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Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by F8L, Apr 17, 2011.

  1. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Did you miss these in the first post?


    225/40/18 (best size for 2010 Prius)

    Continental ContiTouringContact CW95
    UTQG=360 A A, 51psi, 23lbs, 10/32, 827, $195

    Continental ExtremeContact DWS (non-LRR tire but a great tire)
    UTQG=540A A, 51psi, 21lbs, 10/32, 825, $142

    18" Studless Ice & Snow
    Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 w/GreenX
    UTQG=None, 50psi,10.5/32, 21lbs, 829, $218

    Michelin X-Ice Xi2 w/GreenX
    UTQG=None, 50psi,10.5/32, 23lbs, 829, $177

    Nokian WR A3

    235/40/18
    Michelin Primacy MXM4 (All-Season)
    UTQG=500 A A, 51psi, 9/32, 22lbs, 819, $155

    Pireli P6 Four Seasons (All-Season)
    UTQG=400 A A, 50psi, 11/32, 23lbs, 818, $162
     
  2. skibum

    skibum Junior Member

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    I just installed the Nokians eTYRE 195/65/R15's on my 2010 and will report the mileage after 2 to 3 tanks of gas which will be under 3 weeks. Gerry
     
  3. skibum

    skibum Junior Member

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    A very quick update on the Nokians :) .

    A quick update here and I mean quick.

    The original tires were Yokohama Avid S33's which I ran at 40 psi front and back getting between 50 and 53 mpg (typical) according to the computer (a quick check shows it to be about right will do a 10 tank average when I get the time). My high was 58 low was 45 ish (-20C and lots of hills).

    The new tires over 200 miles / above 0C / typical driving half city / highway got only 47 mpg according to the computer. I checked the tire pressure the next morning (mechanical gage) air temp 2 to 5 C showed the pressure to be 32 psi .

    I filled the tank, and pumped the tires to 45 psi and have driven just over a hundred miles the computer mpg is now at 56 mpg, air temp has been above 0C the entire time, again a 50% split on the type of driving. Unfortunately we are going into the deep freeze here for the next 4 days so I expect the mileage to nose dive.

    Gerry
     
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  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Just a quick update for a great new option for LRR 17s!

    Bridgestone has released their Ecopia EP422 in a 215/45/17 and 205/50/17 size. This is an excellent tire and may provide less rolling resistance than the Michelin Primacy MXM4. That is purely speculation but I bet they are near the top or the LRR list and the price and tread wear look great.

    Specs:
    Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 (All-Season)
    UTQG=480, A A, 51PSI, 10/32, 21lbs, 845, $162
     
  6. HiHoStevo

    HiHoStevo Airport Bum

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  7. HiHoStevo

    HiHoStevo Airport Bum

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    Sorry tried to delete my first attempt to quote this post... but was unsuccessful.

    Do you happen to have any information on when in 2012 these tires will be available, and what stores will be selling them?

    My 2010 has 44k and I will need to do something in the next few months.

    I have a neighbor who had problems with the occasional snow we get in our Utah neighborhood and installed Goodyear Hydro-Edge tires on his Prius which he claims solved the problem. They must be newer than the Hydro-Edge that I have on my Toyota Van (probably 1st generation Hydro-Edge)... because those tires while I am sure they will last the claimed 90k miles are unbelievably noisy.

    We drive our Prius back and forth from Northern Utah to Las Vegas at least twice a month and so need tires that can be functional in both environments... not an easy task I am sure.

    Thank you
     
  8. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I contacted Yokohama and they have no ETA for this tire for the North American market BUT he said that it is expectd to debut in approx. 1 month. I don't see how they can expect to debut the tire so soon yet not have an ETA but what do I know. :)

    It's up to you to decide if you want to wait for this tire or use a proven tire like the ProContact with EcoPlus. I'm sure the Continental tire is going to be a better deal due to its low price and 80,000 mile warranty. They Blue Earth 1 may get better mpg, however.

    I can't wait for them to come out. If they are responably priced I may buy them to replace my dB Super E-Spec tires. I will not, however, pay $30-$40 more per tire than the ProContact or EP100. :)
     
  9. HiHoStevo

    HiHoStevo Airport Bum

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    Thank you very much for your quick response...

    If you do hear anything, please post it... I will have to make a decision in the next couple of months.
     
  10. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Will do. :)
     
  11. doabbs

    doabbs Junior Member

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    Just hit 40k with the OEM tires on my 2010 III and they need to be replaced. Looking for a recommendation to replace them with. Live in New England and the stock tires were pretty darn good in the snow. I've tried reading through most of this thread and am not really sure what to replace the factory tires with. Thanks.
     
