Ok, so I've been hunting up and reading about tires on the Prius. With the BT Brace installed, I feel the car is within sight of my goal but the OEM tires are, in a word, unsatisfying. What am I looking for? - Better stability on the highway ... less tendency to wander on grooving. - Quiet, particularly at highway speeds. - Improved grip on cornering/braking. - Good wet weather behavior. - Use of standard wheels. (If not, what wheels might be suitable?) - Minimal effect on fuel economy. I tend to run my tires at "normal" pressures, not at the limits, as I don't like the feel of an overinflated tire. This means, for the Prius, 38F, 36R for me. So far, the tires I've heard talked about here are: - Goodyear Comfortred (185/65) - Michelin Hydroedge (185/65) - Goodyear TripleTred (195/60) - Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S (205/60) and all have been praised by several folks as being in line with the above goals. When I stopped by the local tire store, the (somewhat obnoxious) salesperson when he looked at my car and saw this list, said: "You don't want any of these tires. They're all noisier than the Integrities, will wander more on the freeway, and will hurt economy badly. I have a 2005 Prius and I've tried them too." This was very surprising to me as it seems counter to what everyone else was saying. He recommended the Michelin MXV4 or Bridgestone Turanza-LSH as his pick for the Prius. I'll be most interested to hear your comments ... And yes, Joe, I'd like to drive your Prius now with the Comfortreds fitted as I now have a good idea of what the car feels like with the stock tires. Coffee this week coming? thanks in advance Godfrey
Those 4 listed seem appropriate. I wouldn't take the MXV4 unless it's the MXV4 Plus or the MXV4 S8. Those two tyres have excellent life, comfort and traction (we have the MXV4 Plus on the 02 Camry).
I think you should also consider the Michelin X radial DT's. These are available exclusively at Costco and BJ's (ie. club stores). Consumer Reports rated them as the second best tires after the Triple Treads. Better on wet roads than the Hydroedges. It's worst "grade" ( and it was not bad) was in the snow, something I'm not concerned about in Florida and you're probably not in CA. They are well priced, ride well, supply excellent traction, and have a long road warranty. I'm very happy with them.
I'm leaning towards the Pilot Exalto in the above referenced size, unless somebody has a better idea, or can explain to me why that would be a bad idea. Tires are NOT my area of expertise!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 9 2006, 05:07 PM) [snapback]317070[/snapback]</div> How did you decide that the Hydroedge was the safest? I would think that some all-season performance tires like the Pilot Exalto A/S, Yokohama H4s, Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus, or Bridgestone RE960AS would all provide greater traction and safety. (Unless you want to drive the tires more than 60,000 miles or so, in which case the Hydroedges offer much better protection from blowouts .) Hydroedge tests http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/gy_assurance_c.jsp http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/pass_tires_wet_c.jsp Pilot Exalto tests http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/mi_pilot_exalto_as_c.jsp http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/bs_pot...60as_pole_c.jsp Others http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/kumho_ecsta_ast_c.jsp http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/traction_advantage_c.jsp
Thanks for your comments! One of the problems with tires today is that they last too long* and are too expensive ... you don't get a chance to try a couple of different types/brands and see what really works well, and by the time they are worn out the same tire may not be in production any longer so whether it was good or bad you have to go through the same selection process all over again. * Of course, some might consider this an advantage ... ;-) Picking tires is a pain. No matter what some testers say, others will say something different. The only way to know what you like best is to try them yourself, and then you're stuck with them for two to three years unless you have money to burn and can afford to switch to a different tire whenever it suits you. I've gotten good results with Michelins in the past; the Hydroedge (185/65) or Pilot Exalto A/S (205/60) as some have suggested look appealing on that basis. Godfrey
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(theorist @ Sep 10 2006, 06:02 AM) [snapback]317297[/snapback]</div> I went to http://john1701a.com Since he uses frames, I cannot give a specific URL of a page on which he discusses his tire choice. Actually, it might not even have been on his site. It might have been a thread here on PC. Would have been summer or fall of 2004 or 2005.
Ok, closing out on this thread ... Yesterday, I got a chance to drive a 2006 Prius with the BT brace and the Goodyear Comfortreds in stock size fitted ... virtually the same car as mine, tires being the only change. The improvement in directional stability, reduction in wander, steering precision and grip was noticeable. They seem to run more quietly as well. Comparing them on specs, they're only 1lb per tire more than the stock Integrity model, same revolutions per mile, same load rating, one step higher speed rating (usually means a stiffer sidewall and better steering precision...), and supposedly have a higher treadwear grade. Rather than drive myself batty considering all and sundry other choices, I'm just going to hunt for a good price on these as I think they'll be a good upgrade. Godfrey
I got mine from Wheel Works, but I had them price match Wal mart, who had the best price at about $78/tire. Even with mount, balance, and full hazard warranty they were about $400 for the set.
