Mismatched tires?

Go to tirerack.com and find the survey results for the two tires. The Trz is rated much better in terms of traction, steering, etc so you will have some imbalance in traction. Your dealer should have ordered the correct tire for you.

All that said, it's less than an ideal situation, but maybe OK

 

Here is the one you needed, $92 from Tire Rack + shipping and installation.

Yokohama AVID S33D

The one you bought will most likely be just fine but to be sure why not email or phone Yokohama, they would be the experts on their own tires.

 

Good idea Tom, if Yokohama gives a thumbs down then it's leverage to get the dealer to do the right thing.:rockon:

 

Put the matched tires on the front and the mis-matched tires on the rear. Not a perfect solution, but the best of what you've got.

The Prius is a Front-Wheel-Drive vehicle. You want the best tires in front for handling and stopping.

 

my daughter just had a similar problem. she had 4 new nokian i3's installed at heritage toyota in burlington vermont a few years ago. one went bad and we were told they don't make i3's anymore. after much research here and elsewhere, we came to the conclusion that both tires on the same axle must be replaced. the other three tires have 20,000 miles and are in good condition. she had 2 new tires (as similar in tread as possible) installed on the rear axle because in difficult traction situations, newer tires in the rear will help prevent fishtailing. unfortunately, she cannot rotate tires anymore and will probably have to replace all four next time one or more go bad. we kept the good tire she replaced in case one of the front ones goes bad.
all the best! this is a difficult situation to say the least and the dealers/tire shops/independents are poorly schooled and most unhelpful.

 

I would be pissed as the car will pull left and right, should have just used the spare

 

General concensus over here in UK is opposite, best tyres on rear, to prevent the rear end spinning out on a wet surface when cornering.
TBH I can't see the difference unless you're pushing the car too much.

 

Oddly enough, that's not the case: Where to Install New Pairs of Tires?.

And, to those who've said things such as "get the dealer to do the right thing", I would like to refer you back to the original poster's comment where he stated "I needed to get the car back on road so I had the tire installed." The dealer did exactly what the customer requested -- got the vehicle back on the road, so I'm having a difficult time understanding where the dealership screwed up on this one.

 

great dealer with a great SERVICE department would have no charged a temporary tire , told you to drive carefully and called you when the correct tire is in. great service, unfortunately, is a scarce commodity these days and businesses wonder why sales are drying up.

 

Bisco,

Great service isn't defined by how much they give away. Who would pay for said "temporary" tire? They wouldn't be able to sell it again to anyone else. And, before you say, "Well, that'll teach 'em a lesson to keep tires in stock," there are other factors at work here in the supply chain such as Dealer Tire and the manufacturer. Much as we try, not everything is going to fit neatly in a box.

 

i take it you own/work at a dealership.

 

Given how sensitive the car's ABS and traction control is when there's a slight difference in tyre pressure between the left and right sides of the car, I'd avoid putting different tyres on the same axle.

It didn't seem to have a problem with the front tyres being worn to 3mm and the rears still having 6mm of tread. I still had all four tyres replaced because the OE Bridgestone Turanza ER30 is such a poor match for the car.

bisco, Nokian definitely still make i3 tyres in 185/65 R15. Your dealer probably just doesn't stock them any more. There's no need to go to a dealer for tyre fitment. Unfortunately for me, they don't make them in 195/55 R16 suitable for the UK OE wheels (and US Touring model). I went with Nokian's "H" tyres. Generally they feel better than before although the car tramlines more (i.e. follows longitudinal dips and seams in the road surface where gas/water/sewer pipes have been replaced).

 

thanks mike, i went to 3 places, all who said it was no longer available. i see it on there web site and have e mailed them twice with no response. i'll have to give them a call and see if i can get thru.

 

Did you check with TireRack? they are usually very responsive and their web site indicates they do have the tire in stock for $92.

I've done business with them several times and always had good luck.

 

No and yes, respectively.