  12. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    MPG be dammed, go with the Primacy MXV4. Of course, be prepared to lose up to 10%.

    MB860 ?
     
  13. HiHoStevo

    HiHoStevo Airport Bum

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    Out of curiosity are you guys ordering from Tire Rack... which has great prices on these Continental tires? If so, who are you having do the mounting and balancing for you? (and how much are you paying for this service)

    The prices at Discount Tire (not sold at Costco) are quite a bit higher, but then that does include mounting, balancing, disposal, and road hazard insurance.
     
  14. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    For areas with a long cold winter season you may consider the Nokian WR or WRG2. They are basically winter tires that can handle summer. All-Season tires are summer tires that can sometimes handle winter. The Nokians have a decently low rolling resistance rating and offer excellent traction.

    If you are not looking for a winter tire then go back and re-read the first post in this thread. :)
     
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    My Primacy MXM4s came from Costco but I usually order from TireRack and have America's Tire or Les Schwab install them. For my next set I am going to ask America's Tire to match the TireRack price if I agree to have the install done with them. As a company America's Tire has always been good to me.
     
  16. HiHoStevo

    HiHoStevo Airport Bum

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    My front left has been having "issues" holding air the last few weeks.

    My wife went to two different Discount Tire stores and the could find nothing wrong but wanted her to buy 4 new tires. (duh)

    Went to Costco today and they find a nail but will not repair the tire as they say the nail is next to a prior repair. So they refuse to repair the tire or put it back on the car.

    When I get a chance to check the tire the previous repair is a good 6 to 7 inches away from the nail.. They described it as though the repair was in the same hole.

    So apparently I have less time than I had planned on... I was able to get the tire repaired elsewhere but I was not especially happy.

    Do u folks have any cparitive information on the Michelin Defender that is also supposed to come out shortly?? Apparently it will be replacing several tire lines with Michelin.

    So if nothing is available shortly I will follow suggestions and get the Conti ProContact Eco plus.
     
  17. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I don't have any more information than is readily found on the web. Every time I contact a company the representative knows even less than I do. I would wager that the Defender will not be designed primarily for LRR. This will be even more likely if they continue building the Energy Saver A/S.

    I would err on the side of safety and just buy a new set of tires. The mpg difference is not so great that it will cause much distress. Personally I'm more interested in the Blue Earth 1 than the Defender. Hopefully both tires will be available soon so we can stop wondering. Then I'll try to convince TireRack to do another test review with these new tires coming out. :)
     
  18. HiHoStevo

    HiHoStevo Airport Bum

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    Yes the Blue Earth 1 sounds great... I was just hoping for "choices." :)

    Like I mentioned my neighbor went with the Hydro-Edge and is very happy with them. I have not discussed MPG with him, but from your data it looks to me like I would lose 2.5+ mpg with the Hydro-Edge.

    So I guess if I have to do something quickly the safer bet would be the Continental ProContact Eco+.
     
  19. HiHoStevo

    HiHoStevo Airport Bum

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    Yes the Blue Earth 1 sounds great... I was just hoping for "choices." :)

    Like I mentioned my neighbor went with the Hydro-Edge and is very happy with them. I have not discussed MPG with him, but from your data it looks to me like I would lose 2.5+ mpg with the Hydro-Edge.

    So I guess if I have to do something quickly the safer bet would be the Continental ProContact Eco+.
     
  20. AboutTires

    AboutTires New Member

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    Hi folks,

    I haven't yet been able to read the full magnificence of this thread, but I thought I might be able to clarify a few immediate things:

    I've been told that Yoko's Blu-Earth 1 tire is actually a prototype, and is also the name of Yoko's eco-friendly corporate initiative. Since that is incredibly confusing, the first consumer line of tires that use the BE1's orange oil technology will be called the AVID Ascend. Those tires will be launched for media at an event in Florida next month, (I'll be there to get a first drive, and will later be putting a set on my 04 Prius to get a long-term review) but few seem to know the actual date they will be available to consumers. That would be the reason for the 1 month/no eta confusion.

    Michelin claims that the Defender will have extremely low resistance,even compared to the rest of their LRR lines. They seem to be among the first to apply 3D self-locking sipe patterns to summer tires to control tread block flex, and that seems to be contributing a lot to the high treadwear and LRR claims. I hope to have a better idea of that sometime this summer, but I can say that Michelin's engineers are pretty psyched about it. My experience has been that Michelin does not tend to overhype their stuff.

    Hope this helps. It's really nice to find someplace where LRR is getting discussed in great detail!

    -Sean
    Tires and Wheels Guide, About.com
    '04 Prius