Prius fuel efficient tires vs budget tires

I figure your going to end up paying for it either way you go. Going with the cheaper tires will probably result in lower MPGs which you will pay for it in the gas costs. Or pay up front on the tires and save on fuel costs. I'm not sure which is the better route to go but personally i'd probably want the better tires on the car since you also need to deal with the safety factor.

 

welcome!
if price and mpg's are your only considerations, i would go as cheap as possible. with todays gas prices, you'll never make up the difference with low rolling resistance tires.
i just put on michelin energy savers last year. quiet smooth, good tread wear, good handling and braking, fine in the rain and snow, $700. all said and done, iirc

 

I understand you are on a budget, but please consider safety as your #1 priority, which would mean choosing a tire on the basis of rated dry and wet pavement stopping distances and handling . Since you live in LA, you do not have to worry about ice/snow stopping distances, right?
I personally would always choose a name brand tire and purchase them from an outlet where you can absolutely trust the installation and balancing process. (Costco has worked for us.) I would also recommend having your car’s wheels aligned after installation to avoid premature or uneven wear but that may verge on being obsessive-compulsive.

 

I was in your position with our first Prius, the 2005. We only drove it locally and I figured the cheapest Walmart tires would be fine. After using them for a little while, I noticed the consistent decreased MPG. Then I did the math and discovered I would be paying more in gas money than for good LRR tires over the life expectancy of the tires. Since then, I have put on good LRR tires on all our Prius. Below, I did a quick worksheet using 40,000 miles and $3.50/gallon fuel price. It shows that a 2 MPG drop from 45 to 43 results in a $144.70 difference in fuel cost over the lifetime.

 

I am also shopping for new tires. Costco had a very good sale on Michelins, but they were still around $440. Now, the Bridgestones are on sale and you should be able to get 4 installed for under $400.

 

Do you have time to look around and wait for the best deal? Is your $250 out of door include installation or is it only for the tire cost? If you really look around, especially now with Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale extension, you can find quite deals on major premium tires. You can have tire with MSRP above $100 for less than half of that in some deals. In general, everything else being equal, even with today's low gas price, you will end up saving more if you have better fuel efficient tires. Key is which fuel efficient tire you can find at reasonable price ($50-$60 each) when you need them. If you can't find any sale and can not wait, my current recommendation for low cost LRR tire is Yokohama Avid Ascend. You should have no problem finding them priced around $70 each.

 

I think Michelin has a $70 rebate going on right on a set of four, so that will save you an additional $17.50 per tire, plus sales tax. Try TireRack they have a number of tires under $80 a piece with free shipping to LA. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?filtering=true&width=195%2F&ratio=65&diameter=15#allTitle

 

Simpletire.com is the way to go,they always have free shipping.If i was you i would get the Hankook LRR tire from them.

 

$71.97 - Hankook Kinergy PT (H737) 195/65R-15 tires | Buy Hankook Kinergy PT (H737) tires at SimpleTire

 

Kevin have you used the Hankook H737?

 

Generally speaking, really cheap tires will have a short life. Installation and fees are a significant part of the price and should be considered. For instance 30,000 mile tires at half the cost of 60,000 mile tires would end up costing more in the long run due to extra install costs.
Sticker price is a major part but not the only thing I consider when buying tires.

 

Sams club has the Hankook Optimo H426 for less than $70. These are 60,000 mile tires. They have the Bridgestone Ecopia for less than $96. These are 70,000 mile tires. They also have the Kumho Ecsta 50,000 mile tire for $69.

SM-S327VL ?

Just realized i put in data for my Prius C. Went back and put in data for OP car and tire size: many more options and lower prices.

 

I am tempted to try HANKOOK KINERGY PT (H737) 195/65R-15 sold at Discount Tire Direct for $64 each, and with rebate, you can get $50 off from a set of 4, making the final cost $51.50 each. https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/hankook-kinergy-pt-h737/p/39149
This price probably stays for a while. I have snow tires on now, so don't need a new set until next spring. Will keep looking.

 

The Hankook H737 is rated a 90K miles.

 

Heck with it, I just went ahead and ordered the Hankook PT H737 from Discount Tire for $255.16 shipped and no Tax. My tire guy said that they look to be a good tire and that he would mount and balance for $60 bringing the total to $315.

The rebate deal is when you use a Discount Tire credit card to buy them, and the rebate would be $30 on the tires.

 

Please report back on mpg on those tire, as well as a general review on a ride, noise, and handling. You can omit comment on the treadwear. 90K miles is a long way to go. LOL

 

I will, yes 90K is a long way to go, and seeing that I have 10 different cars that I drive, that might take a little time Haha.