Hi everyone, I just discovered a thing called a low roll resistance tire. You guys probably already know about them. Are there any recommended LRR tires? My Prius is my daily driver, no racing or anything, just to work, groceries and the occasional road trip, nothing fancy. Thank you in advance!
Nothing fancy? Bridgestone Ecopia EP20 are decent: fairly cheap, excellent for low rolling resistance. Upmarket: Michelin Energy Saver A/S.
i put on michelin energy saver a/s from tyre rack. nothing fancy, but a bit costly. quietest, smoothest tire i've ever had, and the mpg's stayed the same as oem.
Michelin ES are nice when new, but my last set (~60% worn) were about as useful in snow as (to quote my old Dad (R.I.P.) "...a one-legged man at an arse-kicking contest!")
yes, i didn't buy them for snow. might be a good idea to put on winter tyres, but probably fine in atlanta for commuting, groceries, and the occasional road trip. however, if ecopias are good year round in the 'top rh corner of rh coast on l side of the pond' then that's another testament to them.
My OEM were the Ecopias, no issues with them and gave great gas mileage (around 50+). I then bought the Kumho Solus TA71 but did not know anything about LRR. I was wondering why my gas mileage dropped to 45-47 but it makes sense. They're great tires, quiet, and I don't even remember the ecopias but I do remember the 50+ mpg they had which I would like back. Interesting, I did some research after @bisco mentioned them and they apparently give the best mpg according to tirerack: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=121 Of course that is brand new but good to know after 60% they have all those issues. They're supposed to be all season too.
Understood, when I bought my 2009 Gen II, it was mid-winter and the car was shod with Michelins which were very quiet, and great for good MPG, but another New England winter convinced me that wherever there be snow, Bizzaks on steelies are the best way to go, so I saved my pennies, and the rest is history (see threads passim). Winter shoes will go on at Thnksgvng (unseasonably warm at moment!)
One of the probs with Michelins is that their tread is longer lived than the side-walls, and when I went to put them on a year ago last spring, their side-walls has started developing micro-cracks. I looked around for another set of Michelins but they weren't available in my size, and so my tyre advisor suggested going with summer tyres since I was already covered for the snow season. That, and the tyres I ended up with cost me less than half of what I would have spent on the Michelins, and that included fitting, balancing, and lifetime seasonal swappage! If you have to go with "all seasons" tyres (see threads passim for my views) Michelins are good, but expensive!
Ecopia is a family, not a specific tire. EP20, EP422, EP422 Plus? Probably EP20. (Just grumbling now: half the responders above are using descriptions like "Michelins", Ecopias", which really doesn't mean much.)
You're right, I do not remember the exact number but assuming it's the same Ecopia Toyota put on every Prius. I am guessing it's the EP20 as well as Tire Rack shows that as an OEM tire.
