1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Costco Michelin Tires Question

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by darkgiant, Jan 11, 2020.

  1. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2013
    287
    42
    2
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    II
    My 2013 Prius is due for some new tires and I was curious what folks thought of the Michelin Tires at Costco? They same to be a good price (roughly $470 out the door including fees, tax, installation etc...) and comes with 80,000 mile warranty and a bunch of other maintenance like perks.

    The last set of tires I bought were Toyo tires, and they were okay... but just never was satisfied as they decreased my MPGs. I was, therefore, wondering if anyone has any experience with the Michelin tires over at Costco? For reference, the tires are:
    • Michelin X TOUR A/S T+H 195/65R15
    • MICHELIN DEFENDER T+H 195/65R15 91(H) BSW ALL SEASON TIRE
    What do folks think of these tires? And are they worth ~$470, or should I consider another pair of tires? I'm mainly considering Costco due to the warranty.
     
    kenoarto likes this.
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,482
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I have the Defender tires installed on my 2007, 185/65R15 size. They work well.

    Regarding the tire tread warranty, I would not get too excited about that. You will have to have the tires rotated according to Costco requirements, they want you to use Toyota mfr spec tire inflation (which will actually reduce tread life vs. using 42/40 psi inflation) and if they notice abnormal tire tread wear, they will blame that on poor wheel alignment - so you will have to spend money on that.

    You are potentially signing up for lots of trouble and effort to keep the warranty in force.

    I have found that America's Tire (or Discount Tire) is much more generous with regards to their administration of tire tread warranty.
     
    frodoz737 likes this.
  3. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2017
    6,173
    4,078
    1
    Location:
    Wilkes Land
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    You must be getting 45 MPGs on your set then?
     
  4. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    In Seattle the sister company of America’s Tire is called Discount Tire. Same company, just different name. There are many “Discount Tire” stores here in Southern California not affiliated with the company unfortunately. Looks like there are 7 in the Seattle area: http://www.tires.com

    Of the two you list the X Tour mentions gas mileage so since that is a concern I would pick that one if choosing between. The X Tour is an exclusive tire to Costco. It is not available at Discount Tire, just an FYI.

    That said I agree to check with your local Discount Tire as well. Wouldn’t hurt to call them. The way they do business was developed by their founder and I have nothing but praise for them....
     
  5. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2013
    287
    42
    2
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Thanks for the quick responses! So I did some digging around Discount Tire (based on their site), and the prices are actually a bit pricier than Costco's sale, however (just for today) there is a $70 mail-in rebate when purchasing the Michelin brand tires (so final price w/ rebate comes down to ~$510). Not sure if that makes a difference?

    In terms of tire inflation, does Costco follow a certain spec? I usually keep mines at 40 front, 38 in the back.

    Finally, would I be making a "wrong" decision of choosing the X-Tours over the Defenders? I did some research earlier and came across the X-Tours and Defenders being nearly identical, however, I am no tire expert thus why I am asking. I also figured I'd ask, price-wise, is this Costco deal even a good deal?

    OR would folks explore other options aside from the Michelins?
     
  6. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    At least here, and should be there also, they will match/beat even Costco or Sam's Club prices, any legitimate price actually...

    moto g(7) power ?
     
  7. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2013
    287
    42
    2
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Oh okay! I will in this case just stop by in store of Discount Tire. Do you think that those Michelin Defenders are a good option since that would be the tires I would be trying to price match? Or should I consider other tires?
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,671
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    They typically follow the manufacturer's spec, what's on the driver's door decal. BTW, if you don't like green valve caps, remove your OEM ones before going in. Always good to do, they'll just get chucked.

    As far as I know, it's the same tire, just different sidewall logos. And cheaper.
     
  9. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    I think other tires can be considered.

    Take a look at Hankook Kinergy PT, my humble opinion.

    Long life, 860 Treadwear, and LRR.

    moto g(7) power ?
     
  10. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    There seems to be 2 versions of the Kinergy PT, be sure to get the H737 for the longer Treadwear.

    moto g(7) power ?
     
  11. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,798
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Nobody can really make the decision for you.
    I think Michelin is a very well respected tire manufacturer. I owned a set, a long time ago, and they were very good tires. Michelins reputation is very good.

