Best tire size for the Toyota Prius?
Created January 27, 2005, at 8:33 pm by Anonymous
The Prius seems to have small tires. My experience with my non-hybrid is that mileage improves and I get better tire wear /performance if the tire diameter is increased. A friend with an '03 Prius asked me what she could do, she is having too much trouble with tire damage and rapid tread wear.
Any advice I should pass along?
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There isn't much room in there for a larger tire. I'm very conflicted on Prius tires as the Classic Prius shipped with some of the worst tires I've ever owned. In fact they wore out so fast I was provided a new set under warranty.
I can tell you many of us have gotten better wear out of the stock Bridgestones by increasing tire pressure. Most folks are running 42 front, 40 rear or even more. The Bridgestones are 50 psi tires so they are not even being stressed. Mileage also seems to go up a little with higher tire pressure.
My plan previously was to move to Nokian NRT2 tires but they have been very hard to find at least in the western US. I can get the Bridgestones at Costco...
I should hasten to add that we increase tire pressure at our own risk, your mileage may vary, this is not to be construed as medical advice, etc. etc.
Have people had good luck using the Goodyear Integrity for the Toyota Prius 2001?
No url
I use the Goodyear Integrity on my 2002 Prius. It's wearing much better than the stock Bridgestones. My first set of Potenzas wore out at 16,000 miles; the second at 30,000 (14,000 miles later). My Integrities are looking good with 45,000 on the odometer (15,000 miles of wear), and they cost half as much. I keep them inflated to 42/40 PSI.
Mind you, when I go into the Toyota dealer, they yell at me saying that I'm using a tire that is not rated for that weight, 42/40 is over-inflating the tire, blah blah. But Goodyear still recommends the Integrity for the Prius Classic. So yes, you're doing this at your own risk.
My MPG has not changed, but the ride is more rough with the Integrities, because of the higher tire pressure.
No experience with a Prius, but it is not surprising for the original equipment tires on any car to show poor wear. The reason for this is that OEM tires are often inferior in quality to the tires you buy to replace them. If you replace OEM Bridgestones with the same model, you are likely to experience much better wear. I won't swear that this is universally true, but did get this information from a Toyota dealer regarding another Toyota model. Nice to know that when you are shelling out $20K plus for new vehicles that the manufacturers are nickel-and-diming you on tires.
Here's my experience: I pushed the OEM Potenzas to almost 29,000 miles until I had a blowout with one; then I replaced them all. I guess I did pretty well compared to some people. After a bunch of research, I swallowed hard and bought Potenzas again. I'm now at 75,000 miles and finally have to replace them again -- so 40,000 miles or so with the replacements.
The 05 Prius came with 15 inch tires. The 08 comes with 16 inch tires. Did Toyota change the configuration of the openings so that the larger tire can be used or are all the openings the same (05-08)?
Can the 16 inch tire be used on the 05 vehicle?
I am curious has any one considered this idea to help improve MPG. In Japan they are getting alot more MPG out of their Prius and one of the things they did was use less resistant rotating tires. With that in mind how about a bigger rim with a lower profile tire, and to avoid speedo issues, keep the over all wheel diameter the same or go just a little bigger-less rotation.
How do I know how many miles my 05 Prius tires are warrantied for? I am at 32500 miles and the dealership says they need replaced. If I can get them done under warranty I would be one happy camper. Thanks for any info.
I have a 2005 Prius and have gone through a total of 8 new tires (the last four I just put on this week are a higher tread quality and wider "footprint"). Toyota is saying they have on record of any complaints about faster tire wear on the front tires. So now I am out $600 plus an alignment. Anyone have any documentation as to how quickly they have gone through tires on the front? Toyota says they have no complaints whatsoever on a "four year old car that has been on the road". I have calls into the local Toyota dealers, but any help from anyone here, would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks! :)
2005 Prius: Front tires needed replaced at 12,000 miles. They were underinflated when they went in for service so Dealer was not inclined to cover them under warranty.
At 34,000 miles the rear tires are bald and the front tires not far behind.
