I have a 2008 Gen II prius; 22700 mileage. I have original OEM tires on the car. One original tire had to be replaced about 18 months ago due to a nail in the sidewall. I now have to replace a second one, due to the fact that it got damaged/slashed---not vandalism--I took a corner too sharply and the tire hit the metal sewer grate on the right back tire. I intend to keep the car for another 12-18 month, waiting to see the new Gen IV Prius! Would it be a good idea to replace ALL FOUR tires at this point? I live in the Tampa Bay Area in Florida. If so, what tires/brands are recommended for optimal mileage, keeping in ind that I will not have the car for more than 1-1/2 years. Thanks!
1. What is the tread depth on the other two undamaged, original tires? 2. If the tread depth is good, why would you not just buy one tire to replace the damaged tire? 3. You should buy the same brand/model as the original equipment tires if you are going to buy just one tire. 4. If your car is at risk of suffering more vandalism, then I am wondering why you would want to buy four new tires at a time. 5. If you have driven only 23K miles over six years of ownership, your car remains in basically new condition. However you'll take a big depreciation hit when you trade the car in for a new Prius...
LET me clarify : 1. I considered replacing ONLY the damaged tire, with original OEM tire; was concerned about AGE of tire and possible drying out of tire due to age. 2. It was not vandalism - I cut a corner sharply and damaged the tire on a metal sewer grate; will edit the original post. Tire slash was due to that 3. I was anticipating selling my vehicle myself, so as to NOT take as big a it as trading it in; make sense?
One thing: tires age, 5 years is the usual time to consider replacement, though if it's garage kept, out of the elements, maybe a year more. Look them over closely, see if they're developing fine cracks. One advantage to replacing all is you have a fresh start, and barring road hazards you're set for a few years. Michelin Premier? Not sure if they're available in your size. If I'd played by the rules I would have replaced two tires by now, one of the OEM and one of our snows, due to two small punctures deemed too close to tread edge, about an inch from edge in both cases. Instead I got a decent plug repair kit, and no problems. Obviously a sidewall tear is another issue, but just saying.
The vehicle is definitely garage kept; not near the beach. Michelin Premier are certain available in this state - is their cost justified if only keeping the vehicle for another 12-18 months?
6 years isn't bad, unless you are driving at speeds of 90+ mph I personally would not be concerned, especially since you plan to sell the car in 2 years or less.
6 years for garage kept is OK. 8 years is the absolute limit for tire safety. The OP just needs to replace the damaged tire with the same tire model. Now, personally I would not buy a hybrid car for so little driving. The battery will go bad in 8-10 years in OP's climate and he'll hardly use the car in that timespan.
Agreed. With that little driving, the cheapest tire that'll fit would be best financially, as gas savings would never make up for the cost of good LRR tires. However, 4 matching LRR tires might be a good selling point when the time comes.
Both tires I mentioned are LRR, the Ecopia more so, and cheaper. What's your tire size?? You can go to TireRack website, plug in your vehicle, and ask to show only LRR options, that'll show the gamut.
The Ecopias are $70 off a set of 4 at Costco (possibly other places). I'm getting mine next week, total of about $370 I think.