    Recently been looking at tires, I will need to replace this spring/summer.
    The GREAT thing is America's Tires/Discount Tire has a great tire review section. They have their own reviews often too...
    Information about tires is PLENTIFUL. You should be able to get a good idea about any tire you may have interest in.

    I put more stock in owners reviews, and more stock in reviews of owners that have driven or owned the tires for a long period of time. Someone who just bought the tires, telling me they are great after 3 weeks of ownership, I discount the review. But usually there are so many reviews, that you can get a good feeling about the quality of the tires.

    The tire manufacturers themselves have their own websites. Maybe worth checking out BUT keep in mind manufacturers are going to say their tires are nearly miraculous.

    But anyway, information plentiful, and the decision is yours. Up to you to pick a set of priorities you are looking for in a set of tires, and then you should be able to find a tire that meets those priorities.
     
  12. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2013
    287
    42
    2
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I visited the Discount Tire store near me, they were able to price match up the Michelin Defenders to $440 (so roughly $50 cheaper than the Costco Michelin Defenders as Costco Defenders were $502, but the X-Tours were around $470, all including tax). The warranty was also up to 80,000 miles. The person behind the counter suggested these tires as well as he said they are the "go-to" tires for Prius's here in the Seattle area.

    I went ahead and made the purchase. However, the wait at the store was nearly one hour, and the tires wouldn't even arrive till late next week, but I guess at least it is one more thing I can cross off my to-do list.

    I do understand (and as pointed out in previous threads), the X-Tours and Defenders are the same tire but the X-Tours are specific to Costco and Sam's Club, why are the Defenders still more expensive?
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  13. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    I don’t think they are the same tire. One specifically says enhanced fuel economy in some form of wording, the other does not.

    Two things:

    You can try them and if not happy, you can bring them back.

    Still think the Hankooks would make you happier.

    Glad you found a better deal, and no need to pay a club membership fee....
     
  14. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    You had to wait one hour to get pricing and order the tires?
     
  15. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2017
    6,173
    4,078
    1
    Location:
    Wilkes Land
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    :ROFLMAO:
     
  16. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2017
    6,173
    4,078
    1
    Location:
    Wilkes Land
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Discount tires are like that if you go in w/o an appointment.
     
  17. tonynap

    tonynap Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2019
    43
    37
    0
    Location:
    NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I went with General Altimax RT43 and I am very pleased with them.

    They have better tread wear, traction, temperature, and speed ratings against both the Goodyear and Bridgestones I had on previously. They are also less per tire.

    Piggybacking on The Electric Me's thoughts above, trading mileage for traction were my priorities, YPMV!
     
  18. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Not here. They have at least 6 people in front of computers and line moves fast.

    Costco, depends on which one, can be a LONG WAIT!

    moto g(7) power ?
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,671
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I'll second that. The one time that REALLY drove that home for me:

    I was buying a set of (directional X-Ice), just mounted on loose rims. They told me they'd be ready in 2 hours; I came back in 3. After the interminable wait at the one counter person, I got the "Oh, they're just about ready". Which translates to mean "We forgot all about them".

    Another hour I got out of there, with bagged tires. About 10 km down the road I pulled into a gas station to put more air in (another sore point), arrayed them at the air pump, and realized they'd mounted them so I had 3 rights and one left.

    Back to Costco. There's one guy ahead of me, talking to the one-and-only counter person. He's asking about the fine points of tires, which are good, which are not so good. This went on for 15 minutes.

    It was just about justifiable homicide time...:cautious:
     
    Robert Holt and Grit like this.
  20. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2017
    6,173
    4,078
    1
    Location:
    Wilkes Land
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Last month I was at America’s tires with an appointment for new tires. Got there 15 mins before appt time. They put on wrong size tires when I picked up my car. They installed 195s, my order was 185s. When I got the car back, tires were all mushy on the way back home. One tire was measured at 29psi, the rear were 30lbs. Spent 2 hours sitting waiting, no updates anyone waiting.

    When someone planted razor blades on the train tracks, I got 2 of them in one tire. People get hit on that same railroad crossing also. I had Americas tire remove the spare and put a new tire in, the person whom did the tire replacement put the spare directly above the trunk edge trim where the locking mechanism is and pushed the spare into its storage spot. That Left 2 big scratch marks from the spare skidding on top of the plastic trim. I was not happy, you’re not the only commital homicidal one
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.