michelin energy saver/sports tire opinion

Michelin MXM4 is what my car came with. All I read is good stuff about that tire here on Prius Chat

Mike

 

I have Michelin Energy Saver A/S Tires on my Gen 2 Prius, they get good MPG and are quiet.

Energy Saver A/S | Michelin Tires

Tire Test Results : When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green

 

I also have Michelin Energy Saver AS tires on our Prius, 195x65x15.
They are quiet and will increase your mpg's from 2-4 mpg.
I have kept mine inflated to 44 PSI max sidewall pressure on all
four tires.

Currently I have about 67,000 miles on them and
they are approaching the wear bars so I will be needing new tires
soon. All tires have perfect even wear.

The Costco tire tech. was quite surprised as he believed that because
I have all 4 tires at max sidewall pressure they would have worn out
in the middle.

Michelin states they are a 65,000 mile tire and they sure have it right there.

My next choice looks like it will be the Ecopia EP422 I believe and Costco has
a great deal for like $360.00 complete, mounted & balanced, no sales tax in Oregon.

The tire tech. told me I have a 30 day free trial on the Ecopia tires and can return them
for a full refund. It I am not happy with them its back to Michelin, either the Energy
Saver AS, or the Defender.

 

The Energy Saver A/S doesn't come in a 17" Prius size. For sporty tires and still LRR rated the Michelin Primacy MXM4. For the ultimate sporty tire the Michelin Pilot Super Sport.

Michelin Primacy MXM4

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

 

Hi F8L,
Going to purchase my first replacement tires for my Gen iii Prius V 17" stock wheels in the next week or sooner. It seems like the Energy Saver A/S is great. However, as you have mentioned, it currently does not come in 225/45, but I saw that it does have 225/50R17. Would that work, or will the sidewall height increase keep it from being used. I am kind of new, so this maybe a silly question. Appreciate any feedback that you and others have. Thanks in advance.
-T

 

That is a pretty large jump in tire size and it is generally not recommended. I considered it but dismissed the idea because it would likely make the car look funny and the size would hurt aerodynamics.

You're kind of in a tough spot because it is my belief that the OE 17" tire has a very low rolling resistance as requested (of the tire manufacturer) by Toyota. They wanted to reduce the mpg impact of a 17" tire. Most of us that use aftermarket 17s see a 3+mpg loss when going from 15s to 17s. It can be even worse with the wrong tire. I guess what I'm saying is be prepared for a possible fuel economy loss above and beyond what you would normally see when swapping worn for new tires of the same model.

That being said. Likely the most fuel efficient aftermarket tire is the EP422 which is offered in a 215/45/17 and the larger 205/50/17. So far my favorite 17" LRR tire is the Primacy MXM4. It's not as fuel efficient as the OE version of the Toyo Proxes A20 but it is a MUCH better tire in every other respect and a lot better than the Ecopia EP422! I've not been able to pinpoint the best replacement 17" tire yet but the MXM4 comes close. If you get them with the Michelin $70 rebate end up costing less per mile than the OE 17" tire despite lower fuel economy and you get a fantastic tire.

I'm currently testing the Continental PureContact with EcoPlus and the mpg seems similar to the MXM4 or slightly better but ride comfort is worse. I'll write a full report next week.

 

Those are great points and insights. I forgot about the aerodynamics, which is very important Looks like MXM4 is going get the nod. Thanks.

 

Did you write the follow up on the Purecontacts?

 

No. Sadly I never got around to it. I do mean to create a review for them and the Ecopia EP422 I'm running now.

In short, I like the PureContact except for the ride quality. Part of that is due to the particular size I was running which only came in an XL rating. It felt like a much sportier tire than the EP422 and even the Primacy MXM4. TireRack rated the PureContact quite well but dinged it a little for ride quality.