Best tire size for the Toyota Prius?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.*

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.

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.

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

Check Priuschat.com.. there are TONS of accounts of poor tire wear on OEM tires.

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

Wow! Not using your brakes or the gas pedal
can save lots of money on gas! :-0)
Is an undriven car the ultimate "best performance?"

I bought 2007 Prius. Came with Goodyear Integrity tires now half bald at 32k miles and need replacement. I am NOT light footed on the pedal and only rotated twice. I guess this is about typical. Anyone have a comparison for how these compare to Michelin Hydro edge tires? I will either by Integrity again, or upgrade to Mich.

if your front tires wore out 10k miles before your rear tires, then the problem wasn't with the tires, but rather with the lack of preventative maintenance practiced by their owner ...

They will possibly fit but the best thign to do is keep the overall diameter of the tire the same as stock. This will minimize change on speedometer reading and will not affect braking characteristics as much.

Technically an 07 Prius can fit a 17" wheel provided you keep the overal diameter of the outside tire the same which means the tire gets thinner. I have 215/45-17's on my Prius.

http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp

My 2008 was purchased in April 2008 also. I rotated tires at 10,000 mile intervals and at 1 year the tires were down to the wear bars. All four. I know have over 20,000 and I'm well into the wear bars. I've got Goodyear Integrities and came to this site to decide what to buy next. Mixed reviews on these Goodyears. I drive more town type roads and less highway. I wonder if only the highway commuters are getting the higher miles off of thier Goodyears.

Has your mileage improved @ all yet? we are planning on going to Costco today to put these tires on our 08, but only if these are the best bet! I know my husband (it's his car) will be very upset about tire noise.

I now drive a 2007 Prius with 50k miles. I'm still on my original Goodyear tires and won't buy the same brand for my replacements (I plan to push them another 20K miles). My previous car was a 1990 Honda Civic that was going strong at 300,000 miles until someone wrecked into me and totaled it. However, I easily got 80k miles on a set of tires. It all depends on how you drive (I got 50mpg on my civic in the city). Drive conservatively as if you have an egg between your foot and gas pedal and a tomato resting on your hood -- your car will last forever (of course change your oil every 5k)! I'll be shopping around for the cheapest tire available for my next replacements.

Evidently the term "best performance" has greater number of meanings than I attach to it! To me "best performance" is achieved when one drives an automobile further on each $ spent on total cost (this includes capital purchase price, annual cost of servicing the vehicle, frequency and cost of replacing tires, frequency and cost of replacing brake pads/discs/rotors etc. and lastly; gasoline and oil). I suspect the individual with the "best performance" comment judges a vehicle to be performing best if it'll go from 0 to 60 in 5 or 6 seconds. Or screeching to a stop in a relatively short distance. I still get better than 52 miles per gallon when I drive my 2007 Prius and expect original tires that came on my vehicle will last me up to (and probably beyond) 60,000 miles. I get the "best performance" out of my Prius when I consistently go from a dead stop at a traffic sign or signal up to about 18 to 22 miles per hour solely using my electric motor before the gasoline engines kicks in. I also see little value in going from 65 to 70 miles per hour freeway speed onto an exit ramp faster than about 45 miles per hour only to use hard braking to slow down to 30 miles per hour at the end of the exit. Once again. to get high mileage from a set of tires (as well as better gas mileage) I maintain: Use the brake pedal and gas pedal is little as is necessary to drive legal speeds on thoroughfares. The only "undriven" car is one that's in a museum and never taken out on any road. Is a car that's aggressively, carelessly or forcefully driven the "ultimate" in "best performance"? I think not.

I have these on my 2007 Prius. A wonderful tire! I am used to driving a heaver car, and it almost got away from me in the rain and wind with 3/8" standing water at 55 mph. I went to the Hydro edge because the Prius is so light and prone to hydroplaning. Since we have put these on, it is a lil rougher ride, but a noticeable improvement on wet roads with side winds. I put them on at 25K miles, I now have 58K on it, no noticeable wear. No mileage difference. Also a little more noise on grooved cement, asphalt no difference. And they do brake better.

The Michelin's last a long time. We have 100K miles on our set. It was put on by Toyota under warranty when the original Good Year tires were unsafe. While we get good mileage on the Michelin they are a terrible tire. They are noisy and give a bad ride. Having ridden in other Prius's I find almost anything else is quieter and gives a better ride but they wear out much faster. It depends upon what you want. For us it doesn't matter how long the Michelin last the noise and ride is so poor we will replace tires more often to get a more enjoyable ride, my wife says it doesn't matter what we put on next time just so it isn't a Michelin. This runs with the experience I have had with Michelin on five other cars, never liked them and they never gave the performance the promised. From Cad, Explorer, Thunderbird, Porche & Corvette all have been a disappointment.

