anyone upgrade their tires ?

I'll be following this thread. I don't know that anything can be done about the road noise other than a serious attack on the sound insulation. But different tires? That's a good stab in the dark. I'm open.

 

I have no issue or complaints with the tires. After commuting on motorcycles for the past couple of years, and using a heavy-load work truck which rattles with every minor crack of the pavement, the Prius is pure heaven with its tires and all.

On a side note, I'd rather stick with the OEM tires which the manufacturer specified for this particular car and with all of its research with its efficiency and design - tires are a huge part of the design on the Prius, and I'm not going to doubt them on their choice.

 

Seems like a big expense with very minor upside, at best. Just use them.

 

Don't know about a consensus on this site, but IBMOAE (in both my opinion and experience)...go with Michelins. State of the art tire engineering, patented build processes, multi-compounding, the works. Yes, you pay a premium, but just one of the benefits is that they run quieter than most any stock tire they replace.

2016 Toyota Prius tires | Michelin
(don't freak on the prices as shown, their street prices run lower than those on the Michelin site)​

If price is secondary to performance:

• If you use summer-only tires (meaning, it doesn't get down to below 37F whenever you drive), then the Primacy HP is top-notch.
• If you want/need an all-season tire, then the Pilot Sport AS 3 Plus work great. These are recommended, I'm running these my Gen 4, my wife's Matrix, and had them on my previous car, it's optimal for here in the NW.

The Energy Saver series are more affordable, albeit limited (a bit less traction, a bit more noise).

Tire for tire, pretty much any of these will be quieter than the stock rubber, and grip better. That's why they get, and are worth, the premium...

 

What noise.... I do not hear any noise in my Prius Three.

<<< and look at those EARS!

(My earplugs fit great in those big long ears. I am now at peace. I can no longer hear my crazy noisy Toyo tires.)

 

I'm not saying Michelin is a bad tire. I bought very expensive Michelin tires for both my Camrys, and they handled well, and braked well, and did well in rain... but they were not any quieter than the stock factory tires they replaced.

I don't blame the tires, maybe only slightly. I am disappointed in Toyota for their inadequate sound insulation. And my Gen4 Prius is just as bad.

 

They aren't a panacea, true, but in addition to the other positives you mention they do run at least a little quieter (in my experience). Along these lines, I've done some noise-tracking in the gen 4. My conclusion is the dominant source of cabin road noise is coming from the rear doors and rear wheel wells/arches. Installation of a layer of decoupling foam and then topped with a layer of mass-loaded vinyl, will help this tremendously. Of course, adding this will also add weight, the mortal enemy of fuel mileage. I believe this sound-deadening was deliberately omitted from these areas by Toyota, so they could hit their overall weight target (and thus mileage target), so in turn they can use that 50+ mpg to boost their Corporate Average Fuel Economy number, which then means they can sell more high-margin high-profit fuel-$ucking Tundras and Highlanders before gov't penalties apply.

It's all about the money, you see. You want a quiet ride? Buy a Lexus, or do it yourself as described above - either way, you pay. Don't blame me, that's just how it's done these days.

 

I did it myself in the spare tire well. Added some nice sound-deadening material. But I'm not about to start yanking off door panels.... it's much easier to just gripe about it. (And wear earplugs on the freeway.)

I'm not concerned about MPG's. (Or even more weight.) Anything over 40, and I'm happy.

 

Spot on, you win the trophy today.

 

Tires are perfect. You will be hard pressed to find better and why would you bother until they are slam wore out???????? Tire Rack sells OEM/MIJs if you can't fine them anywhere else.

Rizzo the rat says they taste good too.

 

"On a side note, I'd rather stick with the OEM tires which the manufacturer specified for this particular car and with all of its research with its efficiency and design - tires are a huge part of the design on the Prius, and I'm not going to doubt them on their choice."

When I was shopping for a new Prius, first the Gen3 and eventually the Gen 4, I was curious as to why there were 5 different brands of tires installed on the Prius... and that was just the 15" tires.

On the Gen3, I saw a lot of Goodyear tires, and I think 2 other brands? And the 2016 Gen4 15" were Dunlop, Toyo, Bridgestone? Did Toyota just select the lowest bidders? (My Camry OEM tires never lasted more than 25,000 miles.)

Here's a link to one man's opinion about OEM tires:
Earl Stewart On Cars: Why New Car Tires Wear Out So Fast

 

I had a Gen 2 Prius (I pick up my Gen 4 tomorrow). The OEM tires were HORRIBLE. Very low traction. Terrible handling.

I replaced them with Michelin X Radials (replaced by the Defender) and loved the new tires. On another vehicle, I ran Defenders for 50K miles and loved those.

I intend to try to live with the OEM tires until they wear out. But, if they are slippery, I'm going with Michelin Defenders.

 

They are alI MIJ

 

Mine lasted until I traded for two cars 62k

 

Have no experience with that brand

 

I have the same "Nanoenergy" tires. It's not a bad tire. Seem to handle ok, but I have not driven in the rain yet.

I think the wear rating is (only) 280 or so? I too, will drive with the OEM tires until they are pretty worn. I have no idea what to buy when I need new tires... the recommendations are all over the map.

One good thing about the 15" tires, is they are usually much less expensive than the 17's I had in the past. And I'm all about conserving money in retirement.

 

Here, here. Another reason to shy away from the touring version. It is odd though. There is more "tire" in the 15" version, no?

 

Good question, Miss Michelle. I'm not sure.

Somebody posted some test results, skid-pad results, and if I recall correctly the 15" tires actually performed a bit better. They are fine for my conservative driving needs... (and the occasional 94mph jaunt.)