Touring Edition Tire Upgrade

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ceric @ Oct 23 2007, 07:37 PM) [snapback]529449[/snapback]</div>

Hi Ceric,

I took advantage of that Discount Tire offer, about a year ago. Seems they have it in the late summer or fall. That , and the $15 per tire trade in on the 5K mile GY Integrities, and the four new Hydroedge 185/65R15 tires was a good deal. Discount has several stores in the area here. The usual one I went too did not have them in stock, so just got on the website and found one that did, and made an appointment.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(prim2 @ Oct 23 2007, 06:02 PM) [snapback]529443[/snapback]</div>

Thanks. Here's another online tire size/rpm calculator. It's from 1010tires.com. BTW, if you punch in OEM/New Tire sizes numbers on this calculator, you get slightly different rpm results than from the other online calculator I'd previously linked. Go figure.

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ceric @ Oct 23 2007, 06:37 PM) [snapback]529449[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Oct 23 2007, 07:17 PM) [snapback]529461[/snapback]</div>

Thanks ceric and donee for the info. Good to know that Discount Tire may run this $100 off deal periodically or at least once a year.

ceric's mentioning of the $4 stem/disposal fee reminds me that it should be noted on this thread that one's Prius does or is likely to have a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). If it does, then it's built into each wheel and tire valve, and in which case one should make the tire installer aware of the TPMS and make sure it doesn't replace the wheel's TPMS tire valve or otherwise damage the TPMS.

 

My prefered tyre size calculator.
I like it because it is very simple and in plain english
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill_Lovett @ Oct 24 2007, 07:16 AM) [snapback]529628[/snapback]</div>

Thanks Bill,

I was asking because I have been unable to find the Pirelli brand except for on the internet. I have a place that will balance and install if I can locate them for a good price.

Thanks again, Jim


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Oct 24 2007, 07:32 AM) [snapback]529630[/snapback]</div>

Thanks Patsparks that is a worth while place to visit.

Jim

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(topkick @ Oct 24 2007, 11:29 AM) [snapback]529694[/snapback]</div>

Hi Jim,

I think, but haven't confirmed, that the Oklahoma City tire places linked here (yellowpages.superpages.com web page) sell Pirelli tires:

http://yellowpages.superpages.com/listings...tail%5ETires%5E

But if not or if their prices are too high, then it's pretty easy to buy tires online and have the online retailer ship the tires to you, or drop-ship them to one of the online retailer's approved local installers.

Good luck.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boo @ Oct 24 2007, 10:44 AM) [snapback]529706[/snapback]</div>

Thanks Boo, I will go and check Hibdon Tire out. They may have what I want. Today I went to a local Toyota place to get the tire fixed that had a nail that I found yesterday when doing tire rotation. Two months ago I paid the same place $20 to repair a nail hole (I thought that was fair since they had to break the tire down inorder to patch it). Today there was no charge and I asked what the deal was, I was told " We can't charge for fixing a tire when you can go next door and they will do it free". I looked next door and there was a new Hibdon Tire store! I have been all over to about 15 tire stores but did not try Hibdon.

Thanks again, Jim

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Oct 24 2007, 08:32 AM) [snapback]529630[/snapback]</div>

Thanks Pat. It is a simple, plain english calculator.

Seems odd to me that each of the 3 different tire size calculators now linked on this thread yields slightly different results. I would have thought that there would be more mathematical certainty or uniformity.

 

Falken Ziex ze-912 on Touring Wheels

In the original Tire Upgrade thread (the one started by nyprius and mainly about tires for the Standard Prius), misslexi just posted a preliminary review of the Falken Ziex ze-912 in the Touring OEM 195/55/16 size:

In addition to misslexi's positive review, it seems to me that the Falken Ziex ze-912 has three big plusses:

(1) its predecessor or cousin, the ze-512, was extremely well reviewed (e.g., it was among the top rated by Consumer Reports of performance all season tires),

(2) it comes in the Touring OEM 195/55/16 size, so there should be little or no speedo/odo error, and

(3) it's cheap ... about $75 in the Touring OEM size.

EDIT: I believe misslexi paid $75. But online at 1010Tires.com they are $92. Still cheap (e.g., the OEM Bridgestone Turenzas cost more).

 

Keeping this thread on topic........

How much road noise?
How much MPG change +/- ?
How many miles for wear warranty?
What is the LRR rating?

I would think valve stems and tires mounting can be discussed in a general tire thread. That way people dont have to read 5 pages of fluff to find out the facts of the "thread specific" tire.

 

Falken Ziex ze-912

Re the Falken Ziex ze-912, the wear warranty for the 195/55/16 size is 40,000 miles, and the cost online at 1010Tires.com is $92). Don't know much else about them as I haven't found a car magazine or other professional review of them yet (but as I mentioned above, I believe there are lots of reviews of the Ziex ze-512).

Here's a link to the Falken webpage for the tire:

Falken Tire

And here's a link to the DiscountTireDirect.com webpage with customers' reviews of the tire:

Tire Reviews - Discount Tire Direct

 

I bought the Falken Ziex ze-912's at OnlineTires.com - Buy Tires and Wheels Online. Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop, Bridgestone Tires. for $73 each. They are in California, shipping cost $42.64 to rural WA.