The lack of responsibility amongst owners is staggering. My personal favorite is when people tell me, "Well, it's your car." Really? You'd think I'd remember signing papers for it. At any rate, if it truly is my car, then I'll be using it this weekend to go up north, thank you very much -- is the tank full?

I can't think of another line of work where expectations are so far out of line with reality. To wit: I had a phonecall just an hour ago from someone whose MIL went on two days ago and needs to bring it in ASAP as he's leaving at 0-dark-30 tomorrow morning for vacation, but he only has about 15 minutes this afternoon. He then proceeds to get upset with me when I tell him I cannot meet his requirements. Seriously? You've known about it for two days. You've known you were going on vacation for how long? And you call me at the last minute and demand I get it done in no time at all? Sure, the computer will tell me the code. Sure, that only takes a few minutes. However, the code only tells me where to start looking, not what's wrong with the car. For example, there are easily 50 different reasons a code for a small evap leak to show up. I'm not going to find that in 15 minutes.

Or, when I quote out a service and the immediate response is "Well, that's too much." I usually reply politely with something along the lines of, "Okay. How much do you think it should cost?" "I don't know." "Well, if you don't know how much it should cost, then how do you know it's too much?"

Even better, when someone comes in for service and presents a 20% off coupon and then gets bent when I can't "do better"? (I repeat myself here...) Seriously? Furthermore, nobody I know goes into Best Buy and says, "You know what, $995 is too much for that 42" 1080p...I think I'll give you $750." or into WalMart and say "$15.95 is too much for that bottle of Tide -- I'll offer $9.95." Or, after they've authorized repairs and then come back to me when they're picking up the car and ask for a discount then. :mad2:

Here's one last one -- I got a phonecall from a 370Z owner asking if ester oil was required in the engine (it says so in the owner's manual). I said, "Yes, according to the manufacturer, it is required." The response was, "Well, Jiffy Lube said it doesn't need it." Okay -- when the engine goes tango-umbrella, you can march it right back to Jiffy Lube for the warranty work, then. And, I don't understand why people will spend $20k, $30k, $40k or more for a vehicle and then cheap out when it comes time for maintenance. How much is your peace of mind (and, more importantly, safety) worth to you? Would you rather spend a few more dollars and have a factory-certified technician do your brakes or some kid who is off of school for spring break? Show some common sense once in a while.

Relationships are two-way streets. You can't just expect to take-take-take and absolve yourself of any responsibility or ownership all the time.

 

yes, they said they are no longer being made and they offered us another nokian that matches tread as closely as possible but still recommended replacing both rear tires. thanks!

 

you're absolutely right, i can't argue with any of your points. but i operate a business myself with (hopefully) repeat customers. we try to go out of our way to provide superior service (it doesn't always happen but that is the mantra.) when you do a little extra for the customer, they usually appreciate it. in the case of a car dealer, hopefully it means repeat sales and service. i think they could have handled it better, you don't think they should do anything extra for customers, let's agree to disagree.

 

I believe you and I are on the same page with respect to going the "extra mile" in order to guarantee repeat business. Many dealerships are not willing to do that.

The point I'm trying to make to the forum (not necessarily to you, directly) is that exemplary customer service is not gauged by how much stuff is given away for free to the customer -- which seems to be the prevailing attitude on the forum any time a post involving a dealership comes around.

Is there something else the dealership could have done differently or better? Perhaps. However, without the benefit of being there, none of us will ever know the full story. My objection is to the persistent vilification of dealerships. Yes -- there are some who deserve a bad name (as with any industry). In reality, though, there are many of us who jump through hoops and make rabbits appear out of hats for customers on a daily basis and beg that not everyone be painted with the same brush.

To that end, let's agree to agree instead.

 

Sorry I confused your post looking for a Nokian with the OP who was looking for a Yokahoma.

BTW loaner tires are not to uncommon, at least for tire stores maybe not for car dealers. I had one a couple of years ago from a local tire dealer for a different (non-Prius) car and they let me keep it for no charge until my correct tire arrived, which I had not even ordered from them. They will have my future business.