Good Luck

I have used the Michelin Hydroedge on a different car. They are great tires but - bear in mind these were designed at the same time as the Michelin tires that caused cancellation of the Indy Formula I. I had the same experience with my passenger car tires as the race drivers had. The sidewalls blew out at the slightest provocation.

My front tires are wearing out and need to be replaced ASAP. I have a '08 and 27,400 miles on them. I take it in to the dealership for rotation and alignment. Will the warrenty cover these tires? What are the best tires for a Hybrid car?

I have a 02 Prius. My OEM tires started wearing quickly also. Talking to mechanic, suggested inflating tires to 35 psi and rotating at each oil change. Have about doubled mileage on the Dunlop SP10's since. The new tires will be the Integrity because they are cheaper and seem to wear longer.
So keep rotating those tires and keep the tire pressure up to spec!

We have a 2007 Prius, bought new, driven only by us seniors. I can get a little heavy-footed now and then, but my wife drives like an old lady, so we average out.

The tires get rotated twice a year. It now has 36.5K miles on it. It averages about 45 MPG. (BTW, the Toyota claim of 55 MPG was hype and apparently they were told to cut it out; however lots of people still want to believe it.) We travel cross-country twice a year, totaling about 6000 miles; the rest is mostly local, with the occasional day trip over the freeways, usually timed to avoid the rush hour jams.

On one of those recent trips to LAX in the rain, I noticed a bit of hydro-planing. The tires are half bald, so I went by the local Wal-Mart to get a quote.

Four Goodyear Viva 2 Tires come to $320, plus Road Hazard Warranty $40, Life Time Balance $30, Valve Stem $8; bringing it to $398. Add CA tax, disposal of old tires, and 'safety' something. I have had good luck with my local Wal-Mart tires & service in the past but would like to hear what others have to say about the Goodyear Viva 2 Tires. Thx.

Claire,
What did you learn and what did you buy? Are you happy with the new tires you have? I also have a 2007 Touring Prius and will need tires in the next month or two. Thanks, Mary

I drive a 2008 Prius, and am at 41,000 on my original tires. With yesterday's oil change I found that while the tread is fine on the tires, they are worn on the inside. So I will need to replace these before winter. I keep my tires at 40 in the winter, then 42 front, 41 back in the warmer months. I am currently exceeding 50mgp....winter time my average gas mileage is around 43. So I think I may just stick with the Goodyears when I get mine replaced. I like getting the good gas mileage, and while I wish this car braked better and wasn't so slippy slidy on wet pavement, I have learned to work with that, and would prefer to not give up the great gas mileage.

I have 75,000 miles on my original tires, 2005 prius. They're Goodyears, made in Japan

I have a 2008 Prius and average about 55mpg - mostly freeway driving to work and back. I have about 45000 miles on my care and need some new tires - the treads are still great, but I have dry-rot on the sides, probably from the Phoenix heat. I'm thinking of getting the Bridgeston low resistance tires. Any comments about them?

2005 Prius, lifetime average 56+mpg, 167k miles to date.
The OEM tires gave me 45k miles, with good mpg at 'normal' inflation. I replaced them with Sumitomo from my local tire guy, because they were cheap. I immediately saw better mileage, probably because I also started running at 42/40psi front and back. Better, as in 10% overnight. My best two tanks back to back were 62.5mpg on my normal 100 mile daily commute.
After 60k miles, those were worn out, so I bought more just like them. At least I thought so, but it turns out Sumitomo had made an adjustment in the compuind somehow. My mileage immediately dropped off 10%, though at the same inflation and driving patterns. I adjusted by bumping the pressure to 44/42psi, but never got back to the 60+mpg.
I am now at 62k miles on this set and ready for some new ones. I am trying to figure out if there is something better than the (cheap, long-lasting) Sumitomo option. For example, the Bridgestone Summer Tour Ecopia sounds good, but is significantly (35%) more expensive up front. Any ideas?

Prius tires are designed with a maximum inflation of 45psi, and are NORMALLY run at 40psi with light to moderate cargo/passenger loads in the car.

You can tell if your tires are over/under inflated by the tread wear pattern.

If the center of the tire is wearing more than the outside edges, you are overinflated.

If the center of the tire is wearing less than the edges, then you are underinflated.

