W rated tires on a Prius ...? Here’s what I learned ...the hard way. W rated is generally used for speed but it also has to do with sidewall strength and more. I purchased a set of Bridgestone Ecopia 422+ V rated LRR tires for my v 5. Mileage didn’t drop a bit and maybe got better. BUT, I couldn’t stand the way they drove as I felt like I was driving on marshmallows. I felt if I had to ever avoid an accident, the response time would be too slow. I would notice the sidewalls would completely compress when I looked at them while parked which was odd. HERE’S THE CRITICAL PART. In the first year I had to replace 3, yes 3 tires, with sidewall problems. Then finally a guy at Costco explained the problem and replaced all four tires. The W rating was needed because of the lower profile “50” of the v 5 tire. (The v 2, 3 and 4 only require a V rated tire because they are “60” in terms of profile. ). The W rating isn’t required for speed, but for sidewall strength and especially when purchasing a low rolling resistance tire. The LRR sidewalls, combined with a low profile in V rating were not strong enough. Because of the problems I had, I switched to a beefier tire, a non LRR tire, but still in a V rating and it has been great since. With the Ecopias, my mileage didn’t change a bit but the tires felt unsafe. With the non LRR, Michelin Premier A/S V rated, I’m down 10-12% in mileage but the car drives way better. I just won’t be setting any new record mileage
What were the Load Ratings on the OEM, and replacement V and W speed rated tires? That tells you more of a story than a mostly under-utilized speed rating, in my experience.
I agree, the biggest issue here was the brand of tire bought, not the type. The Michelin ES/AS tires are great to drive on, and get great MPG too.
You had me struggling, finally twigged: that's Michelin Energy Saver A/S. Sadly not available in my 17" size, but might go with Primacy MXM4. Worth noting, while Premier A/S is described as "total performance", both the Energy Saver A/S and Primacy MXM4 are "green-x". Defender used to be "green-x", and now Defender T+H is "total performance". Maybe "total performance" equates to not so hot in the mpg category?
I just put some Defender T+H on our Prius V. I've noticed somewhat of a MPG hit ( maybe 4% or so ). However, the tires that were on there previously were in very bad shape ( treads were very low and the tires were bad...causing shimmy at high speed NOT due to balance, etc.. ). So the MPG hit might very well be worse than 4% when compared to 'good' tires. The Defenders also have a very deep tread...and have a very high treadwear rating..so MPG vs tread wear ( tire longevity ) is an important consideration. Search | Safercar -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) So my point is not to sweat it right when the new tires are installed. They may very well need time to 'break in'...especially deep tread tires.
I didn’t change the speed rating in the 2nd replacement set. I just went away from a LRR tire so it would be a heftier tire. The originals were Toyo Proxes A20, and are you saying Bridgestone’s were a step down from those? The funny thing is I actually requested the Michelin Energy Savers at costco and the guy put the Bridgesones in which I didn’t realize until after I left. It was a miscommunication at Costco and the guy said they were just as good. I could see the sidewalls completely confessed when I’d park. They had no strength to them.
Ok. I looked up the load ratings. OEM Toyo Proxes A20 were 90W Bridgestone Ecopia 422+ were 95 V XL Michelin Premier A/S are 95V XL. The guy at costco said the speed rating is a lot more than just speed and said that was why I had had the problem, when combined with LRR and low profile. I literally could see the sidewall compress almost down towards the rim when parked at times. And that tire had the highest load rating so that makes me think that is BS. The non LRR ones barely show any compression when parked. I should also add I was running psi of 39 front 35 rear.
The 90 load index there is the killer. The v is relatively heavy and could stand a 95 or 98 load index tire, especially when loaded in the summer.
With the recent switch to 225/50R17 98V Continental Pure Contacts, we don't notice "rougher", we do notice "firmer", a sought-after if secondary benefit to LRR/eco/green performance.
I put about 30K on a set on my V5, 17" size. Threw away the brand new OE tires. They handle great and do surprisingly well in all weather. Looks like they stopped making the 215/50R17, but do still have a 215/55R17.
