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Expected MPG hit from an all-weather 3-peak mountain snowflake tire

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by PortlandHiker, Aug 4, 2020.

  1. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    It looks like the MIchelin premier A/S, Michelin Defender T+H and Michelin X Tour A/S T+H are considered excellent tires on this forum. However, I noticed that there are some very interesting all-weather options that are 3-peak rated. I do drive up into the mountains to go cross-country skiing in the winter, but not enough to merit purchasing a second set of tires for winter driving. I'm in Portland, OR (so good dry weather in summer and wet weather handling in winter is essential as well as good handling on USFS gravel roads). There are some very interesting options recommended by TireRack that are 3-peak/mountain snowflake rated including the Michelin Crossclimate+, Firestone Weathergrip and Goodyear Assurance Weatherready. I realize these will come with a MPG hit, but what is the general MPG hit compared to the non 3-peak tires? Are we talking about a drop of approximately 2.5, 5 or 10 MPG? I realize it's very approximate, but it'd be good to get a sense of the trade-off. On my stock (OEM) Ecopia tires I got 52 MPG on my last road trip (which included drives up and down very steep mountain roads and on USFS gravel roads).
     
    #1 PortlandHiker, Aug 4, 2020
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    5 mpg, give or take
     
    #2 bisco, Aug 4, 2020
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  3. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    Thanks! That's a hit I'm willing to take, especially since I put only ~4,000 miles per year on my car. Over a five year period that translates to ~$150 in gas savings. Will be looking at the Continential Climate+. Seems to be the best all-around tire for dry, wet and snow conditions.
     
    #3 PortlandHiker, Aug 5, 2020
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  4. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    I have a set of pirelli cinturato p7 all season 215/45r17 tires and a set of 195/65r15 Michelin X-ice3 winter tires which I usually use during the winter.

    Due to covid-19, I have been driving less than 400km per month so I left my Michelin Xi3 tires on from last winter and didn't bother swapping them out. I have been driving on my winter tires all spring/summer so far and I have only noticed small drop of about 3 or 4mpg. Then again, the Michelin x-ice has a green-X symbol for lower rolling resistance technology. My 15" winter tires are less heavier than my 17" all seasons.

    Gas prices has also been at historical lows. Although I own a Prius, mpg has been less of a concern. The air quality has never been better due to the reduced economic activity due to covid-19.
     
    #4 Siward, Aug 5, 2020
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  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Nokian tire has some all-weather tires too. I think they're also the maker of Nordman (all-weather) tires? Kal Tire sells them up here, not sure about in the States though.

    Our scenario is very similar to @Siward, same two sizes, and X-Ice through winter. The two sets are pretty much neck-n-neck for mpg. Considering the X-Ice are in use through colder/wetter winter months, that's pretty good.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Aug 5, 2020
  6. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    I decided on the Michelin CrossClimate+ as a good tire. It seems to be very highly rated by CR. Will check the Nokian/Nordman tires and see if that's an option in Portland.

    Even with the worst tire, Priuses get better MPG than other cars.
     
    #6 PortlandHiker, Aug 5, 2020
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  7. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Come here to CA and then try to say that again :cry: Yesterday it was $3.29 a gal at the pump for me. On July 1st 2020, a 50.5 cent gas tax increase incentive kicked in. CA voted to keep the incentive increase so the rise of gas tax will continue.
     
    #7 Grit, Aug 5, 2020
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    didn't it used to be 5 dollars?
     
    #8 bisco, Aug 5, 2020
  9. Mdv55

    Mdv55 Active Member

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    Still rocking my snow tires in August this year. MPG hit is 5-8. City/Surburban driving takes the biggest hit. Highway driving at 70 is relatively unchanged. I'm hovering around 50mpg average all around.
     