Running my Hankook tires on my Prius at 40psi, with 45psi when the car is fully loaded, my tires are wearing PERFECTLY EVENLY.

I am only getting 52mpg average in the summer, but that's because I am running all-season radials, and I am too lazy to change from summer tires to snow tires twice a year. I just run
the all-season tires year around.

The HydroEdge is a great tire for the Prius. I replaced the horrible OEM tires on my 2004 Prius with them and it drove in snow and wet surfaces like a tank, really sure-footed (unlike the originals). Am just planning to replace the original ones on my 2008 Prius with the same.

Have a 2008 Prius, Goodyear Oem tires worn out at 37000 mi. I replaced 185/65/15's with Miclhelin 195/65/15 Radial-X. Oddmeter and speedometer off by 2% but thus far doing great. My milage did go up slightly when tires were worn down, but thus far milage has stayed high after replacement. Just a note, my milage stays around 50 MPG with mixed driving (very little in city traffic) mostly on rural roads and interstate, ( I don't baby it) and milage does drop in winter weather by a couple MPG, of course I start the car and let it warm up while I have coffee when it's cold, that may have something to do with it.

I have 25K miles on my Prius 08, original tire, and the tire noise is incredibly loud above 50 mph.

Who has found a quiet tire for freeway driving?

I'm constantly having problems with flat tires? I have an '07 and I can't even remember how many tires I have bought. Any $ I've saved in gas, I've spent on tires. Anyone else having trouble with flats?

A little over 3k miles and no trouble thus far. I wasn't sure about hard left/right turns so I tried it before responding. No problem. Still don't understand why GPS reads one slower than speedometer, should read one mile faster in my oponion. Jim

I recommend the Bridgestone "Ecopia" tire for a Prius (ours is 2007). After a year a half (about 25k miles) we are getting normal or less wear and found no difference in our mpg (about 54 to 55 mpg) from before. We live in the Santa Cruz, CA area and have dry summers and wet winters (40 inches of rain). We frequently drive over a very windy (as in curvy) highway over the mountains that is known for accidents for aggressive drivers or poor conditions. We have had no poor handling/slipping issues there. This is important to note because some tires handle well initially, but degrade as the material wears (manufacturers make a better "outer" layer to the tire).

Prior to this, we had the factory Goodyear tires that lasted for about 40k miles with the same mpg as above (our measured mpg is about the same as the computer readout).

If you buy tires, get a place that does free rotation/balance and get a lifetime alignment. I get the oil change there but do my major repairs elsewhere because a tire shop is a tire shop.

Regarding speedometer accuracy.

Not all 195/65/15 are the same.

There is ANOTHER "rating" for tires that is rarely discussed, and has to be dug out of the woodwork.

"Revolutions Per Mile" a.k.a. "RPM". A specific brand and model of tire may turn 745 revolutions per mile. Or 923, or 671, or ... well you get the idea.

Every single make and model of tire as an RPM rating, but several different models of 195/65/15 tires may have DIFFERENT RPM ratings.

ALL speedometers and odometers operate ONLY by measuring the number and speed of TIRE REVOLUTIONS. In order to accurately measure speed and distance, your car has to be equipped with tires of the SAME RPM that the speedometer/odometer is CALIBRATED for.

I would either go with the 15-inch: 195/65R15 or the 17-inch: 215/45R17. If you're not sure what these sizes indicate, this article from STS Tire will quickly debrief you.

Ron, did you try those Michelins on your Prius? I'm thinking of buying a Prius and I love michelins in general.
Annie

Bought my 2010 Pruis in October 2010, have already had to replace back rt rear. This Prius came with Yokohama low riders and I would NOT reccomend them at all. Very rough ride. Best mileage I've gotten is 42 mpg. My question. I want to replace my wheels and tires with regular tires. Any suggestions on the best tires for better mileage?

www.atlantagoodusedtires.com has the lowest prices on quality used tires and new tires. They are located in Georgia.

I had the original Goodyear tires, they were very quiet and gave me about 35K, now I have Briddgestone coming on 85K and need to replace them, I will go back to the Goodyear as they were much much quieter.

Instead of the 195/65 can I use 205/60, I have after market 15 inch rims

I just repaired my 3rd flat tire in less than 2 years on my 2010 Prius. All 3 were due to either a nail or screw in the fron tires. I've been driving for 35 years and have never had more than 2 falt tires due to a screw. I think the Prius is prone to flat tires for some reason.

Me too! Looking at/for the same!

