Replacement Tires for 2007 Touring

the size of the rim is going to impact that a bit though, since the ratio is going to be different for a 195 and 205 on a 17 rim than on a 16.

I would think the lower the weight, the softer the rubber, and therefore the lower the treadwear (like the Turanza OEMs).

The ZE-912's are about 20lbs, and the Potenza's 019's are 23lbs.

While we rarely have snow in the area, I keep encountering things about the ZE-912's being horrid in even light snow. But I also see the 019's being on the noisier side than the ZE-912's.

So, think I'm going to hit Bridgestone Saturday. Will report back... if they're not helpful, then I'm stuck waiting a week for the ZE-912's at the local Sears.

The other curious thing, is that while the ZE-912's are lighter, they have a higher max psi... how does that work? The sidewalls are thicker on the 912's and the tread is thicker on the 019's?!?

 

So, I just hit the local Firestone/Bridgestone shop, and brought in a printout of the Balado National Tire - Serving Southern Florida since 1945 site with their price for the Potenza G019 Grids, and without blinking an eye, he matched the price (including shipping). So, when they wanted to charge me nearly $500 for 4 tires and install, he ended up charging me just short of $400 for 4 tires and install! It was amazingly easy.

I'm getting them installed tomorrow. Will report back with my results. I'm hoping to do a bit of driving with my wife tomorrow before so both of us have a recent feel for the stock Turanzas, and then do the same "course" with the Potenzas.

Will let you know. Also going to tell the dealer.

 

So, I just got the tires installed this morning, and have done some driving since. So far, they're great. They are nearly silent (no real road noise, though I haven't driven on cement yet), and they're a softer ride than the stock Turanzas. They're also a much better handling tire. Where I used to have a hard time taking a turn at 20-30mpg, I can now easily do it with no slip at all.

They do seem to have hit the MPG a bit, but I'll have to keep an eye on that and see how it's impacted in the long term. This made me really wonder when I came home about what the Firestone dealer put in them, and all 4 seem to be at 42psi. Think I'll probably back the backs down to 40 and see what that does. They also said to rotate at about 3000 miles, because the prius is a fairly heavy car for it's size. Anyone hear that before?

Can't wait until I get the stiffening plate at the end of this week.

Oh, and anyone looking for a Torque wrench, I highly recommend the ones at Harborfreight. They're only $20 for a 1/2" clickstop, and they're far better than anything you can get for less than $100 elsewhere (the Craftsman ones are crap). They'll do 10 ft-lb to 150 ft-lbs (I think)... so you can torque your lugs with them too!