Replacing Tires

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(geologyrox @ Jun 2 2006, 11:21 AM) [snapback]264645[/snapback]</div>

i personally went with the nokian i3's when my factory goodyears got tread bubbles at ~20k miles. i am loving theese tires alot, they are much much quieter, seem to be a lot more sticker to the pavement wet or dry. will have to see how they do in the snow though. and as a bonus i did not loose any mpg even though they were brand spanking new.

EDIT: the total cost to have them mounted and balanced including the tires was $350 with tax.

 

There are lots of threads that touch directly on this topic. If I remember correctly the tow tires that were reccommended are the Goodyear Comfort Tread or the Michelin Hydroedge tires.

 

Remember that it is your family that will be in that car. Won't you kick yourself if something were to happen because you bought cheap tires. The Goodyear Comfort Treads are not that much more money and are a much better tire.

 

If your primary purpose is to save $200 today, then a tire like HydroEdge is not a good choice.

But if you want to get a better tire that will last longer, hence no extra money spent in the end, a tire like HydroEdge is the only way to go.

Remember, since those tires will deliver more miles, you don't have the extra expense of mounting new ones as often. You don't have to deal with the minor MPG hit new tires cause as often either.

 

Since you will only have to pay the extra for the first set of tires, why not do it? After that, your dealer is going to give you replacements for them when they wear out, right?

 

Michelin Hydroedge tires are GREAT!!! Sure they cost more, but in this world you pay for what you get. My car handles so much better with these and they are the best tires in the world in rain. Don't save a few bucks just to pay big bucks when you get in an accident because of bad tires.

 

Tires are the most important performance and safety item a car has. As a percentage of the car's cost, even great tires are a small price, yet make a big difference. Over the life of the car, better tires are actually less expensive - especially if someone else is paying for them!

 

Ah, that makes more sense, paying the "upgrade difference" for each replacement set of tires.

It still may be worthwhile, since you won't be paying for mounting and balancing as the rest of us do.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(geologyrox @ Jun 6 2006, 06:17 PM) [snapback]266932[/snapback]</div>

Yes, the rain traction is lightyears ahead of the OEMs. Living on the Gulf Coast, the HEs were a no-brainer for me.

The speed shouldn't really be off:

This shows the Integrity at 24.4" diameter, 855 revs/mile.
This shows the HE at 24.3" diameter, 856 revs/mile.

(24.3-24.4)*100/24.4 = -0.41% off - which is less than the wear depth.

As for being noisier, they are and they aren't - the total volume isn't any louder, but the pitch of the noise is lower than the OEMs, so if you are more sensitive to lower pitches, they may seem louder.

Enjoy the tires, forget the higher cost, they are WELL worth it!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FBear @ Jun 2 2006, 01:26 PM) [snapback]264720[/snapback]</div>

For those of us who drive in snow occasionally, how do these tires do with snow?

 

They are rated very good in snow, check the ratings on tirerack.com

 

Alright, I love getting new Goodyear Integrity’s, however college expenses are just getting more and more expensive, and I honestly cannot afford the Integrity Tires at this point.

I am getting a reasonable deal, it seems, on Goodyear Weather force Tires (well Sears said Goodyear, but after searching I could only find a tire by Bridgestone named Weather force), are these ok to use with the Toyota Prius 04?

Bottom line I just can no longer afford the integrity's..

 

Just a heads up for Costco fans: I was amazed yesterday when I took my 2005 Prius in to Costco to have Michelin Pilot Exalto 195/60-15 installed. These tires were in stock there at that location, and the 195/60-15 is the preferred size for most drivers in this forum. It is also the size tire used in Europe, etc. Costco Santa Cruz absolutely would NOT put these tires on saying this size was not approved and they weren't allowed to. I don't know if this is true for Costco stores nation wide, but I then went to Big O tires where they happily sold me the tires, put them on, and thanked me for my business. MUCH nicer to work with, and in my case not much more expensive. I am a big Costco fan, have been an Executive member for 8 years, but now know better than to use their tire shop. The moral? Costco prices very hard to beat, especially when there is a $60 across the board reduction for all Michelin tires. (Big O gives a $50 rebate till 10/31/07) HOWEVER, make sure they will put the tire you want on the car you have before waiting in their formidable line!

Just a heads up for Costco fans: I was amazed yesterday when I took my 2005 Prius in to Costco to have Michelin Pilot Exalto 195/60-15 installed. These tires were in stock there at that location, and the 195/60-15 is the preferred size for most drivers in this forum. It is also the size tire used in Europe, etc. Costco Santa Cruz absolutely would NOT put these tires on saying this size was not approved and they weren't allowed to. I don't know if this is true for Costco stores nation wide, but I then went to Big O tires where they happily sold me the tires, put them on, and thanked me for my business. MUCH nicer to work with, and in my case not much more expensive. I am a big Costco fan, have been an Executive member for 8 years, but now know better than to use their tire shop. The moral? Costco prices very hard to beat, especially when there is a $60 across the board reduction for all Michelin tires. (Big O gives a $50 rebate till 10/31/07) HOWEVER, make sure they will put the tire you want on the car you have before waiting in their formidable line!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kirbinster @ Jun 4 2006, 09:21 AM) [snapback]265602[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, what he said

Seriously, I drove through a downpour this week, and the Hydroedges are incredible! I was hitting standing puddles, and couldn't even feel any drag...

And now, Rudy clings to the pavement, so much better!

I am so very, very glad that we dumped the OEM tires. Try Costco, that's where we got ours.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(geologyrox @ Jun 7 2006, 07:28 PM) [snapback]267661[/snapback]</div>

We put 195/60 R15 on Rudy on purpose... wanted the little bit extra width.
Near as we can tell (using the second-hand on the watch and the highway mileage markers), the speedometer is reporting 63 when I'm actually doing 60 mph.

So, that's within tolerances for me.

 

Just purchased Michelin X Radial DTs from Costco, replacing the OEM Integrity's. What a difference in handling and comfort!! I have 125 miles on them and I am experiencing 46.5 mpg versus the 48 mpg from the Integrity's. With the added safety and comfort of the new tires, I am glad to trade off a few mpg. So far, terrific in the rain, and looking forward to driving in the snow in a few months.

Cost me $414 (including the $60 rebate) installed at Costco. Also includes Costco's standard replacement, etc.