Recommended replacement tires for Prius Touring 195/55R16?

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OK! I got 7 MPG less on a quick check over my OEMs. However, my wife says the car is higher. I will do a check over the next few months to see what is up. The web site does not show a diameter or RPM for the Michelin Energy Saver tires. 44/42 and the ride is more stable and harder. Tires may be wider to account for worse mileage.

http://michelinman.com/tire-selector/size/EMetric/195/55/16/OE/BNW/energy-saver/tire-details

400 A A5.5" - 7"7.9" on 6"[email protected] 87HBSW50,000 Mile400 A A5.5" - 7"7.9" on 6"24.4
4 LRR 195/55R-16 Michelin Energy Saver from Tirerack
195/55R16
Load Index 87 = 1201lbs (545kg) per tire
Speed Rating “H” = 130mph (210kph) 87H SLMax Load = 1,201 lbs
Max psi = 51 psi

LRR: Green XLow Rolling Resistance Tire Technology Treadwear: 400
Traction: A
Temperature: A400 A A 1201 lbs.
51 psi
UTQG Tread, Traction, TempRim Width Range (Min/Max)Section Width (On Measuring Rim Width)Overall DiameterRevs Per MileTread Depth (in 32nds)Max Load Single (@PSI)Tire Weight87HBSW50,000 Mile400 A A5.5" - 7"7.9" on 6"[email protected]
19 lbs. 0-0"
6.7"


OEM

195/55R16
Load Index 86 = 1168lbs (530kg) per tire
Speed Rating “V” = 149mph (240kph) 86V SLMax Load = 1,168 lbs
Max psi = 51 psi

LRR: Low Rolling ResistanceLow Rolling Resistance Tire Technology Treadwear: 260
Traction: A
Temperature: A260 A A 1168 lbs.
51 psi
9/32"
19 lbs. 5.5-7"
6"
7.9"
7.4"
24.4"
854
Country of Origin "JP" = JAPANJP

 

Unless my mileage improves over the next few months I would only get OEM tires for this vehicle. Mine still had good tread at 34000 miles.

 

The MPG will improve as the fresh tread wears away. Also your old tires make the displayed MPG inaccurate so don't compare new tires to old tires based on the cars MPG calculations. If you really want to know do full tank hand calculations.

For the record the Michelen Energy Saver A/S was the best fuel economy in the Aug 12 2009 tirerack test of 185/65/15 tires but they have other tests in other tire sizes and there are many tires they haven't tested. It is likely they will give you better fuel efficiency than most LRR tires and all non LRR tires but your mileage will vary. Comparison of fuel test data was done in http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/98592-new-tire-tests-tirerack-com.html

Don't forget to air them up. Since they have a 51 PSI sidewall feel free to try out higher PSI. I run my ENVigors at 48/45 for the most part.

 

Oh and the tire you linked to is the Michelin Energy Saver not the Michelin Energy Saver A/S. The A/S isn't available in that size so you must have gotten the Summer tires.

Michelin Energey Saver is "Grand Touring Summer" and wasn't in the tirerack testing for fuel economy.
Michelin Energy Saver A/S is "Passenger All-Season" and was in the tirerack testing for fuel economy.

which might explain part of lower fuel economy than you expected in addition to the inaccuracy of the of the displayed MPG.

Also note this warning "Grand Touring Summer tires are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice." Edit: I see you are in FL so I guess you can ignore that.

 

Man, there are a lot of things to consider when tire shopping.

So, what are the most fuel efficient tires for our situation? BTW: I'm more interested in fuel economy than longevity. We do no snow driving or freezing temps, very little rain driving, and have one 2009 Prius base and one 2009 Prius touring. Thanks!

 

You cannot compare worn down used tires to brand new tires until the new ones have broken in properly. Even then it is a good idea to compare speedo readings to ensure accuracy. For example, you have been driving on worn out tires and your speedo is reading 65mph but you are really traveling at 63mph. You slap on some new tires with full tread and maybe less revs per mile (larger diameter) and now when the speedo reads 65mph it is accurate. With the smaller tires the vehicle thinks it is traveling further than it actually is and mpg may be inaccurate. With the smaller tires you are also driving slower which increases mpg. Take all of this into consideration when comparing your new mpg numbers.

The Energy Saver, Ecopia EP100 and dB Super E-Spec all ranked high in terms of mpg. The EP100 is a great deal in terms of mpg, price, performance. The Energy Saver rates higher than the Energy Saver A/S according to Michelin but like the dBs, they are expensive.

