output & MPGs, you can also quickly tell the difference between the OEM LRR rubber and the literally sticky Pilot Sports (almost total opposite ends of the grip spectrum)--more grip requires more energy (less coasting, more throttle). But I'm still getting MPGs in the mid 40's which is more that twice what I was getting my previous vehicle.

 

How do you feel "grip off the line" in a Prius? it is not like you could ever spin your tires even with your foot to the floor, unless you were on snow or gravel, right?

Likewise, how were you able to get your original tires to squeal when stopping? I don't think I could make that happen no matter how hard I tried.

 

Go take another hike. That's what you have to add to this thread answering a specific question about tires?

Yes, if you floor the car with the stock tires in many situations they'll chirp. The will also squeal quite easily when cornering.

If anyone is ever in a situation where they have to panic stop/maneuver at speed while owning this car, this thread deals with the option of having drastically more traction. You can brake/ turn MUCH harder before the ABS/TCS kicks in. If that doesn't appeal to you....move along please, nothing to see here

 

My experience with stock 17" Bridgestone Ecopia tires is different from yours, to be sure.

Have you ever driven a Gen 4 Prius hard with stock 17" tires?

 

I definitely would have, but never did as I knew I wouldn't be buying a touring model, so I've only driven the 4th-gen Prius 4 non-touring with the sunroof and ATP. I found Toyota's decision to make the Touring models unavailable with a sunroof frustrating-- but it could be they had to offer either 17" wheels or the sunroof but not both to keep the MPGs up for marketing purposes. I definitely didn't want to get an aftermarket sunroof installed, and swapping out wheels summer/winter I do anyway. (The suspension changes & fog lights are a different story.)

As the touring models also supposed to have a slightly tweaked suspension to accommodate the 17"s and firm things up slightly, that could certainly affect the amount of tire squealing going on around corners. I'd be curious to drive them back to back and see if there's a difference--did you get a chance to do that?

Are you pleased with your 4 touring? I love this car. The grim news on sales of this generation is anecdotally backed up in my case by how relatively few of them I see out and about even with all this commuting.

 

I love my car too, but was surprised to discover (both for myself and here on Prius Chat) that the Touring gets constantly poorer MPGs.-- since all the brochures and window stickers show it to be identical to the non-Touring.

There is a great deal of discussion on that in other threads.

I have never driven a non-Touring Gen 4, but the car handles much, much better that my wife's Gen 3. Only issue with tires was grip on snow up a short steep section of secondary road right after a stop sign near where I live. Not great getting up in a Saab with all-season Michelins, but worse with this Prius.

By next winter I will need new tires, so all of this is an interest. Not sure what direction, but for me all-season is th only option.

You are right about how few one sees around Boston still-- we should be Prius country.

 

I've squealed my tires in Drive and Reverse from a stop. Haven't slammed on my brakes yet.