Best tires for the Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by gqscientist, Jun 12, 2007.

  1. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    2,802
    1,170
    0
    Location:
    Auburdale FL
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    I use Tirerack for a data point on pricing.

    Also will be hard to do MPG comparisons with the bigger tires.
     
    #241 ETP, Jul 18, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2016
  2. Handygeek

    Handygeek Member

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2013
    110
    17
    0
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Had a set of the Yokohama's installed on the front today.
    Felt good on the way home - more reports after more miles.
     
    ETP likes this.
  3. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    2,802
    1,170
    0
    Location:
    Auburdale FL
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Interested in your MPG. Also give us your PSI and driving habits.
     
  4. vvkilin

    vvkilin Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2016
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Matthews
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    What reason is install bigger wheels (190/65)? Clearance will be higher up to 0.65cm. And it will be heavier... Btw speedometer will lie and show lower speed. So, what tires is best for prius? I had experience with FALKEN ZEIX. 45MPG and 60K miles
     
    #244 vvkilin, Sep 19, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2016
  5. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    2,802
    1,170
    0
    Location:
    Auburdale FL
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    I would stick with the OEMs unless you have a serious need for bigger tires do to very bad weather. Even then most get snow tires and a set of rims. Go to tirerack.com and research your OEMs for your vehicle as you could do much worse than OEMs.

    Normally MPG takes a hit with non OEM tires. YMMV applies.
     
  6. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2009
    2,214
    903
    0
    Location:
    Torrance, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I just stick w/ Costco. Total tire installed price (tire, install fee which includes road hazard warranty) is near impossible to beat.

    If you aren't a Costco member, then shop around.
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,546
    8,444
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    The one thing I can't stand about club store tire is the wait.
     
  8. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2009
    2,214
    903
    0
    Location:
    Torrance, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Yup, me too.

    Costco is now doing tire appointments, BTW.

    Or you could just drop off, do your shopping, gorge at the food court, and just maybe, they will be done, after having spent $100+ in the store.
     
    #248 exstudent, Sep 19, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2016
  9. vvkilin

    vvkilin Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2016
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Matthews
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    You telling about unbeatable price in Costco, but nobody says how much and what is model. I don't have membership, but I can ask friends to do shopping together. Btw I found cheapest tires on ebay - it's Doral SDL - 160$ for set of 4 and free shipping. Next are Primewell, westlake and joyroad for $180-$200.



    Ф
    З
     
  10. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    7,894
    3,997
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Be aware, you get what you pay for. Not all tires are equal.
     
  11. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2009
    2,214
    903
    0
    Location:
    Torrance, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Costco is not for you since you are not a member. Sure you can get your friend who is a member to get it, but any service/warranty claim will require the member to be present. How likely will your friend make him/herself available to you for tire rotation, flat repai, road hazzard warran claim?

    You can goto Costo.com to see what brand/model and costs.

    You get what you pay for in life. Cheap tires=cheap performance (grip), increased braking distance (dry, wet, snow, ice), poor tread life.

    Watch this youtube video to get an idea.
     
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,546
    8,444
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    You don't have to be a member to shop at Costco, just get a Costco cash card. Charge it whenever you run low. Never need to pay for membership
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  13. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2009
    2,214
    903
    0
    Location:
    Torrance, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Prescription meds-don't need to be a member. Alcohol may also fall under this too.
    Everything else, membership is required.

    If you have been able to just present a cash/gift card, the cashier is not doing his/her job.
     
  14. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    651
    1,028
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Non members can order many items online that are not prescription, etc. You just have to pay a 6 percent (?) fee on the purchase price. Often times it still comes out much cheaper. Some items are member only, though.
     
  15. Sporin

    Sporin Prius Noob

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2010
    576
    293
    0
    Location:
    Vermont, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Sorry guys, didn't realize this was in the Gen 2 area. Feel free to disregard...

    2018 New Year's bump!

    I've put a different type of tire on my Prius each time, and my wife drives it most of the time and really doesn't pay attention to mpg details, so I'm no help with any real data collection. I prioritize durability (we drive a lot of dirt roads up here) over max-MPG. I like good tread depth and rain capability. We run dedicated snow tires from Thanksgiving to Easter.

    My last set where Michelin Defenders. I paid up for expensive tires and they lasted 3 "summers" just like the cheaper tires always did. They were excellent start to finish though and wore perfectly evenly with minimal rotations. Other tires I've owned in the past degraded noticeably through their lifespans.

    Unless there is a GOOD alternative at a cheaper price point, I'm inclined to go with the Michelin Energy Saver A/S this time.

    Seems like one of the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus's is a popular choice. I'm really confused on the various models and prices (country of origin, ratings, etc).

    Any new thoughts or recommendations? How are those Yokahama's holding up @Handygeek ?
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  16. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    2,802
    1,170
    0
    Location:
    Auburdale FL
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Best tires are the ones you want to buy. We all have different criteria for tires and different bad experiences.

    I am a non Mickey (Michelin ) fan for tires but some people it is a religious experience for them.:ROFLMAO::LOL:
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Witness Leader

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    57,104
    39,425
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    If you can determine how many miles "3 summers" is, say from the tire receipt, and if it's significantly less than Michelin's tread life warranty, I would present this to them, through a tire dealer. I can recall a set of Michelins (Harmonies, maybe) that got to the wear bars at 60K kms, when the warranty was 120K. Our tire place presented the info to Michelin, and we got the next set half-price.
     
  18. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    651
    1,028
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I still am a big fan of the General Altimax.....second winter and these things wear like iron and stick like glue.
     
    ETP likes this.
  19. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

    Joined:
    May 13, 2012
    2,170
    750
    0
    Location:
    Delaware
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    i can't yet comment on lifespan, but I do think the ecopias have unimpressive traction, compared to Michelins or yokohamas. I won't be buying them again. very squishy sidewalls, I guess to save weight. ecopias are a few pounds lighter than the Michelin LRR.
     
  20. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,251
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Most of my newer cars still have the original tires on them. Some will need changed because of age if I decide to really put them on the highway. I have a spare set of wheels for one of my cars built in 1999 and had to have them removed because they were so old but had many miles left in them.