My 2010 Prius came with 195/65r15 tires. I found a used set of aftermarket 185/65/15 WS60 Snow tires that were used on an08 and 09 Prius. I called my local dealership to ask if they'd work and they wanted the VIN they come off of which is impossible. Will these work? Thank you!
Half is correct but depending on the revs per mile rating the speedo may read faster than 1 mph considering it runs 1-2 mph faster that actual even with the factory tires. I always suggest checking the speedo accuracy with a GPS unit at 50+ mph no matter what tires you purchase. Checking speedo accuracy between different tires also helps to determine true mpg changes. Driving 2mph slower or faster can affect mpg but most people are not aware their tire change has caused the speedo error and they wrongly assume the tires lowered or raised their true mpg.
A related question. My Prius v (wagon) is equipped with 205/60R16 All Season tires. I plan to install a set of Winter tires and was considering the Bridgestone Blizzak WS60. These tires do not come in an exact match for the All Season tires but rather are available as: (1) 205/50R16 and (2) 195/60R16. Which would be the better size choice?
They don't make the Bridgestone Turanza EL400 in a 16" size though they do in the Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02 (gotta love confusing tire names). Until I'm sure the exact OEM tire on the Prius v Wagon I won't know the revs per mile or diameter and I'd be hesitant to recommend a specific tire. Often when going from one tire to another you have to get a different "size" to get the same size. For example these tires are physically the same size even though the xxx/xx numbers are different. 205/60/15 Michelin HydroEdge with Green X 185/65/15 Continental ProContact with eco Plus You'll be OK sticking with a random tire of the same xxx/xx size but you'll be better off knowing the desired size and grabbing the best fit rather than having your speedometer / odometer / MPG display being off. In some cases the price difference or difference in quality of tire can be huge as well.
Thanks. I am picking the Prius v up from the dealer later today. I will pay more attention to the "fine print" on the tires and update the post. Thanks for your consideration.
Just picked up the Prius v (wagon). The tire looks to be a Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02 (there is a tiny "02" after the "Turanza EL 400" text on the tire). The complete tire text is "Bridgestone Turanza EL400 02 P205/60R16 91v" and in small print "T1108 EL4PNZ"
Interesting. Bridgestone did similar with their Insignia SE200 series. The OEM version that came with our previous '06 Civic Hybrid said SE200_02 on the sidewall. The 02 was tiny, aligned with the lower edge of the rest of the text. Just what I've gleaned from reading on the net: the 02 prefix indicated it was a special, limitted availability and size range, LRR version. Versions of this tire were sold aftermarket, without the prefix, but were not LRR. That said, we had a loaner for a while with non prefix version of this tire, and it seemed to roll on very well.
OK, it's 811 revs per mile and 810 RPM is common for that size. If you are willing to reproduce the experiment done on the Gen III Prius we can have an idea if you need to adjust your target revs per mile. Without that data just targeting 810 RPM and your desire to use the Blizzak WS60 we get the target size of 225/55R16. Putting it into comparable string "Bridgestone Turanza EL400 02 P205/60R16 91v" 811 RPM 25.7" "Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 P225/55R16 95r" 807 RPM 25.8" "Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 P225/55R16 92t" 812 RPM 25.7" The Blizzak WS60 of the same diameter will be noticeably (read slightly) wider than the Turanza EL400-02 but it's less than half a percentage point difference to the speedometer/odometer in terms of revolutions/diameter. The Blizzak WS70 is also right in there on the specs so consider it as well. I'm not up on winter tires and don't have the time right now to research the differences. I'm curious to see if the 810 RPM on a Prius v (wagon) is as inaccurate as 855 RPM is on a Prius Gen II (2004-2009) or if it is more accurate like the Prius Gen III is at 835 RPM or if it is its own new version of Prius speedometer accuracy (likely if for no other reason than the new target RPM).
Generally speaking narrower tires are preferred for cutting through snow more efficiently. With that said, I am not sure the inch or so that the P225 adds relative to the P205 OEM All Season tires will make a noticeable difference in Winter driving performance. I'll see what I can do about getting you speedometer vs GPS MPH readings on the OEM tires (means my wife needs to let me drive her V!) ---Rob
Unfortunately they don't make a 205/60/16 in the Blizzak WS60. Oddly enough they don't make a 215/xx/16 at all in that tire. The one 205/xx/16 they do make is off by 7% on the diameter and the general rule of thumb is that anything more than 3% isn't safe to consider. Now the Blizzak WS70 is made in the 205/60/16 size so you could definitely do it if you prefer the narrower tire (I'd be in favor of the narrower tire on the grounds of aerodynamics and rolling resistance even if it didn't affect snow performance) "Bridgestone Turanza EL400 02 P205/60R16 91v" 811 RPM 25.7" "Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 P205/60R16 92t" 812 RPM 25.7 "Bridgestone Blizzak WS60 P225/55R16 95r" 807 RPM 25.8" "Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 P225/55R16 92t" 812 RPM 25.7"
I feel like columbo now, "just one more question" 51 PSI max with UTQG of 260 A A 23 pounds 44 PSI max with UTQG of 300 A A 21 pounds edit: nevermind, I just realized the speed rating tells me you have the 51 PSI version.
Thanks again. I think the Blizzak WS70 should be fine, as they appear to be the successors to the WS60 line and as you point out there is an exact size match for the Prius v (wagon) OEM Bridgestone P205/60R16 tires. I see the tire specs lists the rev-per-mile as 811 (I wondered where you were pulling these number from - part of a tire's specification)
You are welcome, and thanks for helping other Priuschat members by supplying info about your OEM tires.