Let’s just face it, the age of the 15" tire has ended. For purposes of availability and to expand my options, I think I will buy some 17 inch wheels for my 2005 Prius. You just cannot find 15's anymore, sure you can order them, but a man likes to see the tire he is going to put on his car. He likes to compare it to other tires on the rack. There are so few choices now that you are at the mercy of the tire store.

I hate those 17" and larger wheels. I think it looks stupid. The larger the wheel the goofier I think the car looks. I do not want larger rims for that reason. I used to have several cars with 12 and 13 inch wheels. Try and find a tire to fit one of those.

Go to the tire store and ask how many kinds of tires they have 185/65 15. Then ask how many different kinds of 215/45 17's they have. I am concerned that by moving to a wider tire, my mpg will suffer. There will be more rolling resistance.

So I have made the case here folks. Am I right, or is there still a big market in 15" tires that has somehow skipped my small town? Is anyone else experiencing the same difficulty finding tires locally? Finding tires at walmart does not count, those are the worst tires on the planet.

I would appreciate your comments on this subject. And if you know an economical way to move up to 17" wheels, please share. Every website I have looked at has left me stunned at the price of just a basic 17" wheel. I'm not into the fast and furious, and I don't need to attract any attention by having shinny wheels. I guess I'm just looking to change, without it being too painful.

Michelin tires are the best tires for wear. They are also used on most high end cars. The new Lexus CT 200h comes with Michelin tires from the factory.

A softer tire that rides smoother will not last as long but if you want the best there is, it's Michelin. I have owned 20 new cars and when I stray from Michelin it's always trouble!

You can check out the one's they are putting on the 2011 Lexus CT 200h hybrids. Those are probably the best!

I just ordered my second set of Intregties. I would have gotten the advertised 50,000 miles out of them but I picked up a nail near the sidewall.

It's the second nail I've gotten in 10 months. I suspect it's because two of the roads I drive regularly are under heavy construction. And really, I suspect it's the one they are building a light rail line down the middle of.

After the second nail, I swore off driving those two roads until the construction is finished.

I did the same exact thing. Sam's Club store not online had four GoodYear Eagle LS2 195/65/15 (Tire has good ratings & said to be quiet). So, I got while they had a $75 instant rebate earlier this year as well.

I'm going to have all four tires installed tomorrow morning Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011 at Sam's Club . Hopefully, there will be no rubbing when turning sharp at a slow speed since the OEMN size tire is 185/65/15.

I would hope you at least drive the "flow" of traffic. People who drive "legal" speeds on "thoroughfares" all the time with no consideration of those around them are simply a traffic hazard. Meaning: if everybody else around you is cruising at 70, I would hope you are not the oblivious and inconsiderate person driving "65" in the middle of left lane just cause you can.

I have a Toyota Echo (similar to Prius) that I, like some of you above, was looking for the best tires for. I was looking through the usual brands: Goodyear, Michelin, Firestone, etc. and through some internet searching I began reading about Hankook Tires on this website about Hankook Tires Review that I happened to find. They're actually a pretty decent company, and less expensive than the other guys. I went with the Ventus tire for my Echo, and it has turned out to be a good choice thus far... just something to bear in mind!

I have a 2010 Prius. Recommendations for new tires? Maybe a couple of options?
Maybe, Michelin X-Radial 195/65R15 ?????
Thank You

How were the Goodyears?
At my Sam's club they said that the Goodyear were the worst of the tires,
Quiet is good, and mpg is important.
Thanks

My '07 "Base" Prius has had the Kumho ECO SOLUS HM tires for about a year now. They are a so called "lower rolling resistance" 100,000mi tread wear guaranteed tire. So far, they are relatively quiet, pleasant riding, good wet braking, able handling tire, for me. I special ordered them at Discount Tire here in Texas for about $80ea. in July 2010.

I also bought a set of 195/65/15 Hydroedge tire and after 40,000 miles I need to replace them. Very sad for a 90,000 mile tire.

I just replaced the original tires on my 2010 Prius (managed to get 58K miles) with Yokohama Avid Touring S tires. I made this choice because of price, but have found that my usual mpg (56-57) is down to 50-51. Unfortunate choice, I think...

Was told by my Toyota tech that the front tires wear considerably faster than the rear because of the added strain of the electric motors and transassembly kicking in and out constantly. That is why even in the owners manual they say you must rotate tires at every oil change. I rotate mine every 5000 or so miles when I have the oil changed and they wear really evenly. I've seen others who don't and you can really tell, they lose 20 to 30k miles on the front set. Be sure to get the free tire rotations when you buy your tires for this car. They will definately pay for itself.