At the risk of getting kicked out of this group for bringing up a topic that has been beaten to death...I really could use input on my upcoming tire decision. I'm fairly certain I've read every post there is here, as well as at priusonline.com, but with new tires coming out all the time, I just want to know if anyone has more input that can clear things up for me. Okay - we live in Fargo, ND, where it gets cold (frigid), we have ice and snow, and of course, in the warmer months, the potential for decent rain. However, hubby does not want to deal with the hassle or price of having two sets of tires (i.e. dedicated snow tires) for the Prius - and I agree - because our other car is a Yukon XL, and we'll obviously use that when we need to drive in terrible weather. But, we love the Prius, and want to use it as much as we can year-round, so decent snow-capable tires that are "all-season" is what we're looking for. The top 3 tires I've been speculating about are: Michelin Hydroedge (based mostly on John's log, since he's in MN, same weather as us) Michelin Primacy (based on positive comments I've seen here about them being a bit quieter and more comfortable than the HE) Nokian WRG2 (based on comments about handling in the ice/snow, as well as the LRR factor that may keep our MPG close to were it is with the OEMs) I sort of favor the Nokian just because it seems the favorite snow-capable tire here - but the treadwear rating is harder to swallow. It looks like people only get about 30K out of them. That's hard to compare to the HE that are rated for 90K (and it sounds like some people actually get that). So can you way in? I'd love to find a blend of all three tires, but I don't think that's going to happen (LRR, quiet, great on ice/snow, long treadwear). I realize many of these are diametrically opposed, so there is no "perfect" tire. But I'd settle for "almost perfect". Oh, by the way, I'm not looking at the Triple Tred because we want to stay with the 185/65 size - in my calls to tire places in town, many said they won't put a different size on, and I don't want to deal with it. I'm fine sticking with the standard size (and it helped me eliminate one tire...). Can you stand this topic once again to help me? Thanks, Julie
Summer and winter are very different seasons where you live, and no tire is going to perform well throughout the range of conditions. A soft tire that's good at lower temperatures will wear out quickly in the summer heat, negating any savings you might gain by not having to swap tires around twice a year. I think you're better off getting two sets of tires. Look at this way - they'll last twice as long! Personally, I think you've eliminated the wrong tire - I chose the TripleTread over the Hydroedge in part because of its better ratings in winter conditions. But winter here is not like yours - we rarely get snow, and it doesn't stay long. Finding an installer was not an issue, though I did have to answer a set of skill-testing questions.
Living where you do - not unlike where I live - I think you might want to reconsider and go with a true snow tire - especially on a Prius which is not the best ice and snow vehicle in the best of circumstances. I know it is a hassle at times to be changing tires. Still - I know I would never be comfortable driving my Prius in winter around here without snow tires. This is especially true since you are used to driving a big four wheel drive in winter. (I have a Tundra by the way).
Yes, please consider a dedicated snow tire for winter, preferably a good quality studded tire. Your first drive in a blizzard, you'd wonder just what the hell you were thinking driving with "all season" tires before
Thanks for the input. We really won't be using the Prius in bad weather. Our other cars are a Yukon XL and an Oldsmobile Bravada - both 4-wheel drive gas guzzlers... We'll only use the Prius on days that the weather is nice - but roads here never get 100% clean, so we want something that will do okay on roads that have a little scattered snow/ice. A dedicated snow tire would be overkill since we won't use it for that purpose hardly at all. So far, no votes for any of the tires I mentioned...not sure what to do...
Well, when I lived in Western Minnesota, I had just plain old all season radials on my car (front wheel drive, dodge spirit)... never a problem. Do you drive on streets, the highway, or back gravel roads? I love the Hydroedges.
Yes, yes, and yes... We drive on gravel (our house is on a short dirt road, maybe 1/2 mile worth) county roads (paved - speed limit 45-55), interstate, and city streets all in one commute (about 10 miles or so total). I'm leaning toward the hydroedges. The Nokians sounded best for snow, but short-lived for treadwear...and John1701 (is that right?) seemed to like his HE so much he put them on his Prius twice. Sigh - I hate decisions like this (and I'm sure I'm putting way too much thought into this). Do you find the HE to be very noisy?