Time to upgrade or perhaps trade in for 2008 with 16' tires. JJK
Yes, my 2006 Prius came with the Goodyear Integrity. I've gotten 42,000 miles and I'm about to replace them. I've noticed the tire pressure comments here....in my situtation I've kept the tires at 35 front and 33-35 on the rear and rotated the tires regularly. I've been a little disappointed on the wet braking performance but I'm not sure if it is the tires or the car in general. Dry braking is great in my view.
Is the Michelin - HydroEdge® a great tire? There is a claim that it is MORE fuel efficient.
$115.99 ea at Costco along with $60 off a set of 4 Michelin until 6/29/08
http://tires.costco.com/TSSapp/TireDetails.xhtml?cid=710027
* Tire Size: P185/65R15 86T
* Item #: 745967
* Manufacturer's Warranty: 90,000 miles
Price includes: Shipping & Handling, Mounting, Balancing, Lifetime Services, Nitrogen Inflation, New Rubber Valve Stem, Environmental Tire Disposal, and the Costco Road Hazard Warranty.
Features & Benefits
* Lasts Up To 33,000 Miles Longer Versus the Competition*
MaxTouch Construction™, features a unique contact patch shape that evenly distributes the forces of acceleration, braking, and cornering.
* The Most Fuel-Efficient Tire in the Category†
EnergySaver Construction™ helps deliver excellent fuel efficiency by requiring less effort from your engine.
* Better Braking — Up To 14 Feet Shorter Than the Competition
A silca-based compound and wide center-groove design create a sure-grip tread, helping HydroEdge® tires stopup to 14 feet shorter in wet weather conditions versus the competition.*
my 2005 Prius came with Goodyear Integrities [185/65/r15] and at 67k miles they are just needing to be replaced [steel belts are beginning to show on the fronts]....definitely a good value!!! Here's a question, though....could I increase the width to 195 or 205 if i used a lower aspect ratio tire? [i.e. 195/60/r15 instead of 185/65/r15]
Each tire has a "revolutions per mile" rating. It's the number of turns the tires make in 1 mile.
The vehicle's speedometer and odometer are factory calibrated for a given RPM tire rating.
Try to make sure your new tires are close to the RPM rating of the FACTORY ORIGINAL tires. Your tire dealer should be able to give you this information.
If there is a substancial difference in RPM, then the speedometer and odometer will not read accurately.
You are confusing rim diameter with tire diameter. To maintain overall tire diameter, an increase in rim diameter is balanced by an increase in tread width and a decrease in aspect ratio. Go to any tire manufacturer's site and look up the specifications on the tire sizes in question. The site typically lists overall diameter and revolutions per mile. Correctly sized, the numbers are nearly identical.
Has anyone tried putting P185/65's on a classic Prius? The OEM tire is a P175/65. (175 mm across, 65% aspect ratio). I've been told that the larger tire is 1/2" wider in diameter. Both tires sit on 14" rims.
Did you gety an answer to your question about 195/60 size tires?
you can go to tires.com and they can show what you can get with or without changing your speedo
settings. Wider tires will hurt your mileage though
I tried out the 185/65 tires - and yes, I do get a mileage hit (5-10%). Everything else seems OK. No rubbing. I put some Michelin X-radial DTs on there (Costco), which can take down to a 5" rim. The classic Prius has a 5.5" rim. Note - the tires are an 85S, slightly above the original 84S. I probably wouldn't go for these again, but I have to admit the ride is as smooth as it's ever been.
Check Priuschat.com.. there are TONS of accounts of poor tire wear on OEM tires.
I have a 2005 Prius, and at 27,000 miles the Integrity are totally worn out! I have had all the periodic rotations and checks...but stilll...they did not least long at all.
it is the outer dimension of the tire that matters, not the size of the rim. A 195/55/16 tire, meant to go on a 16" rim, has the same outer dimension as a 185/65-15 (meant to go on a 15" rim). Both tire/rim assemblies will give the exact same odometer/speedometer reading
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