Tire dilemma

I have a 2014 Prius Two with just under 68K miles. I'm replacing my tires for the second time. It came with Ecopia EP422s and I replaced those with EP422+ in 2018. I'm very happy with the gas mileage I get with them, but not at all pleased by the fact that they wear down so quickly.

After a little adventure with some Ecopias from Costco, in which three turned out to be defective, Costco swapped in a set of Bridgestone Weatherpeaks on the theory that they're the replacement for the Ecopias, which are supposedly being discontinued (though two calls to Bridgestone/Firestone swear they're not doing any such thing), and hopefully would be similar in terms of fuel efficiency. I've had them for a week and the mileage is nothing like the Ecopias. Bridgestone confirms that these are not LRR tires.

I'm reluctant to go back to the Ecopias, both because of the short life and the fact that this last batch were defective, but I don't want to tank my mileage, either.

I've searched this forum to see if anyone has any experience with the Weatherpeaks, but I'm coming up empty. I'm also considering switching to Michelin X-Tour, which is a LRR tire, but I see some folks here weren't happy with those tires, and others seem to be thrilled with their Defender T+H line, which surprised me, since I don't see those listed as LRR tires.

Everything I've found is at least a year or two old. I'm also reading that new tires may improve after some time, and am not quite sure what to make of that. I also know that some of this can be rather individual.

I'm also limited to options available at Costco.

As you can tell, I'm not a car expert of any sort, even amateur, so I really could use some help sorting out what might make the most sense at this point.

Thanks!

 

I'd love to know how you got that many miles on these tires. My first set lasted about 32K and the second 35K, which isn't even close.

So you're saying that's what you replaced the Ecopias with? If so, how long have you had them?

 

Thanks, but they're not available at Costco, and since I originally replaced my tires there a few weeks ago, I'm stuck with them.

 

I always rotate my tires when they're due. My Costco doesn't have the 422+ in the right size in stock, and says that Bridgestone has discontinued them for trucks and SUVs. I think they're confused and think that ALL of them are being discontinued, but I've spoken to multiple people at Bridgestone who've told me they see no signs of the 422+ being discontinued.

Any thoughts on either of the Michelins I mentioned? I agree re: LRR, but I'm not sure if the Defender T+H in particular qualifies or not.

 

I just got off the phone with Michelin. They told me the X-Tour and the Defender T+H are exactly the same tire (which seems weird to me--if that's the case, why does Costco sell both?). They also said the fuel efficiency of both is a 5/10, which doesn't sound super promising to me. But I'm also not sure I believe them, since Costco's page says the X-Tour is EV compatible and LRR, but doesn't say any such thing about the Defender.

 

Maybe, but maybe not. As I said, Bridgestone confirms for me that the Weatherpeak is not a LRR tire, so there is no reason to expect that it will be significantly better once it’s worn in.

At this point, I’m. also concerned about Weatherpeak reviews saying that they’ve only lasted about 20K miles, which is even worse than the Ecopias.

 

I never said that. I said we don't know. A 20% drop seems like a significant one to overcome.

Either way, there's no need to be rude.

 

Did it ever get back to the original MPG?

What's your feeling on the Michelin T+H vs. the Weatherpeak? Bridgestone isn't making me feel great re: the lifespan of their tires, even though the Weatherpeaks are supposed to be better.

 

Thanks. Yes, the Weatherpeak is new--I think it came out last year. It does have the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol. Its newness is part of what makes me a little hesitant about it, especially now that I'm seeing some folks got even less wear out of it than I've managed from two sets of Ecopias.

 

This is EXACTLY what I'm trying to determine--how much of this issue is the new tire, and how much of it will never improve because it's not a LRR tire. And whether the Michelins are likely to be any better than the Weatherpeak in this regard.

Costco doesn't have it for my car, alas.