I'll be buying new tires next week to replace the not-so-Integrity model. Notice that some owners have opted for sizes that are different than original equipment. Why? Any preference between Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus tires and the HydroEdge? Consumer Reports says the MXV4 is excellent for rolling resistance. Thanks for any advice. (I run Blizzak's in the winter on separate steel rims.) John
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lake Superior @ Nov 11 2006, 04:28 PM) [snapback]347546[/snapback]</div> I believe the OEM size 185/65R15 is the best choice for most Prius owners. Wider tires (205/60R15, 195/65R15, 195/60R15) are likely to increase weight, increase rolling resistance, increase dry traction, and decrease wet and snow traction. They might also lead to longer tread life and increased road noise. All these effects will be minor, as is the 5-10% change in the tire width. Taller tires (205/60R15, 195/65R15) will cause the car to speedometer and odometer to read 1-2% lower than with the OEM size. Some consider this an advatage as they've measured that the car reads these too high, especially as the OEM size tires wear. The ground clearance will increase slightly (less than 1/4 inch). The taller sidewalls may lead to a softer ride and less precise turn in. Shorter tires (195/60R15) will cause the speedometer and odometer to read even faster than with the OEM size. The ground clearance will decrease slightly. Shorter sidewalls may lead to a harder ride and more precise handling. The sizes above and on the sidewall are nominal, not precise measurements. The precise measurments will vary between tires. To see the precise difference in tire measurments (including diameter, rolling circumference or revolutions per mile, tread width, section width, and mass), refer to specs for your candidate tires at tirerack.com or the manufacturer's website. All of these changes are very small. You'll find bigger differences in mass, rolling resistance, traction, handling, treadlife, noise, and comfort between different tires in the same size than you will find between these sizes of the same tire. Many people will choose one of these alternate sizes because they want one of the excellent tires not available in our OEM size, such as Dunlop SP Sport 5000, Sumitomo HTR 200, Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S, and Goodyear TripleTred. I happened to choose a size 195/65HR15 ContiProContact tires because they weighed less than the 185/65HR15 size of that tire, I hoped they would offer lower rolling resistance (connected to mass) as well, I wanted greater dry traction, and I wanted tall sidewalls for protection from Boston potholes and ride comfort at very high inflation pressures. (I've driven the MXV4 Plus for 43,000 miles on another car and shared my view of it elsewhere on PriusChat.)
I have also chosen the 195/60/15 Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S. The MXV4 will give you a very smooth and quiet ride, but they are not tires meant to be pushed to the limits even in dry traction. Since you already have a separate set of winter wheels I'd go with the MXV4 for a quiet ride or Pilot Exalto A/S for superb handling. Check out this link for tire sizing comparisons: http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp According to that source 195/60/15 will read 1.03% too fast meaning that at 60mph you will actually be doing 60.6mph and rev 859.1rpm (compared to 850rpm...close).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(silentak1 @ Nov 13 2006, 01:53 AM) [snapback]348077[/snapback]</div> According to that web site, the revolutions per mile of a tire size of 185/60/15 is 876.1. This doesn’t match the 855 that we usually talk about with the OEM. So what’s up wit dat? :huh:
