Prius Tires
Created September 4, 2006, at 7:59 am by Anonymous
We are on our fourth set of tires for the 2002 Prius - the only aspect of the car that we are (very!) disappointed about. The problem has been uneven and rapid treadwear, and we do rotate at regular intervals. Any thoughts about a new brand of tires, or strategies for extending the life of tires on a Prius. Just bought a 2006 and wonder whether we'll have the same problem!
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Same here. uneven wear, back wheel looks angled, Has anybody found a good tire for the prius?
If tires are wearing out that quickly I would have the dealer check your alignment. If you are rotating your tires, that would just have them all wear out quickly also.
Is the treadwear even? Lopsided?
My '05 Prius has 45,000 mi on the original set of tires with no noticeable problems....
good luck.
I own a 2005 Prius and went through 2 sets of tires by 20,000 miles. I put a set of Michelin Hydroedge on and so far they are wearing fine. I did have an alignement problem that was fixed when the 1st set wore out prematurely, which doesn't explain the second set. The Michelins did decrease mileage slightly but it was worth it to me.
My 2002 has 97000 mile on the clock, third set of tires. Went 31000 on factory, about 30000 on the second, (they did well cocidering that they were not rated LT load like the fatory, they had lots of tread but seperated.) Now on the third set Michelin Hydro edge, al litte larger and wider than factory, lost about 1/2mpg, but tye stick like glue, and after about 30000mi don't show any ware, I think they will make the 50-60000 rating.
We just put a set on Michelin MXV 4 plus on our 2004 at about 53,000, and my partner seens to like them, now that he set the air pressure wright. He runs around 40psi (so do I). The new tires seam to be more stable at speeds than Factory, and he didn't seam to loose milage.
Ginger: Check your new tire's "traction" rating as compaired to the old tires.
High Traction = High Friction = More rolling resistance = lower mileage.
Prius typically uses hard rubber, low friction tires for better mileage.
good to hear what this group is saying since my experience is similar: my 05 prius just blew a tire at 28500. all of the other tires are practically bare. it never occurred to me to even look--no other car i've owned has ever been a worry below 80K! why does goodyear list 50K life if no one is getting that. i'm annoyed and would love to hear the reason.
My 2006 Prius has totally worn out tires on the insides after perfect maintenence every month for the almost 2 years we've owned the car. The Toyota dealership will take no responsibility for the problem. We are right now putting very expensive tires on in the hope of a safer car. It has to be a design problem. The guy with the 2005 that says he has no problem with his tires....does anyone know if there was a design change from 05 to 06 relating to tire efficiency? Thank you
We have just turned 50,000 on our 05 prius . The service manager at Toyota told us that one tire was at the minimum tread wear depth of 3 mm the others were at 4mm so we are going to buy a new set. Because of the small size of these tires (more revolutions per mile) 50,000 miles seems like a decent number to get. We don't drive hard and do want to optimize our mileage so we will try to replace these Goodyears with the identical tires . Hope this next set does as well. We did notice the outside edge of these tires seem more worn than the middle of the tread. All tire rotations were done on schedule.
Bought a repo'd 2007 with only 10,000 miles on it. Took it into the dealer for its 15,000 service and both rear tires were out of round and one had humongous flatspots on it. I had been warned that Prius had tire issues, particularly relating to mpg. The service crew told me they'd never seen a Prius tire in such a state. I cant see how a non-drive wheel can have such wear problems unless the brakes are mis-functioning.( I hear and feel no evil whilst driving) these are TOYO tires and apparantly OEM. Any input appreciated. This is the only issue I have with my Pious.
We love this car. We didn't expect to, mainly because its reason is as a showcase for hybrid technology, and, therefore, it's a magnet for the pocket-protected. [&#@%!] lover also support this issue.
72,000 (mostly highway) miles on my 2006 Prius. Tires have been rotated about 4 times since new. Edges are getting worn and will probably put the first new set of tires on next month so we can go into the winter months with fresh treads. I will try to use the same tire (low rolling resistance) that the car came with to keep the mpg up.
I've had two ties go flat on my 2007 Prius (owned since October 06) and I am not even at 30,000 miles yet.
