So, I am at 30k, and the tires are ready to be changed. Recommendations? I am starting the research now, but I am completely clueless as to which tires are good, what is rolling resistance, how is that measured, etc... I'd like to keep my total cost less than $500 installed.... maybe even a little cheaper if possible without compromising mileage.
If I go the Costco route, the BF Goodrich Traction T/A's would cost me $344 out the door. Another tire I was looking at was the Michelin - X Radials. Those are a little more at $484. That's a pretty steep difference per tire. Does anyone have any thoughts on these tires, or perhaps another suggestion?
Good to know. Do you have any more details? MPG's, ride, road noise, etc... I would really appreciate it...
Not that I work for Goodrich or anything, but I found the costco tires fine, especially so for N. CA. They lasted more than 70k. http://priuschat.com/forums/care-ma...w-bfgoodrich-premium-touring-tire-costco.html
The Michelin X Radial is one of Consumer Reports' highest rated passenger all season tires. It's notably rated excellent for noise and low rolling resistance (the gas mileage issue you raised). I have the Goodyear TripleTreds which I'm very happy with (my Prius is the third car I've put TripleTreds on). But I'll probably try the Michelin X Radial when I next need new tires. Check out this Consumer Reports' ratings chart of passenger all season tires it tested: Consumer Reports Ratings Passenger All Season Tires.doc
I love my Michelin Energy MX1+. Great grip same fuel consumption as the old tyres and the traction control hardly ever kills my power now. I put them on 20,000km ago and they are holding out very well. Make sure you get the wheel alignment checked too, some tyre warranties require it.
Michelin does make some good tires. I had a set of their MXV4+ "Energy Saving" tires on my 2004 Prius for 55,000 miles and they performed well (significantly better than the original Goodyear Integrity tires). I replaced the Michelin's with Nokian WR tires 45,500 miles ago (they still have about 5,000 miles of tread left) and they were even better in all respects (about 4% improved MPG and great bad weather traction) except for a little road noise at high speed. I will put on a new set of Nokian WRg2 tires (should have reduced tire noise due to a less aggressive tread design) in about a month. Nokian (Finland) has proved to be a source of great (but not inexpensive; 4 installed WRg2 tires will set me back just over $500 at a local tire dealer) tires. JeffD
Folks, I'm brand-new to PriusChat, and I first want to thank all of you who posted info re: new tire suggestions on various threads. I found it very helpful. I just yesterday got 4 spanking new Nokian WR G2 185/65/R15 XL 92Hs on my 2008 Prius. I'm really looking forward to them giving me substantially improved traction in the winter snow & slush, and a great all-around ride. My oem's, the Integrities, were rather abysmal. While Import Tire in Glastonbury, CT (mentioned in one of the postings) offered me a great price ($110/ea for the "H"s; $510.00 out the door i.e., mounted, balanced, new stems, discard of old tires & tax included), I decided to go w/ a local dealer (near Boston) that offers free tire rotations, flat repair & balancing for the life of the tires. After many calls around, and prices ranging up to $777(! who are they kidding??? ) I got them for $586 out the door from Direct Tire. Haven't yet checked the tire pressure, but I imagine they put in only 35/33 psi., as that's what they noted as recommended pressure on the invoice. Sidewall lists max psi as 44. I'll probably bump them up to 42/40 tomorrow - unless y'all tell me differently. Re: Hs over Ts: I had various dealers give me all sorts of misinformation ; but, being a researcher, I went to the horse's mouth: The Nokian technicals, which you can download as a pdf file from their website, show NO difference between them in terms of size and weight. Better yet, I called Nokian (800-852-5222) & they reiterated that the Hs, being a bit more of a "performance" tire, will handle a bit better (especially at high speeds), and they have a somewhat stiffer/stronger sidewall than the Ts, but that the mpg, tire life, braking and noise should be equal for the two. Given my driving propensities, I thought paying $5/per tire extra for the better handling Hs was worth it. I'll let you know how the mileage, handling and noise goes, as they break in & as the winter weather sets in.
There are Michelin and Good Year rebates off and on again that save $40-70 per set. Costco carries Michelin and best Good Year prices ("Comfort Treads") I found at Sears. Just be sure the dealer puts pack your original valves with the pressure sensors. Sears wanted to replace mine and charge me for new valves.
Cooper CS4 Tourings are $350 installed at Pep Boys after a mail-in rebate. The price even includes lifetime prorated road hazard, flat repair, rotations, etc. They are pretty quiet and do not seem to have any negative impact on the fuel economy.
