Best tires for the Prius?

Just got Firestone FR710s on my 2005 Prius, and so far, so good on the commute thru winding roads and wet pavement (drought just broke). I love the superb tires with all the awesome attributes, but price is also a major issue and I got the FR710s installed (with lifetime rotation/balance and road hazard replacement, etc.) for $307, and they have a 65K limited warranty. Noticed they're quieter than the OEM Integrity tires.

 

we rotated our michelin energy mxv4+'s yesterday and they're wearing really well at 10k miles.

i have experienced the TC kick-in on 3 occasions since we got these, far less frequently than with the OEM junk.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL_Prius_Driver @ Aug 11 2007, 10:13 PM) [snapback]494163[/snapback]</div>

I wanted to echo what theorist responded to this post.

Treadwear rating is NOT I repeat NOT an indicator of a "cheaper" tire. It is an indicator of how long the tire will last, but what goes into designing and producing a tire is far more complicated than that. Treadwear is not the most important component of a tire, for certain applications its not the most important component by FAR.

See, tires are all about tradeoffs. Higher treadwear means harder rubber which generally means more noise, less handling ability, and a harder ride.

I would never put a tire on my Lexus for instance over 450 treadwear.

 

Gotta say that I have been very happy with the Nokian WR's that I had put on my '06 one week after buying it. LRR and Severe weather rated all season tire. Some people find them noisy, but I have no complaints.

 

OK< its been a couple of weeks now for me on the Michelin Hydroedge from Costco.... I really like them. They are LRR and a much quieter ride than the OEM Integrities. I dont know what their tread wear rating is, but they have a 90,000 mile warranty. And at Costco, I got em filled with nitrogen at 38-35, but I'm gonna pump 'em up to 42-40 next trip by the store.

 

We replaced the original tires with the Michelin Harmony. Ours is a Classic Prius and it made a world of difference in ride quality, quiet, and handling. Not sure if it is as decent as the MXV 4+ that we have on our Volvo, but my wife, who drives the Prius, was smiling after the switch.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(maggieddd @ Aug 8 2007, 08:14 PM) [snapback]492726[/snapback]</div>

No experience with these in particular. However, I have tried several tires on my camry '00 and Mazda MPV'04, and now the Prius '02 and by far the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S have been the best.

Not cheap but the highest ranked for more than a year now, plus their road tests also show among the best of all tires in their class, last time I looked at Tirerack.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresult...tireSearch=true

Once my current tires expire, I'll get these. At $92 a piece in 195/65HR15 size they are not the cheapest but worth it IMO. My current tires are some sort ot Potenza, I think and they trully are dangerous - the car slides so easy on wet roads that it is scary. Turns that never bother me in my other cars are almost unmanageable at my usual speed with the Prius... Perhaps I'm spoiled by the handling of 225/55/17 inch tires on my Camry with aftermarket struts, which while not great is so much better than this '02 Prius does. even the Mazda MPV van with BF Goodrich Traction TA feels and actually performs a lot more safely (with another *very* nice set of tires, but not quite as good as the Michelins)...

I've had the Continental Conti Extreme Contact tires on the Camry prior to the Michelins and the Michelins handle substantially better with not much more noise. The contis were not bad but were more of a comfort tire than a "high performance A/S" tire - too soft and with manufacturing problems. The Michelins stop better, track much better, corner a lot better and are 1 cm narrower at the side (in the same thread size!) so they no longer rub and I was able to remove my 5mm spacers in the back. They also balance much easier and do not have "memory" as much as the Conti tires had - the Conti were getting "flat spots" after even short periods on the parking lot and would shake at speed regardless of how well they were balanced.

Prior to the Continental tires I had Yokohamas, again high performance A/S variety. They wore out fast, became noisy, and did not handle nearly as well as the Conti or the Michelins or the BF Goodrich.

Prior to the Yokos, I had Potenzas on the Camry - again a very bad (stock) tire. Wore out fast, poor handling, especially on wet roads.

On the Mazda I had some Goodyears and they, like the Potenzas, were horrendous on wet roads.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresult...tireSearch=true

Check the above link for the Michelin's results. And let us know if you get them

 

Just bought 195/60 R15 Hydroedge tires from Costco. Love them, handling is absolutely great, mpg has not taken a hit yet after 300 miles.

 

my stock goodyear integrities..........lasted about 21,000 miles........ they weren't exactly bald.....but the toyota dealership would not rotate them for their condition. i went to costco with the intention of buying the michelin hydro-edges; however, they were out of stock- so i got the x-radials instead. i did have concern about going from 185/65 to 195/65. after driving on them, i noticed that the car seemed more sensitive in handling, but maybe thats a good thing. so far so good. i have always had michelin tires & have loved them. i was really surprised at the life of the stock tires. with my prius i have had no problems whatsoever. the tires have been the 1st issue. i do look 4ward to having my new tires last much longer than those goodyears!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SW03ES @ Oct 25 2007, 08:14 AM) [snapback]530282[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for correcting the misconception that is being put forward in some posts.

