This will be the first time that I have to change the tires on my Prius. I want to replace all four tires with tires that have an 80,000 mile warranty. I have been told by my dealer that a Prius only gets about 30,000 miles, so buying a tire with that kind of warranty would be a waste of money. He then told me the reason is because Prius tires wear from the inside out. Is this nonsense true?
I replaced my OEM tires with Michelin Hydroedge tires. They are rated for 90,000 miles. I think that you could wear out two or three set of GOOD tires before your Prius quits
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Nov 5 2007, 07:07 PM) [snapback]535159[/snapback]</div> Did your OEM tires wear out after 30,000 miles or did they go longer? I find it hard to believe that regardless of the tire that I purchase it will wear out at 30,000 miles.
The OEM tires are not rated for long life. They are the most basic tire that could be thrown on there. Seriously, when you buy a car, the tires are not going to be the best part of it.
The OEM tires are LLR (low rolling resistance), which typically have stiff sidewalls. If you have followed the factory setting of 33/35 psi, you will see the tires wear out more on the edges (not the center). That is why some here increased the psi to 40+ not just to increase MPG, but also to balance the wearing. I didn't increase the PSI, as a result, my tires were just replaced at 23K!!!! Now, I have 205/60R15 (2cm wider, nearly same diameter). I am definitely seeing about 1-2mpg drop from the OEM tires. Just a headup to those who are thinking about sizing up their tires. I have no regret, thought. The Prius handles much better with wider tires at turns.
Hi Phil, I never heard of such nonsense like your dealer's claim that tires mounted on a Prius wear out from the inside, and that because of that, any tire on the Prius will wear out by 30,000 miles. There are a ton of threads here about tires --- which ones to get, what size, effect on fuel consumption, effect on handling, optimal tire pressures, etc. I think the best thread to start with is the one started by NYPrius, called "Tire Upgrade, Lessons Learned", and which I've linked for you here: http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=2...hl=tire+upgrade To summarize or highlight what seems to be the prevailing wisdom of these threads: 1. The OEM Goodyear Integrities are, at best, a mediocre passenger all season tire (a lot of PriusChatters simply say they suck). 2. For the Integrities and other tires you may put on your car, if you inflate the tires to 42 psi in the front, and 40 psi in the rear, you will get better performance, longer wear, and higher MPG. 3. For replacement and upgrade of the OEM Integrities, people seem to vote most frequently for the following three passenger all season tires (listed in order of highest to lowest price): a. Michelin HydroEdge - this comes in the OEM size of 185/65/15 as well as the popular wider size of 195/60/15. HEs are warranted for 90,000 miles. b. Goodyear Assurance TripleTred - this does not come in the OEM 185/65/15 size; but does come in the popular wider size of 195/60/15. TTs are warranted for 80,000 miles. c. Goodyear Assurance ComforTred - this comes in the OEM size of 185/65/15 as well as the popular wider size of 195/60/15. CTs are warranted for 80,000 miles. 4. All three of the above tires should outperform the OEM Integrities in dry, wet, snow and ice handling and braking. However, you may experience a MPG hit of 1-3 MPG. And if you go with a different size tire from the OEMs, then the speedometer, odometer and MPG readings (this does not necessarily mean actually) will be slightly higher or lower because of the different Revolutions Per Mile (RPMs) of the different sized tires. Hope this helps. For more info, read the different tire threads, especially the Tire Upgrade, Lessons Learned thread. Good luck.
Excellent information from that thread! Thank you Boo, and everybody who responded. That was exactly what I was looking for. Just out of curiosity sake, does anyone know why the car only gets 30,000 miles? Would a manufacturer honor their 80,000 mile warranty and compensate me for a new tire after the 30,000 miles?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PhilsPrius @ Nov 6 2007, 09:02 AM) [snapback]535441[/snapback]</div> Phil, I went 45,000 miles on my GY Integrity tires (Marginally LRR - my kid's Prius went over 60,000 miles on their original GY tires) and 55,000 miles (could have gone 60,000, but winter is coming) on my Michelin MXV4+ (LRR, slightly improved MPG - no longer available in our size). I just installed Nokian WR tires (LRR and great in ice/snow) and so far they perform well in handling and dry traction, but it's too soon to have personal data on MPG or snow/ice. Both the MXV4+ and Nokian WR tires are 185/65HR15 and all my tires were (are) inflated to 42/40 psi. JeffD
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PhilsPrius @ Nov 6 2007, 09:02 AM) [snapback]535441[/snapback]</div> Hi Phil -- I don't really understand your question. Can you rephrase it? What's this 30,000 miles business you keep mentioning?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PhilsPrius @ Nov 6 2007, 10:02 AM) [snapback]535441[/snapback]</div> I'm assuming you mean why the car's tires only get 30,000. Others have answered that pretty thoroughly insofar as the OEM tires are concerned. As for warranty replacement, tread life warranties are prorated. If it's an 80,000 mile warranty and you get only 60,000, you got 3/4 of the warranted tread life so you pay 3/4 of the price of a new tire. What many don't realize is that the prorated amount is usually based on the MSRP of the new tire, so it may not be worthwhile to pursue a warranty claim; you might find a tire dealer selling it outright at a discount for less. Tread life warranty claims also assume even wear across the tire. Most premature wear is uneven, usually caused by underinflation or mechanical problems (such as misalignment). Tread life warranties will not cover such wear.
My Integrities only got 24000... and I replaced them with the Hydroedge Michelin tires as well. Even the guy that ran the tire department at Costco had an '06 Prius and he had just replaced his Integrities with the Hydroedge's as well. So far I really like the tires, and very little hit on gas mileage so far, which I understand will go away as the new tires get broken in....
we got 28k out of the integrities, but the last few thousand miles they were downright scary. the tires were kept at 42/40 checked about every other week and never has a car's alignment been more meticulously checked and maintained. we're running michelin energy mxv4+ and they're pretty good tires. have just over 10k on them now and they're wearing very well.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Nov 7 2007, 11:21 AM) [snapback]536134[/snapback]</div> My dealer told me to get the Michelin tires as they wear long than Goodyear tires. He has no ax to grind as he sell both brands. So, I'll get the Michelin's. FishHawk
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PhilsPrius @ Nov 5 2007, 06:58 PM) [snapback]535152[/snapback]</div> I put Hydroedge tires on my 2003, gas mileage went down about 10% for a few thousand miles then slowly came back up to normal. I love the tires, they are great in the rain, cut right through standing water. I went through a lot of calculations trying to figure out if the good mileage with the 30K tires offset the cost of replacing them almost 3 times for every 1 change of the Hydroedge, ended up making more $ sense buying the Hydroedge and I've never regretted it. Just bought a 2005 and it already had them on it, I was very happy to see that.
