I found the OEM tires to be down right dangerous in wet weather. I installed tires and wheels off a Scion TC. The driving experience is remarkedly better, however I went from 42mpg to 39 mpg. Does anyone have experience with changing tires to Michlins or other quailty tires and their effect on mpg?
What size wheels did you go to? Yes, there's going to be a hit on gas mileage both from a larger diameter wheel (if that's the case) and from using non Low Rolling Resistance tires as well as while the new tires break in. I switched from the Integrities to HydroEdge and had a significant but temporary drop in mileage. By the time I had the tires on for 2000 miles I'm getting as good as or better mileage than I was with the LRR Integrities.
Welcome to PC, svchaplin! I replaced the Goodyears on my '04 with Nokian WRs, and have noticed no change in MPG. The Nokians have an aggressive, directional tread, are excellent in rain, but growl a bit at low speeds.
Scion TC are 17" however the overall height remains the same. The tire is wider. I am not familiar with the Integrities tire, our local Costco has a Michlin, but I am reluctant to buy them as they are not a low rolling resistant tire either. I am in SoCal and it seldom rains but the roads are quite slipper when it does rain. I only got 22,000 miles on the Goodyear OEMs. The 17" tires make a much better drivng Prius, but I would sell them and replace with the Michlin 15" if I was assured it would help the mileage.
Even though the overall height is the same you're going to take a mileage hit with the bigger diameter wheel. I'll let one of the experts explain the physics of that. You still didn't say how many miles you have on the new tires. Integrities are the Goodyear OEM tires you had on and replaced. The Michelins should give you about the same mileage as the Integrities (OEM) did, but only after break in. If your Scion tires (whatever they are) aren't broken in yet then be patient, your mileage impact may be minimal.
Michelin makes several LRR tires. The Energy MXV4+ is available in the size which Toyota specifies for the Prius.
The Scion tires and wheels you put on are significantly heavier than the OEM tires and wheels on the Prius. Plus, the larger outer diameter will underreport your miles driven, leading to an error in the milage calculation.
FYI on Michelin MXV4+ tires, I asked Michelin if they are LRR tires: <<Is the MXV4+ rated as a low rolling resistance (LRR) tire? I am looking to replace my 2004 Prius tires and don't want a drop in gas mileage.>> We appreciate your interest and patronage. The Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus has been designed with a lower rolling resistance; however, we do not have the actual technical data pertaining to these tests. Therefore, we would not have a way to determine what type of an impact there will be in terms of gas mileage when replacing with the Energy MXV4 Plus tires. Michelin North America Consumer Relations
