Opinions/experience on new tires?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by jaw444, Oct 31, 2018.

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  1. jaw444

    jaw444 Member

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    Hi. i want to get new tires for my 2007 Prius. i bought the car pre-owned in 2009 with 28,000 miles on it in great shape, the only thing it needed was new tires and i was a PriusChat member, Generation 2 was tbe newest Prius at the time still and there was a lot of discussion and a lot of information about different peoples' tire recommendations. i live in the Los Angeles area, no snow, no ice. Sometiems a lot of rain. i chose Goodyear Triple Tred All Weather tires. i loved those tires, they really held the road, great traction and they were exactly what i needed. I drove a lot for my job, putting in for mileage every month. I drove in a lot of conditions, in the city and far to adjacent counties. The tires were perfect.

    in 2012, i needed new tires because of tread wear. i didn't have the money then that i had in 2009 and i was in a hurry to get the tires, needing to drive far to my daughter's wedding, so i went to the same place i got the first tires, Discount Tires, and i got a kind that i don't know the brand of, i have the receipt here, it says HANK surrounded on both sides by numbers. i have always been very unhappy with those tires because they don't seem to hold air, i've had them checked there's no leaks, but the tires are squishy and they skid and don't hold the road at all. Today i pulled out of a driveway at CVS to turn right onto a busy street and there was a tiny shallow bit of water in the gutter along the edge of the drive way, and the car slid around as i tried to accelerate to get into the flow of traffic and make the turn, it slid sideways, and the tires spun before grabbing the road, that is normal, the car does that every day, water or no water . Putting air in them doesn't seem to help. i rarely had to put air in my first tires.

    I am now in a position to get new tires, i'm retired since 2013, i drive very little, my car only has about 76,000 miles on it now, but even though i don't drive much, i want the same kind of tires that i loved and never had problems with, the Goodyear Tripletred.

    I read that they are discontinued ,but they are for sale all around, they're available, at local stores and on Amazon, etc. Same price they used to be, a little more.

    If those tires are discontinued and have been discontinued for a while, could that mean that they would be new old stock? is so, could that mean that the rubber might be getting old from sitting in warebouses? would the quality be the same as when i got them in 2009?

    Are there any other tires that are high quality for the weather i live in which hold the road as good as it gets? Never slide around or squish?

    thanks
     
    #1 jaw444, Oct 31, 2018
  2. MickyMatter

    MickyMatter Active Member

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    Rubber gets older. That means less grip and wear but more mileage. It's recommended to change tires after about six years, because the rubber get stiff/hard.
    Each tire should show a number DOTwwyy, where ww is the week and yy the year of production. (DOT2517 means, the tire was produced in June 2017.)
    "New" should be produced in the last six months IMHO.
     
    #2 MickyMatter, Oct 31, 2018
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  3. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    Grab some michelin defenders in 195/65-15 and enjoy a 90,000 mile joy ride, keep them at 42 front 40 rear, and trickle charge your 12v battery overnight once a month.
    Or pay less for tires rhat last 1/2 as long, aren't as good in rain and are noisy.

    The Hankook tires didn't work, try some that do.
     
    #3 Usle, Oct 31, 2018
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  4. jaw444

    jaw444 Member

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    Thanks MickyMatter, that's useful information which i need. Grip is my priority. i won't find those TripleTreds in 6 months or less. i text chatted on goodyear site and am told they discontinued them about 2 years ago. sad. So, if i found some manufactured two years ago, would that mean that the rubber is getting harder already, from sitting around?
     
    #4 jaw444, Oct 31, 2018
  5. jaw444

    jaw444 Member

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    Thanks Usle -- i'm checking those out. i found some online that are at a close local store, American Tire Depot, i went in there several months ago to see if they had the TripleTred, they would order them, it would take a day. i didn't know they were discontinued then. The Michelin Defenders they advertised are listed as 185/65-15. What difference does that make? size? Fit? They are selling them for about $107, buy 3 get 1 free.

    This and the current Goodyear Assurance versions on threir website are a little less money than the TripleTreds were when i got them. What does lower price mean? what is the benefit in spending more? How would the Defenders and the Premiers be compared? Premiers cost about what my TripleTreds cost, a little less, the TripleTreds were $129 at Discount Tires.

    The Defenders in this ad, as i said, are 185 instread of 195, and it says 80K warranty instead of 90K. Are those different tires?

    Below the Defenders are the Premier which are $120, same size, 60K warranty. What are the differences in the tires, why someone would want one rather than the other?

    i want as good of traction as the TripleTreds. it's a radial tire. Are all of these radials?

