Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

Thanks for all the answers, F8L.

I'll add a bit more to No. 2. You had noted the speedo "correction" from the Contis, and now you are saying it may alter the MPG difference. Do you believe the tire's size difference changes the odometer reading at all?

I'm asking because I thought the odometer simply was measuring miles by wheel turns (regardless of the RPMs of the tire). I also had thought the speedo used the same info and just adjusted it to make certain no one could be caught speeding with a speedometer reading a lower speed than actually being traveled.

I don't know of another way to measure MPGs than to rely upon the odometer (I am not going to employ a separate GPS unit just for that purpose). I'm assuming that if the odometer is based on wheel turns, but I don' t know whether it takes more power to turn the Primacy or the PureContact. If they were the same size and weight, the MPG readout would give a clear indication. If there is a real difference in distance traveled, the MPGs could look different but be closer (or look the same but be different), but there is no way to really figure it out exactly.

The only way I can see to figure it out in a useful fashion is to base fuel economy solely on odometer miles per gasoline actually purchased.

 

Update:
The dealer with the buy3 and get one more for $1 promotion didn't have the v-rated tire that I wanted.
Got the MXM4 (v-rated; 17") $649.66 OTD from America's Tires today. I had to get them to match the $70 instant Michelin rebate (see Costco; Sam's Club) and the online $145/tire shipped quote via Google shopping. Given the timing, it's the best I could do. Really bummed about missing out on America's Tires Labor day sale $100 rebate.

The plot thickens though...The techs working on my Prius indicated two "damaged" wheels (Toyota OEM 17"; they showed them to me on the balance machine and said they may cause damage to my tires long term??), so now I am wondering if I should get the dealership that sold me the car to repair it or get credit from them for me to purchase a new set of 17" wheels. Thoughts? Guess it doesn't hurt to ask, so I am going to see what I can get.

 

It doesn't, but remember you catch more flies with honey. Yes sir, no sir, thank you, please. Good luck with that one though. Maybe they will hook you up with some 17" "take-offs".

 

The best you could do? That's a great price! Where did you get the $145/tire shipped quote? The best I have right now is $723 OTD, but the dealership price is supposed to be $621 plus taxes (still more than your $649 OTD). Discount Tire (America's Tires on the west coast) says they'll match anything and get the tires on next week.

 

Thanks, F8L. It looks like this is the tire. I should get the deal done this weekend and have the tires on by next week.

I'm going to miss the MPGs (I filled up this morning on a 60.2 tank), but I can't imagine going through one more rain, much less a snowstorm, with these 60,000+ mile Toyos.

 

The MXM4 isn't available in my size (195/65/15), but this is the first time I've really spent any time researching tires. For 30+ years with VW diesels I've just gone to a store, told them I needed new tires and chose from what they had available. This time I'm trying to find the best tire for mileage and noise and I've spent a lot more time researching tires than I did actually buying the Prius.

I checked with Discount Tire about getting the Energy Saver A/S, and they said Michelin itself is out of stock but they could put a set together by pulling from existing stock from stores in several different states. However, I also seen a lot of negative reviews of the Energy Saver regarding noise and treadwear.

So, I'm just trying to figure out what the best (quiet, good mpg, good tread life) tire for my car is. Am I stuck using 195/65/15, or would a different tire fit (w/out having to get different rims)?

 

I thought F8L and others had purchase their MXM4 for $600 OTD (but I could have mistaken it??).
Well, this is not good. The two sites that had the tire at $133 +12 shipping raised their price to $155+12:
Discount Tires - Michelin, Goodyear, Cooper, Pirelli, Cheap Tires Michelin Tires PRIMACY MXM4 P215/45R17 87V TL GRN
Michelin Tires PRIMACY MXM4 P215/45R17 87V TL GRN