OK, Had a 2005 Prius and now have a 2008. I had a terrible time with tires on my 2005. Only got 25thousand miles on the orginial set and they were really bad at that time. Replaced them at my Goodyear dealer who said he knew what to put on the car. Wrong!! those 685$ set only lasted 10thousnad miles before the side walls gave way. Then the Goodyear Dealer replaces those free, with what they said were the tires they made for this hybrid. Not sure they even know what a hybrid is or how much they weigh or any facts about the llr tires they need, I traded the 2005 in and the third set only had 15thousnad miles on them and they tooo were shot. I do not want to go through that again with this car. I need to know what tire exactly to put on the car and not loose 5 miles to the gallon and get more than 25thousand mile out of the tires. I think this is the biggest problem with the prius and I don't understand why toyota has not helped us with it. Please help me with your opinions and with a place to go at toyota to find the answer to this problem.
The HEs have not, in my opinion, been very noisy. I have driven them on icy roads, on very wet (lake effect) roads, and in high winds on both... and they've been wonderful.
Tired of this Pressure on these Rounds of Questions. Just Four searches will Roll out Concrete results.
Re: ...another tire thread - P3000 Pirellis Next time you're up for fresh rubber, try swapping your cheapie Goodyears, for Pirelli P3000s... I cannot believe the difference. My P3000s at 33 PSI, I boast no appreciable loss of fuel mileage, between 2400 ft and 4000 ft elevation. AND, I boast an improvement of 5 MPH, at the apex (e.g., that is day and night). Across the board, a 5 MPH speed variance reduction, ex ante and ex post apex, through a technical intermediate speed canyon, is statistically significantly (e.g., no cost gain; something for nothing). Don't take my word for it... Seeing's believing. Discernible transformation. The most obtuse of drivers would have no choice but concede, difference is significant. Having driven on the Pirellis, transitive preference logic leads me to suspect a small gain is to be had for the Prius with respect to fuel consumption, and sizable one with respect to tyre wear looms large... Set of Konis (e.g., dialing away push, going full soft up front; three-quarter turns, slightly stiffer both sides at the rear). Expensive... Koni's at all 4 corners is not cheap. Cost benefit analysis, Konis never pan out. I derive a nonpecuniary marginal benefit paying extra, having my car the way its supposed to be. Swapping out those cheapie Toyota dampers, I suspect perhaps I'll halve my tyre wear, AND improve my fuel consumption another three MPGs, across the board. Regards, ~ Samuel, '04 Prius \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Well, I've ordered my new tires - and after being *this close* to ordering the HEs...I went with the Nokian WRg2 tires. I spent most of the afternoon (at work :blush reading everything I could find about these tires. They seem to be quite liked by people who have to deal with occasional snow, but also work well in dry conditions. Hoping I made the right choice - and if not...well, there's always next time! Thank you to those who gave feedback!
I'm happy for you Happy Feet. How much are you paying for the Nokian WRg2? Would love to hear what you think about them this winter.
The total cost for the four tires, mounted, balanced, with old tire disposal is $534.20. That comes out to about $133/tire, which is still steep, but less than I've seen on most web retailers for just the tires alone. So I think I got an okay deal. Also include lifetime rotation, balance, flat repair and road hazard. Should have them on the car in just a couple of days. Julie
Snow tires - I just bought Hankook Ipike snow tires with extra wheels for my 08 prius. they reduced the gas mileage by a couple mpg (of course they just changed to winter fuel this month too) so that may be a factor. They are very aggressive and i am much more comfortable with them than the standard goodyears. I just hit 10k miles today on my car. got the tires and wheels from discount tire direct for 685. I didnt get the TPMS and it just blinks the light in the dash for a minute. Mike Syracuse NY