    How do you trickle charge your 12V battery one night a month? i just googled it, it's something you can buy?

    https://www.americantiredepot.com/tire-listing.html?search_brand=76&search_pr=-1&search_sr=-1&search_lr=&search_type=-1&Submit=Filter
     
    #5 jaw444, Oct 31, 2018
  6. MickyMatter

    MickyMatter Active Member

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    Yes, the ageing is a process mainly influenced by heat. (There is no need for using the tires to make its rubber hard.)
    A proper (cool and dry) stored tire is maybe as good as new after two years. But that's nothing, that I'm knowing for sure.
     
    #6 MickyMatter, Oct 31, 2018
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  7. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Has anyone actually used a mileage warranty? The tire shops always seem to find a way to not honor them.
     
    #7 Skibob, Nov 1, 2018
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  8. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

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    WALMAR has great prices on all brands of tires

    I buy all my tires for all my cars/truck at WALMART.

    Great Service=FREE tire rotation and balancing for the the life of the tires.
     
    #8 ski.dive, Nov 1, 2018
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I had a set of Michelin Harmony (on an Accord, back a few decades): the tread was warranted to last 120,000 kms, and at 60,000 the wear bars were a solid band. I was getting another set, same tire, same tire store, and I pointed this out. They went to bat for me with Michelin, and I got the next set half-price, something like $200 instead of $400.

    @jaw444 I took a look on TireRack, my 2 cents:

    Michelin Defender T+H 185/65R15 88H

    https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Defender+T%2BH&partnum=865HR5DTH&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Toyota&autoYear=2007&autoModel=Prius&autoModClar=
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Nov 1, 2018
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  10. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    copy
     
    #10 Skibob, Nov 1, 2018
  11. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    copy
     
    #11 Skibob, Nov 1, 2018
  12. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Lots of likes about the GY TripleTred. Surprised they 86'ed it.

    I know that most people follow the herd here and go for the FatMan tires, but, if you truly want to save some cash, I have a suggestion....especially since you live in the L.A. area.

    General Altimax RT43 -- review | PriusChat

    If nothing else, read the last page or two of the above thread and check out the TireRack ratings.

    In your area, the General -- if the price is still reasonable -- is a no-brainer.

    In my area, with some snow, some ice and buckets of rain, wet leaves, some dirt roads, it is a great tire.
     
    #12 Stevewoods, Nov 1, 2018
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  13. 05PreeUs

    05PreeUs Senior Member

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    I have had the AquaTread and TripleTread tires and agree, both were above average in many respects.

    Most likely Hankook tires, not exactly known for making quality tires people rave about.

    Any Aqua/TripleTread tires you find TODAY are most likely either OLD stock or bootleg tires, neither of which I would install under any circumstances.

    Both Goodyear and Michelin make a number of quality tires suitable for your needs and am sure others do as well. The Continental tires on our '05 are pretty good, I would purchase them again.
     
    #13 05PreeUs, Nov 2, 2018
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  14. Merkey

    Merkey Active Member

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    I think a recent CR mag. put the RT43 and the Defender at the top of their list for all season tires.
     
    #14 Merkey, Nov 2, 2018
  15. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    The 185/95-15 are smaller in circumfrence, so your speedometer will read 1-3 mph low, the defenders come in two flavors, one an 80,000 and the other 90,000, of course they won't last that long but they will last longer than any other brand, are safer in water, quietest and handel well, yes, $, but all things are relitive.
     
    #15 Usle, Nov 2, 2018
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  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I don't see it: oversize tires to "fix" overspeed (by design) speedo, and throw everything else off? Stay with stock size.
     
    #16 Mendel Leisk, Nov 2, 2018
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  17. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    195/65-15 is the stock size, and the speedometer is correct when they are what's on the vehicle, please, try to be less negative about everything, all the time, try to move on.
     
    #17 Usle, Nov 2, 2018
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'll leave it to some 2nd gen owners to explain it.
     
    #18 Mendel Leisk, Nov 2, 2018
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  19. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    Actually you are wrong. P185/65R15 is the correct size for 15 inch rims. P195/55R16 is the correct size for 16 inch rims. This is from the 2007 owners manual. I would go with that.
     
    #19 Skibob, Nov 2, 2018
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  20. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    Yes, well, both my 16 and 17 prii came with 195/65-15 tires, and the speedometer on both reads correctly, as did my 11 prius, while my 06 prius came with 185/65-15 tires, which read 1-3 mph slow, until of course, I put on 195/65-15 tires.

    I am assuming the correct size is the size that gives a correct speedometer reading.
     
    #20 Usle, Nov 2, 2018
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