Michelin Energy Saver A/S Review

Just took delivery of my 2013 Prius v wagon a couple weeks ago. Only after a couple days did it occur to me to actually check which tires Toyota had given me (waiting to get through the first tank to start using fuelly and tracking my psi). I was pleased to discover that my v wagon came with the Energy Saver A/S tires stock.

Anybody out there using these on the v (wagon) want to share what pressure they've settled on?

 

Okay, it's time for an update.

I've done over 800 miles since I had the Energy Saver A/S tires installed. I did notice an almost immediate increase in the mpg compared with the new Primacy tires I replaced. This week I've been seeing readings on my 52-mile one way trips of between 52 and 57 mpg. My calculated mileage on today's fill-up was 50.3 mpg -- which isn't much compared to all the huge numbers some people here have reported, but is much better than what I have been getting previously. (My lifetime average is only about 43 mpg due to the very short daily trips I had been making up until recently.)

I should reiterate the fact that my long daily commutes are very hilly the whole way. Even though both home and work are at roughly the same elevation - around 400 feet - on the way the elevations varies between around 200 and 700 feet. I go up and down hill the entire way. I watch helplessly as my mpg gauge goes way down on those long steep climbs! There's no way to let up on the gas without losing too much speed and annoying the traffic behind me.

 

Can you gain speed before the climb, that you then lose on the hill ?That would help.

50 - 55 mpg on the highway, assuming you are are speeds close to 70 mph, is about what a Prius can offer.

Enjoy !

 

That works for the long descents followed by the short ascents but I can't build up enough speed to last over a long slow incline. I am generally driving around 62-67 mph on the highway. I will go past 70 occasionally to pass.

When I'm in a situation where I need to keep a steady speed - i.e., I need to keep up with the traffic flow and it's not stop and go - I find using cruise control gets me the best results, even in the hilly conditions.

 

By the way, I've driven them in moderate to heavy rain twice now and I am very happy with them. They maintain a steady grip with no hydroplaning, sliding, or skidding at all. When I had the chance, I tried doing a couple of hard stops, and they stopped immediately with no slide. My original Yoko tires weren't bad, but I didn't feel as confident driving with them in wet weather as I do now. Of course, they were getting worn out by the time I changed them.

 

Just got these and could not be more happy with them!@

 

I bought a set of Michelin Energy Savers yesterday. All I can say is phenomenal! !!!!. I watched my instant milegage hit points never have I've never seen before. These are night and day different from my new Accelera tire the dealer put on before I bought it. I took a small trip, about 40 miles, with some p&g and minimam ev mode driving and got 62.5 going and 65.7 coming home. Never before have I seen this kind of mileage. They ride so much smoother and I feel that the car is much more stable. These tires kick butt. Thanks to everyone for your intelligent posts. Man you don't even have to try very hard to get high mpg. This is some kind of fun.
I bet the major oil companies hate this set up. I will post more info soon.

 

Tell me about it! This is my average 16.2 mile morning commute with the tires installed (65% freeway @ 55mph):

 

Man, you would be a great candidate for a PiP if you could plug in at work.

 

These seem to be as good as advertised in all respects; I have 15k on them so far in around 6 months time. Unfortunately, I went in today to Costco (where I purchased them) for the regular rotation and balance and they discovered while attempting a re-balance that one of the tires had some sort of separation (as they described it) in the sidewall. It is being replaced gratis under the manufacturer's defect warranty. The real downside for me is that they can only be sourced from across the country in South Carolina, and will take a week to arrive.

Jeff

 

Yeah... these tires are really hard to find. I don't know why Michelin isn't producing more.

 

I tried to search this thread to see if the energy saver A/S was a directional tire and I couldn't find the answer. Is the energy saver A/S directional ? I'm soon to be the owner of 4 of them and would like to know how they should be rotated in 5K miles. Thanks.

 

It is not directional.

 

anyone using the energy savers that has to deal with snow in the winter time?
Indiana winters can present some interesting road conditions with snow and ice, just curious as to the energy saver in these conditions.

 

Or just buy some used 10 year old balding tyres.

 

I've only had my set for 2.5 weeks now, so there isn't much to report yet. The only snow we've got so far melted right away.

Reading online comments outside this forum, opinions were all over the place. Since road conditions can differ dramatically, as well as the way people actually drive, I went with the consensus here that they'd do well. After all, I tried the HydroEdges way back when they were still quite new and had pleasing results on snow & ice. And living in Minnesota, I'll certainly have lots of opportunity for Winter driving. We got hit especially bad a few times last year, so I still have vivid memories of the factory tires.

Those tires only made it to 30,000 for me, since actually reaching replacement wear-level would have been mid-Winter. I took advantage of Fall sale prices and the fact that they were in stock. I've heard backorder waits are common for them.

The initial impression are these tires will get my recommendation too. Driving at 44/42 PSI, road noise was my first want-to-know. Thankfully, they were actually a little quieter. For traction on dry & wet roads, they've been nice. They seem to take corners fairly well. But the ultimate test hasn't come yet. Snow handling will tell us a lot.

In the end, like most owners, I want a tire offering a nice balance of traction & wear that delivers great MPG for a reasonable price. Stay tuned for updates. Right now, I'm still trying to enjoy the final days of Fall.

 

The Prius Owners Manual stipulates to just rotate front to back. Not sure if I agree, but there it is.

Also, any directional tire would have a directional arrow, and some text statement on the sidewall. Maybe look at the big tire pictures on TireRack?

 

You're cracking me up: I started picturing how much speed I'd have to gain, to ease the mpg pain on this local mountain my wife just loves going up on weekends.