I called two nearby AT's, so your milage may vary. I like to hammer out the deal over the phone before I am willing to show up at the store. America's Tire (AT) manager did ask over the phone which website had the $135/tire price when he was trying to get me into the store, but I was not near a computer nor did I remember the two websites address above (I brought a hard copy printout of the site [prior to this price hike], but the AT manager didn't even asked to see the print-out.) I am selling the existing tires back to the dealer, so the OTD price does not have the Tire Disposal Fee ($10 or 2.5/tire). I basically had the AT manager to agree to $147/tire ($10 less than its listing price) on the phone, then I mentioned that Costco and Sam's Club has a Michelin $70 instant rebate untill mid-Oct for him to match. I also declined AT's Certificates for Repair, Refund or Replacement ($80 to 100ish) as I was comfortable with only the pro-rate warranty. I didn't want to haggle too much because I was close to my 15min patience limit and really didn't want him to repeat his sales pitches for the 3rd time (how great and fast AT is compared to others, etc)...I could have pushed to lower the install per tire price down from $16/tire to $15/tire using Sam's club's install price or Costco's Tire Pressure Monitor rebuilt kit that only cost $1 or so as oppose to $3ish per tire.

ps-try this search and you should see the Discounted Wheel Warehouse result with $133.49 per tire or $155ish price (that includes shipping and tax) on the right hand side, then just print that screen as oppose to clicking on the individual site, which is more expensive...
mxm4 michelin 17 - Google Search

 

IMO, I would get the Energy Saver A/S to try it out for yourself if there is a 30 day return/exchange policy. Given the reviews and what F8L and others have said, I would have loved to purchase it. Unfortunately, the Energy Saver A/S is not available in the 215/45/17 size.

 

I am now on my second set of the Michelin Energy Saver AS tires, 195x65x15. My last
set I had over 68,000 miles on them, I probably could have got another 5,000 miles but
I purchased a set of Bridgestone Ecopia EP 422 same size that were $100.00 off special. Did not like them, less mpg's, and not stable at high speed, would sway as if the wind was blowing.

During the 30 day money back guarantee I had Costco install, on Sept 13,2012, 195x65x15 Energy
Saver AS for only $48.00 more, total price including the price I paid for the Ecopia's was about
$418.00 out the door, no sales tax in Oregon.

Right away I noticed a 1-2 mpg difference, a little more quiet and stable tire, I keep all 4 tires
at 44 psi and rotate every 7,500 miles and I should get 70,000 miles out of this set.

I believe in this forum I am the only member that has gone through a set of Energy Saver tires
and why give up a good thing.....

 

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll have Discount Tire (aka America's Tire) try to find some for me. I just got off the phone with Michelin and the Energy Saver A/S and the Defender are both on back order for North America. Discount Tire said a few days ago they could find four tires from stores in the Carolinas. That's quite a few states away, so I guess the Energy Saver is pretty popular. When I talked w/Costco last week they called Michelin and just said the Energy Savers weren't available. Not sure if they checked stores across the country. Since F8L mentioned that Discount Tire will match Costco, I guess I'll go with them.

So, I'll put up with my worn 88-decibels-on-the-highway Yokos for another week or two until the Energy Savers can be found.

 

It is great timing to see these tires tested side-by-side. I was surprised to see the Bridgestone test so well against the Michelin Primacy, so I trotted off to see whether I could get a good price . . .

Unfortunately, just like the PureContact (with Eco), the Serenity Plus does not come in a 215/45R17 but in a 205/50R17. This really would be great, but for the fact both the Conti and Bridgestone tires are available only in XL loads. As you noted, the XL PureContact was just a bit too stiff.

That leaves me right where I started -- the Primacy MXM4s.

 

My first post hopefully useful. EU regulation on RR, grip and noise markings is going into force in November I noticed that tires are already marked, so if you do EU webpage (for example UK or Irish one for English) you will see ratings for all products. Obviously even same tyre could have different rankings depending on size, but maybe it will be helpful in finding new tyres. A class means that RR coefficient is less than 0.0065