Non-low-rolling-resistance tires and/or low-profile tires detrimental to the fuel economy

No thank you! Safety is always more important than fuel economy, and the Toyo Nanoenergy is probably the worst tire I've ever experienced in the wet once they go past 7/32. Never again. Defender or bust!

 

Hard to win this argument.
You'll be surprised how many would sacrifice safety and comfort for that 0.35 MPG extra.

Exaggeration a bit you know what I mean..

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Meh,

And then there are tires that aren’t LRR and have terrible traction (worse than energy savers) but last 90,000 miles

and a LOT of people will buy a 90,000 mile tread wear warrantied tread regardless of how terrible they are by other metrics just to avoid the hassle of replacing tires more often.

I guess there is that thing called freedom of choice and oddly enough, regardless of what black rubber donut you ride on you probably won’t hit anything or loose control.

Funny part is the Michelin’s I’ve owned have been total garbage, I’m probably only gonna see 30,000 miles out of this set (one cracked in the middle at 15k)
OEM Goodyear’s got me 60k+

Going back to Goodyear’s and after that maybe some ecopias

 

I had two set of Michelin Defenders on my 2008 Prius 1st set lasted 72,000 miles, 2nd set was still on vehicle when we sold it a 150,000 miles. One of the best tires I ever owned.

My 1st set had to be replaced due to cracking around the rim bead at 75,000 miles and 5 years. I attribute this to me running the tires at 42 psi for high mpg. I think this high pressure in the tires also caused my wheel bearing to fail as well as having to replace my struts and shocks early. Looking back ,the uncomfortable stiff ride and failed front suspension components were certainly not worth the slightly higher mpg.

I realize others experience with this tire could certainly be different.

 

That’s my take too. Maybe stick to 2~3 psi over, max.

 

Personally, I would not put low-profile larger tires on my PP, but the entire industry is going in that direction presumably due to consumer demands. For PP, there is no larger wheel on the higher trim, but for regular Prius, Toyota put 17in OEM wheels on higher trims instead of 15in found on lower trims. Yeah, maybe larger wheels with low profile tires may offer better handling. But on Prius does it really make that much difference?

 

The Nokian WRg4 "All Weather" tire is safe, strong (get the "H" rated), and LRR (not the "run flat").

JeffD

 

I haven’t been paying that much attention of late, but it used to be higher levels were available with both 17” and 15” wheels. To complicate things, the 17” levels often had a steering/suspension upgrade.

I’m thinking long and hard about going to 15” all-seasons on our 2010 Touring (CDN level), have some sweet rims ready to go. Best of both worlds: suspension/steering upgrade plus more fuel efficient and cushier tires.

Mostly holding back to see what Toyota does next Fall, if they come out with a 5th gen that’s not a monstrosity I may rethink it.

 

I just checked the US Toyota site. Yes, both Prius XLE and Limited trims have 15" tires "available" as part of an option package while the special 2020 Edition has no such option listed. I really wonder how many Prius XLE and Limited trims are sold with 15" tires as an option? I think that would be a very small number.

 

I was basically the only driver of the2008 Prius and bought it new. Always drove cautiously as I am by nature a slow cautious driver. While the roads aren't perfect and neither am I the roads I drove were in good shape.

I replaced the wheel bearing myself and then took the time to remove the old bearing from the hub, clean it and then cut it apart with a Dremel tool to diagnosed the failure. I am a mechanic by trade who eventual moved into Engineering. I felt content with my diagnosis of the wheel bearing cause of failure after looking at the cut apart bearing but as I admitted earlier I am not perfect just passing along my experience.

Also replace the struts and shocks myself on the vehicle. The difference in the ride between the 42 psi I was running and the recommended 35 psi is remarkable. I actually feel a little foolish admitting I ran the tires at 42 psi but you live and learn.- wouldn't ever make that mistake again. No wonder the rest of the family wasn't interested in driving Dad's Prius.

 

I have to disagree with this.

Regarding tire size, I agree that smaller rims are better. Unless you're really interested in making your car look nicer, 15" will be more fuel efficient and tires are less expensive to replace. Also, ride will be less harsh. Most likely a Prius isn't driven hard enough to make use of the handling advantages of a larger rim.

Regarding more rolling resistance tires, I wouldn't make any black or white statements. Depends on how much you drive, where you drive, how you drive and how much you value safety. No right or wrong answers there. Key thing is to consider everything when deciding... Not just MPG.

 

Funny, in Canada there’s no 17” tires, on any level anymore. Maybe as option, I didn’t deep-dive.

 

Higher pressures can’t help. You are transmitting more shock. Likely many factors contribute to suspension/bearing failure, but why discount it?

 

I think most Prius Primes are now getting installed with Ecopias, but mine was an earlier model with Nanoenergy. They are seriously the worse tires I have ever driven. Thankfully I no longer have a Prius Prime (just got a Model 3 LR AWD), and those tire widths are a revelation. Why would anyone trade 5% efficiency gains for IMO 20% loss in grip? Makes no sense to me.

However, I totally agree that going with the largest sidewall that a manufacturer has to offer is a good call. I just don't believe LRR tires are worth the tradeoff in grip.

 

What does that mean? Typo?