I also did a lot of research, and also chose the Conti...

 

This size tyre will have a larger circumference so it will impact on acceleration slightly. For a very nearly exact size replacement for 185 65 - 15 use 195 60 - 15.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html <My favorite tyre calculator.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(syncmaster @ Jun 12 2007, 09:03 PM) [snapback]460520[/snapback]</div>

Wow ! Based on that report, I would be an idiot to leave the integrities on this car. We don't usually get too much snow in Northern VA, but we do get some.



I wonder how I can convince my wife that I need to spend another few hundred dollars on a brand new car. :blink:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fwellers @ Nov 2 2007, 07:01 AM) [snapback]533781[/snapback]</div>

I changed my Integrities out at 750mi in the middle of last winter because of bad handling on the hy-ways, which ended up being the rear axle out of alignment. I regret now that I changed them out so soon based mostly on reading threads like this. I did get to drive in some snow and the Integrities did a good job for an all season tire, even up my steep driveway. The hype of how bad these tires perform is way over done to the point of being funny. I would leave them on the car and when the tread gets to 50% wear, change them out for a tire that other posters have had good luck with. You are the driver; if you fail to adjust your driving pace to weather conditions and expect dry weather grip all of the time, then you will be more likely to crash.
Sorry to step on the worry rants of others.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clearview22 @ Nov 2 2007, 07:53 AM) [snapback]533790[/snapback]</div>

I was hoping to hear something like this.

Can't be any worse than when I grew up in Long Island, with rear wheel drive only, no traction control of any kind, crappy tires etc... I survived then without too much hassle. For the last 15 years or so, I've had nothing but subaru and other AWD cars, so I am a little wary, but thanks for the post. I'll just see what these integrities do this winter.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gqscientist @ Jun 12 2007, 04:10 PM) [snapback]460364[/snapback]</div>

I put the primacys 195/60 on 6,000 miles ago. Lost 3-4 mpg, but the car handles much better.
It used to wander on the highway, but now is straight and solid at 80 85.

Very happy with them.
Bob

 

With studded snow tires on my 2004 Prius, I dropped about 10 mpg. Is the dropoff less drastic with studless snow tires?

 

And I still would recommend them. I actually get about 5% better mileage with these tires than the OEM's. I believe that they are quieter, and are rated to last longer then the OEM's. they are even rated to handle higher PSI than other tires.

 

I bought Michelin Destiny in a 205/55-16. Much quiter and better ride than the Bridgestone OEM. No noticeable difference in gas mileage.
Handling seems to be improved as well.

 

Just a WAG, but in my experience, studless tires are very sticky on regular pavement, more so than studs, so I would GUESS that you would actually get worse mileage on the studless....You know how studded tires tend to skid on dry pavement during braking -- why you'd lose a few mpg right there with the studless

By the way, the Goodyear Integrity aren't great, but if they have a fairly decent tread left, they seem to do OK. They've been chewing up the snow around my place pretty well lately, even on steep dirt, unplowed roads.

 

MXV4+ after 5k miles

I bought the Michilen MXv4+ Primacy at Costsco ($104 ea out the door after rebate) a few weeks ago. After 5k miles here's my thoughts:

I agree 100% with RASTRO- rumble or hum is very loud on slightly rough, irregular surfaces.
MPG hit- initially 3-4 mpg
-after 5k miles I now see no drop in mpg
(I'm not sure of this, the weather has been fluctuating wildly, 32-60 F, dry, rain, monsoon, etc.)
NOTE: How does rain effect the mileage needed for tire break in ?
More stable at 75-80mph and much quieter on smooth roads (I measure about 10-15dB quieter!).

RIDE IS WORSE the CT or Integrities at 38-36psi. I had to lower psi to 35-33 psi to keep the NEW rattles in my dash down. Plus I already have sound proofing(Dynamat) in my doors and some of the dash. This is true, even at 80mph.

I've owned 3 sets of MXV4 ENERGY in the past on heavier cars (lincoln Mk8 and currently on our Jag XJ8) and they ride great and are dead quiet ALL the time. I know for fact Michelin has changed the construction of these in the past. The speed rating may have an effect also.
NO, I will not buy these again. I would try the Hydroedge next time.
Prior tires on my Pri have been Integrities, Bridgestone G009 (similar ride to MXV4+) and the current MXV4+.