The tire pressure gauge light always comes on. I have the dealer check it every time I take it in for an oil change (3000 miles) and they tell me it is working fine. They check the tires, give me the car back and --sure enough -- the light is off. I assume tire pressure is fine. Invariably, about five to nine days after the oil change, the gauge light is on again.
I love my Prius, but I feel like I'm not getting the straight dope here.
Does anyone know the real deal with this?
I have a 2004 Prius with 42k on it. I'm about to change the tires for the second time. Ouch. The BF Goodrich ( my first replacement did not last long. I'm going to try Michelin this time.
We have over 50K on a 2006, bought January of that year. Have had one instance, early on, with the tire going flat, and several times the pressure light has come on, with one tire about 10-12 PSI below the others. We love the car and this is a minor issue, but we will probably get new tires soon if it keeps recurring. The tread is still in pretty good shape.
I think OEM tires are usually low compound quality anyway.
Don't Prius alignments go for all 4 wheels? I'd make sure your alignment man knows what he/she is doing. And just because it's a Toyota Dealership doesn't make it the best at alignment.
I too have a 2007 prius, and have had three flat tires in less than a year. I love my car, but drive in the country a lot and don't like being stranded. has any one tried no flat tires?
No one has commented on the tire pressures they used. I am only at 11,ooo miles and run 44 psi and all seems well. I am sure low tire pressures mean high tire wear and low mpg.
we have put 81000 miles on our 2006 prius, has been great. our first set of tires was lost by our local tire dealer when we had studded tires put on. the snow tires wear like iron this wiil our third season coming up. our first set of regular tires only had about 8000 miles the second set that we got were hancooks a 40,000 mile rated tire and we got 40,000 out of them we ponied up and bought a set of 80,000 mile rated toyos and went from a 185 60 15 to a 205 60 15. which is slightly bigger 3 tenths of an inch. but with the wider tire I will sacrifice a mile of econmy for the ride and the quiet. a big difference in ride quality. I will keep you posted on these tires the come highly recommended by a friend who owns a tire store and he put the same tires on his mothers prius.
I have 96,000 miles on my factory tires, and by the look of them, I'll get at least 30,000 more before I am at the wear marks. Each one has taken at LEAST 5 nails/screws/spikes without leaving me stranded, I just get them patched when I notice it. Gee, I guess maybe my 2005 Hummer H2 isn't so bad after all!
Wow Jerry! Let me see if I get this right:
You drove 96,000 miles in your H2. At a generous estimate of 16mpg, you used 6,000 gallons of gas. A Prius owner, at about 48mpg, would have used 2,000 gallons of gas. So you bought an extra 4,000 gallons of gas (conservatively) at an average price of, say, $2.75 a gallon. That's about $11,000 extra. Not to mention the massive depreciation hit you've taken recently (your KBB Private Party Value has sunk to the vicinity of $15,000).
I'm glad your tires are holding up.
Barry
I have 40,000 miles on my 2007 Prius. I have no problems with the tires. They look like they will last another 10,000 at least.
I have upped the psi to 42/44. It does not seem to help the gas mileage.
I have a 2007 prius and have had it serviced routinely. At about 15,000 I was told I needed new tires. I was outraged! I have about 25,000 miles and am desparetely needing new tires. The Bridgestone Tuaranza and Yokahima (sp) and Kumho (sp) have all been suggested by dealers. This is a big investment can anyone provide me with a brand that has proven to work well on these cars.
For what it's worth:
My 2008 Prius just turned 18,000 miles on the odometer.
Still on Factory original tires.
I put a depth gauge on all 4 tires. They are all between 6/32 and 7/32 tread depth. Tire wear appears to be absolutely even, no sign at all of uneven wear.
I will probably get a new set of tires at 24,000 miles.
Don, I have seen many places that recommend that Prius front tires be set at 42psi and the rear tires at 40psi. You are absolutely right about low pressure = more friction = more wear.(and lower mileage).
Vickie,
Most importantly: Make sure you have the same size tire put on your car that Toyota recommends. Some tire dealers try to put a wider or taller tire on your car and it only screws everything (including your mileage) up. I have used Michelin Harmony tires on my Prius and have had excellent luck with them: Good Mileage, Good traction in the snow, Quiet Riding, and long lasting.