 

Are both vehicles using 16" rims or are you 15" on one and 16" on the other?

As a general rule the most fuel efficient tires will be 15" the narrower the better.

Of course narrower tires have negative characteristics as well so I'd balance the desire for using less gas with the desire to have good tires.

I don't have RR data for the hundreds if not thousands of valid choices for your car on tirerack. If you truly want best mileage without much guessing just pick from the few tires they did test that way.

Best RR (but there may be a tire not on this list that gets better RR)
Michelin Energy Saver A/S
Bridgestone Ecopia EP100

Yokohama dB Super E-Spec (about 2% worse than the two above)
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max (about 2% worse than the dB Super E-Spec)
Goodyear Integrity
Continental ProContact w/EcoPlus*
Yokoham AVID TRZ
Kumho eco Solus HM KR22
Michelin HydroEdge Green X

Hankook Optimo H727 (about 2% worse than the Fuel Max)
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred

Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season (about 2% worse than the Optimo H727)
General Altimax HP
Worst RR tested (but there are likely many tires with worse RR)

but it's only a very partial list. There are tons of other valid tires that are LRR that just haven't been tested for fuel economy by tirerack.

 

Michelin Energy Saver Touring&autoModClar=

Tires I bought!

 

You have to be kidding me! That really sucks guys! I would have bought OEMs.

 

Yep! This realy sucks folks! Second time I bought Michelin and got screwed. Last time for me.

 

My mileage is better at lower tire PSI (38PSI Than 46 PSI) What up with that? also these LRRs ride like steel wheels on a wagon.

 

I have one question that I could not find an answer to in these posts and that is:
Can I replace my current OEM Tires (Bridgestone Turanza EL-400 195/55/16) with the same exact brand and model but a with size 195/60/16?

Thank you

 

I Thought about doing that but chickened out. I still suggest OEMs that came on the car if they gave you good MPG.

My MPG is 53.8 verus 59 so far! After 12 months I will check this again but it seems the pressure does not make as big a difference in the MPG that it did with the OEMs. 46PSI but I may go back to 38PSI as the stiff ride is an issue. Also time for an air filter check and an oil change in the spring incase the dealer did not use the oil I put on the floor board of the car.

 

You can if you want. The net affect will be your speedometer will likely be off even further than it was with the OEM tire size and you may artificially increase your MPG reading. Your real MPG likely will not change due to the size difference but your readout could be misleading and will also cause you to assume that the new tires didn't affect your mpg when in reality they will unless you choose a good LRR tire.

I.E. someone might change to a sticky high performance tire and not see a mpg change because the smaller new tire is artificially raising your mpg number but it's all a lie. lol

 

Thank you both ETP and F8L for your input.

 

NP.

I forgot to mention that a good side effect of going with the shorter sidewall tire is that you'll notice better handling.

 

Hey Joe,
I am glad you asked the question. Being a former tire service technician, I knew a thing or two about tires.
The run flat tires are designed to keep you moving to a safe destination, even if the tire have puncture in it. Keep in mind you still have to replace it for safety reason. Saving a hundred dollars doesn't make sense if you got into a crash and "like" could die from it.
This is the perfect tire for long commuters and metro-sexual.

The Falken tires are excellent built, as being more rigid in structure and rubber fiber. It lasted longer than most other tires because it grip less. I have only replaced one of the tires with a Falken Ziez (I heard it is a favor for drifters in Japan).
The Sumitomo is about the same as the original Goodyear/Tourenza. There was a reason Toyota picked these kind of tires for the U.S. fleet. The Bridgestone Eco touted as using recycle materials and built to standard of touring qualities yet are a lot more expensive. But the Eco fits the "environmental friendly" theme that the Prius is campaigned for.

I would go with the Sumitomo if it is cheaper than the other ones.

 

I found a set of 4 Bridgestone Run Flat Tires (ER-300 II) in the exact size as my OEM (195/55/16) on Craigslist and the seller is telling me they are practically new as they have only 500 miles on them (he has taken them off his car).
After reading the reviews on Tirerack for this specific tire, I learned that they were exclusively made for Mini Coopers.
Now, my question is this: Can I put them on my 2007 Prius? would it matter that they are made for the Mini Cooper? its the same exact size and everything as my OEM Bridgestone, but even better as they are RFT.
any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

You can use them but expect to take a pretty big mpg hit.