Due to an unfortunate encounter with a curb ($1300 body work) the two right wheels and one tire were damaged. So I decided to upgrade to 16" wheels, re the Touring model, and installed 4 Michelin Pilot Primacy 195/55 R16 87V tires mounted on Pacer Vantage (#032H) wheels. At the moment am inflating 42F/40R. They look sharp and the car does handle a little better. BUT...the mileage has gone down. I'm now averaging 41-44 mpg in overall (mainly city) driving. Has anyone had any similar experience?
When Consumer Reports tested the Touring model with its 16" wheels and 195/55/16 Bridgestone Turanza El-400s, it found that the Touring got 2 fewer mpg's and 10 feet shorter 60-0 mph braking distances than the Standard Prius with its 15" wheels and 185/65/15 Goodyear Integrities.
Give the tires a little more time to break in ( 4-5,000 miles). Both my wife and I drive Tourings and we average between 45 and 49 MPG per tank routinely in mostly city driving. As has been stated here many times, short trips and high speed are MPG killers. FYI, I find 40F/38R to be a good compromise between high mileage and ride comfort. 42/40 seems too stiff and hard on the suspension componets.
I'm far from "tire-knowledgeable" so forgive the question, but wouldn't your mileage be affected not only by the newness of the tires, but also by the weight of the wheel/tire combo and the rotations per mile of the tires?