I wanted these shipped to the ranch which is a different shipping address from my credit card billing address. They were unable to accommodate that for some reason so I did a direct deposit to his bank account. For someone as jaded as myself concerning Internet security, I felt very comfortable after speaking with him on the phone. My instincts were correct in this case; tires delivered on time, correct size, brand new etc.

Highly recommended.

 

Falken Ziex ze-912

Wow, that OnlineTires.com price of $73 is cheap (it's $92 at 1010Tires.com and $96 at DiscountTireDirect.com). And their California location should be convenient (shipping costs wise) for all those West Coast Touring owners I see on this board.

 

ditto

i dont find much wrong with the turanzas, but the fact that it wears out quite fast, and that it look "wussy" under the wheel wells of the prius

as far as looks 205-55-16 should look a bit more aggressive than the oem tires

just concerned of the tire psi and MPG hit it makes

 

Hello all!

I read in some of the other threads about the weight difference between tires, and wheels. Do the tires that everyone is recommending way close to what the stock tires weigh? I'm not trying to squeeze every MPG out of my Prius but I don't want to do too much to decrease it, especially since we're just about at $4 a gallon for regular here in lovely WA.

Also, does anyone have the weight of the stock Touring edition wheel and tire?

Thanks,

Dave

 

Bridgestone also makes the Potenza G019 Grid in the Touring OEM size of 195/55/16. See BelowTheCrowd's detailed post about them in the standard Tire Upgrade thread, which I've reprinted below:

 

Tom, thanks for posting that. We appear to have two Prius Touring-related tire threads going right now in addition to the original tire thread.

A few comments after a couple more days of driving.

I've backed off the pressures a couple of PSI (now 38/35) and have seen a bit less noise and a slightly more comfortable ride. As noted on the review, I'm coming from performance-oriented vehicles, so a bit or road noise and significant road feel are normal to me. I bought the Touring rather than the regular Prius because I wanted more of those than the standard Prius had. It now is clear that the tires make a huge difference.

Nobody, and I do mean nobody, has a clue what the full specs for the stock Turanzas on the Prius Touring are. See the link from my review above. Neither Bridgestone nor Toyota publishes them. My tire dealer speculates (based on inspection) that they are lighter and weaker than standard EL400s. They are also V rated rather than T rated (the norm for other sizes of this tire) and carry a much lower wear rating (260). As I said above, there appear to be some weird tradeoffs going on here, but the result is a lightweight and flimsy tire that easily blows up when you hit a curb or pothole a bit hard. The tire dealer tells me that is his general experience with the OEM Turanza EL400s (technically known as the EL400-02) which are clearly different from the tires designed and sold for the aftermarket.

What this means is that anybody who is wondering how they differ from OEM tires is going to just have to wonder. Weight, rolling resistance, etc. are just not published. They publish the minimum info required on the sidewall, that's it.

I hesitate to give a final number until I've hit 1000 miles or so, but so far it seems that I'm losing at worst 1-2 mpg compared to the original tires, or about 2-4%. If my experience with tires over the years is repeated, I'll get most or all of that back as the tires break in.

They look good on the touring rims minus the plastic covers. Will post a photo or two later.

 

I have a 2007 Touring and after 50,000 miles on my original Bridgestone Turanza EL400's it was time for new tires. I probably should have gotten them earlier b/c i was right at the legal limit (3/16") or less when I replaced them. I am now at 4000 miles on the new tires.

Anyway I also got the Potenza G019 Grid in the 195/55/R16 size. I'm writing this b/c I found it almost impossible to get a actual review of any tires hit on mpg and change in other ways.

First off the tires handle way better then the Turanza's. I feel like im driving a sports car by comparison. I zoom around curves in ways that would probably kill me in the turanzas.

Secondly, I notice no deviation in road noise. I am running them at 40/38 and have been from the start.

Thirdly and most importantly mpgs are down. Since getting the tires in the middle of April I have filled up 11 times and have a mpg of 43.96. In comparison the previous 11 fillups before getting the tire (last 11 on turanzas) comes out to 46.46 mpg.

Summary:
11 fillups before New Tires: 46.46 mpg
11 fillups after New Tires: 43.96 mpg

The time period for the 46.46 mpg is Mid Feb to Mid April. The time period for the 43.96 mpg is Mid April to mid June. So a drop of 2.50 mpg is not the full story. I suspect the drop in mpg is actually larger because of the differences in temperture during these periods. One is in late winter to early spring and the second is early spring to early summer. So by comparison the 46.46 number would be higher if taken over the same time period. To prove I checked out my numbers on my Turanzas from last year from mid april to mid June. The number is: 47.39.

Conclusion: mpg drop of 2.5-3.5 mpg with Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grid.

Hope this helps someone make a tire decision. Next time I buy tires I am going to try harder to get a tire that will bring me back to my old mpg's

Info about my driving:
I drive 95% highway at 60 mph. These #'s are done at a time of the year when a/c or heat was not needed.

 

I realize your post on these tires is from June 08 - do you any further updates on your milage and preformance with these tires?
I am about to change the OEM tires and the Potenza G019 Grid in 195/55-16 have been suggested although I was leaning towards one of these.
#1 Michelin Hydroedge
#2 Michelin Energy Saver A/S
#3 Goodyear Assurance TripleTred


Also - winter driving involves mostly rain with the occaisional wet snow, nothing like the East coast. How are these in the snow?
thanks
Lloyd