Michelin Defender vs ?

What pressure are running them at?

 

That is a pretty big sustained loss but comparable to what The Critic experienced when he went from OE Yokohama AVID S33D tires to the Michelin MXV4. Unfortunately, you often have to give up performance in one category to gain in another. All too often LRR comes at the expense of traction.

See my list for tire options and information on how to best choose a tire.
Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List | PriusChat

Spider Chart for common LRR tires
Tire Test Results : When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

More information on Spider Charts.
Tire Tech Information - Original Equipment (OE) Tires

 

- Michelin Energy A/S
- Bridgestone Ecopia EP422

Either of these should give as good or better MPG, compared to the OEM.

 

A possible another way to view the issue .....

With everyone focused on mpg hits, etc, (certainly important!) what may be over looked is the extended range the Defender tires are warranted to go; ie 90,000. If the AS is warranted @ 60,000 miles, I would bet a quick calculation would make the Defender an equal or better finalcial investment. Going nearly 1/3 farther without buying tires @ ~$400 a set replacement, will buy a considerable amount of fuel. That along with better tire manners than may include safer avoidance maneauvers, may become the 800 lb gorilla in da room .... :>))

The more miles you drive per year along with probably higher travel speeds may be the real positive for the suggested better mannered Defender.

Retired and just poking around town most of the time probably would not be a factor in the above discussion.

Regards,
Radman

 

Sounds reasonable I know, but it just doesn't stand up when you do the maths. Not at the level of MPG loss that the OP is reporting anyway.

OP is reporting 41MPG versus 46/47 MPG. Lets compare 41 versus 46 over 90000 miles. That's 9000*(1/41 - 1/46)*4.3 = $1026 (at $4.30/gal gas).

 

This is always something we should consider. I've done the analysis and broke it down in two ways. One is based on "lifetime" of the car which assumes you keep the car for 150,000 miles and the other is on a cost/mile basis. In each case the Energy Saver A/S still comes out on top unless gas prices drop considerably. The Defender was a wildcard at the time because we didn't know much about its efficiency. Now that we know it is worse than OE by at least 2mpg, the outcome still favors the Energy Saver A/S unless one is looking for performance in a specific category like ice traction in which the Energy Saver A/S does poorly compared to the Defender. Interestingly enough., the ProContact with EcoPlus does well in every category.

Total lifetime cost for fuel and tires over 150,000 miles | PriusChat

jjim, the Defender is a good tire although for snow I think the ProContact with EcoPlus may be a better choice (based on Consumer Reports summary) even though it gets worse fuel economy than the OE tire. It lasts longer than the OE tire as well.

 

Your logic does add up BUT the Energy Saver A/S was rated "Fair" for ice traction by Consumer Reports and rated "Good" for snow traction. The ProContact with EcoPlus actually got a "Very Good" snow rating and "Good" ice rating. The problem is there is likely a 4mpg difference between the ProContact and the Energy Saver A/S. The Defender was rated "Good" for both snow and ice.Tread depth is especially important in severe conditions so don't expect a tire with 3/32nds tread depth to be good at anything but dry traction and fuel efficiency. Always start the winter with a minimum of 5/32nds or more if you have rain and snow/ice. I think The Critic would argue you should have 6/32nds or more. lol

So depending on how much ice and snow you have to deal with I would say the Energy Saver A/S is the most economical choice and decently safe unless you live in a world filled with tons of ice. In which case none of these tires are the best choice! Stick with winter/snow tires in that case.

 

Yep, it sounds good, provided that you can find the Energy A/S in stock in your size. A while back people were reporting having trouble finding this tire in the US. The Ecopia EP422 is also a very good choice.

 

What sort of "weather" do you have jjim. Snow and ice, or just rain?

 

Better than the AVID S33D yes.

Tire Rack surveys agree.

Yokohama AVID S33D

Michelin Energy Saver A/S

 

I bought Defenders for my 2015 Prius. Initially, my mpg went down. I, too, drive 30,000 miles a year and wasn't thrilled to have my mpg drop below 50 mpg. It also didn't take long for it to go back up to 50 mpg, and I even got up to 54 mpg.
When I get my car serviced at Toyota, they are sure to set the psi each time. Also, at Costco when my tires are rotated.
Now, that set already is almost at the end of it's 80,000 miles and I am ready to shop for my next set. After ready on different forums, nothing has convinced me to buy anything different than Michelin X-tour or Defenders. Except the price at Costco. Enjoy, my friends!

 

I can almost exactly echo the OP. I had Hankook tires (I'll have to check the model) and switched to Michelin Defenders and my mileage dropped like a step function. I had been getting 48.5 to 52 MPG depending on how lead footed I am and if I use the AC. Now I struggle to beat 45MPG. I bought mine at Costco and was told that a change in mileage is not a valid reason for a return. (they really should never say that to a Prius driver, we are generally a mellow bunch, but that? No.) Costco tire rep said that if the tires fell apart or would not hold air that would be returnable.

I had been buying tires at Just Tires, but was put off by some treatment I got and thought I would try Costco again.
I also am in So-Cal, so performance in rain and snow is usually not much of an issue.

In defense of the Defender... The ride is noticeably quieter and smoother than the Hankooks and that is a worth while consideration.
I also noticed that Costco set the pressure at 35PSI fore and 32PSI aft.
I typically ran the Hankooky tires at 35-36PSI all around. I am thinking of boosting the pressure to 36 all around to see if it makes a difference.

I have had several tanks of gas (weeks) to check the mileage and the issue is consistent. I run about 1400 miles/month.

Pinback - now riding smooth and quiet, but annoyed.

 

I checked, and for the record my old tires were Hankook Optimo H724 with a size of P185/65 R15. The car came to me with non stock rims.
The Michelin Defenders do have the nicer ride but the mileage may drive me nuts before I wear them out.
Pinback