    #9 Mdv55, Aug 5, 2020
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  10. normythebear

    normythebear New Member

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    I have Vredestein Quatrac 5XL 3 peak. The mpg hit wasn't terrible, maybe 3 mpg. But I do not recommend these tires as they were loud when new and 20k miles later are very worn down.
     
    #10 normythebear, Aug 7, 2020
  11. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    Good to know. Being deaf, I have one less factor to worry about :D. But, the 20k wear-down is worrying. I'm going with the Consumer Reports top pick (Michelin CrossClimate+).
     
    #11 PortlandHiker, Aug 7, 2020
  12. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    Brief update. Had these installed on the Prius last Friday. So far I haven't noticed much of a MPG hit. I drove out to a trailhead (~90 miles round trip) and got 52 MPG, which is consistent with a trip I took a few weeks ago on my old Ecopia 20 tires. My wife said the road noise was fine. Can't really comment on handling yet.
     
    #12 PortlandHiker, Aug 10, 2020
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  13. TwoPriusFam

    TwoPriusFam New Member

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    Thanks for the info. Would you be able to give us an update now that you have had them for a while? I'm considering putting the CrossClimate+'s on my 2015 V and can't find much on fuel economy.
     
    #13 TwoPriusFam, Dec 21, 2020
  14. PortlandHiker

    PortlandHiker Junior Member

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    I've been very happy with them. I haven't tracked my MPG carefully nor am I a hypermiler. I can't give you a precise answer on fuel economy. That said, I have not noticed a major drop. If there is one, it is not more than 5 MPG. The last major trip I tracked the fuel economy (over 600 miles with many drives up and down the mountains and along a rough road) and it was about 2-3 MPG lower than a similar trip of about 1000 miles (also up and down mountains and along some rough gravel roads) I took just before I got the new tires.

    I'm very happy with any trade-off with regards to fuel economy because the snow is now here and I have been able to drive on icy sno-parks in the mountains of Oregon with no slipping or sliding. That's new. With my Ecopia tires there was always some slipping and sliding to get in and out of parking spots. Not anymore. They also seem to handle well on dry and wet surfaces as well. They strike me as the perfect all-around tire for the Pacific Northwest with its rainy winters, dry summers and snowy mountains.
     
    #14 PortlandHiker, Dec 23, 2020
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  15. ChuckDavis666

    ChuckDavis666 Junior Member

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    I recently put Michelin CrossClimate2 tires on my 2008 (Gen2) Touring. Knew I'd take a mileage hit, but hadn't been happy with treadwear and traction. Mileage dropped from 42-44 MPG to 38-39 MPG. But.............I just took a road trip, 55-65 MPH over 200 miles in essentially a straight line and the mileage jumped to 44-45 MPG. I usually get better mileage at freeway/highway speeds, but never this much of a jump. Especially since the CrossClimate2's are directional, I'm wondering if the turns of city driving scrub off mileage and straight-line travel gives it back.

    (Side note - My car should turn 100K miles in the next few weeks.)
     
    #15 ChuckDavis666, Oct 31, 2021
  16. Mdv55

    Mdv55 Active Member

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    Consistent speeds are what effects mpg to a large degree. Lot of energy to constantly accelerate something vs keep it rolling.
     
    #16 Mdv55, Oct 31, 2021
  17. ChuckDavis666

    ChuckDavis666 Junior Member

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    Yes, but my impression is that the new tires caused the MPG range to be wider.
     
    #17 ChuckDavis666, Oct 31, 2021
  18. Seanathon

    Seanathon Junior Member

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    I recent got the CrossClimate 2's from Costco. Experienced a 5-6 mpg hit. Might be new tires breaking in. These tires feel a lot more grounded than the previous set.
     
    #18 Seanathon, Dec 5, 2021
  19. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    #19 RRxing, Dec 5, 2021
  20. ilikethempgs

    ilikethempgs Junior Member

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    It's hard for me to isolate just the tires because the temperature has an impact too.
     
    #20 ilikethempgs, Dec 7, 2021
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