Here's another thing. Toyota recommends around 35psi in your tires. However, it has become unanimous amongst Prius owners and mechanics that 42psi in the front tires, and 40 in the rear tires works best. It will give you the best mileage, as well as the best wear for your tires. Take a look at the Michelin Harmony's. Good luck.
2005 Prius. Needed new tires at 20k miles. I ran them another 10k and got Toyo 800 Premium Touring tires. Rated for 80k miles. Had it aligned at that time. At 47k, it needed new front tires (uneven wear). Talked tire place into free replacement. Another alignment. At 60k miles, tires shot again but I keep running them. Now at 87k miles and just about to start showing steel belt. All sets of tires have worn uneven and cause car to shake/vibrate. These cars cannot be kept in alignment and Toyota won't recognize the issue. Toyota also refuses to fix the self adjusting headlights, even after the warning lights come on. There's even a TSB on that issue and they refuse to even retrieve the code unless I pay them. They claim it's not their TSB. I'll keeo this car only because it's paid for, but I'll not purchase a Toyota product again.
I own a 2002 Prius since new. It has 137,000 miles on the odometer and 50,000 miles on the 3rd set of tires. The original "low friction" tires lasted 35,000 miles and were replaced with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S 185/60/R14 for the 2nd and 3rd sets. The 2nd set rolled 50,000 miles and the 3rd set appears to be a repeat performance. I didn't see any significant difference in MPG with between the original "low friction" tires and the Michelins which are not labeled "low friction". The tires are still wearing very evenly but I take the car to the Toyota dealer for maintenenace every 5,000 miles and each time they rotate the tires. I have not aligned either the front or rear ends yet. I still get about the same MPG as when the car was new, mostly between 50-54 MPG combined city/highway (highway speed is limited to 55 MPH in Miami). I just took a trip from Miami to Key West and back and the computer displays 56.2 MPG (which probably would calculate to 53-54 MPG when I get to divide the miles driven by the gallons consumed). I never drive over the speed limit (city or highway) and I have developed specific city driving habits that take advantage of the electric motor to keep the gas engine off as much as possible. I haven't had to make any repairs yet on my Prius, not even a light bulb replacement, except for a brake job at 92,000 miles and the HV battery leakage recall at about 50,000 miles. My wife owns a 2004 with 60,000 miles (no repairs yet), my younger son owns a 2004 with 120,000 miles (no repairs yet) and my older son just sold his 2005 Prius for an unbelievable $22,000 with 65,000 miles on it (no repairs); He will order 3rd generation 2010 Prius. I plan to keep my 2002 Prius until the 3rd generation with Li-ion battery comes out (probably 2012). God... I love these cars!.
Well, I'd guess you have a slow leak in your tires. Go to a place that specializes in tires, like American Tires,and ask them to check them out. Too many garages have incompetent folks working.
I have a 2007 Prius with less than 19,000 miles and am having my factory tires replaced. I have rotated tires every 5,000. I was told the weight of the battery causes the tires to wear faster.
I just changed my tires on my 2006 prius for the first time. My mileage: 48500 - not bad.
Hate to say it folks, but this car eats tires. It is the major drawback, but still a good trade for the green footprint.
40,000 miles on the original GY Integritys and only 3/32 in. left, so I'm looking and appreciating all the comments. I've scored an actual 51MPG for the life of the car & MPG is 1st priority so I don't want to experiment with changing size, but I will spend more for better life. Arizona heat is the problem, even parking in shade, we burn 'em up. I wonder if $300 OEM replacement vs. $550+ for "better" is really going to pay off.
I have a Prius 2007 and have 30k miles on this and all the tires have barely any tread left!
Have been regular on the rotation and did 1 or 2 alignments as recommended by Toyota Dealership. The local dealership has a free tire set if I had regular service with them - but I rejected the last time and I will be happy to go to my Costco to get the best tires at the cheapest price. You can't beat their free rotations, free neon air, $4/tire alignment Vs $99 alignment at toyota dealerships. My brother always purchases Michelin tires - as way too much rides on his tires :-). I have read Michelin Hydroedge are superior tires with 90k warranty - and unlike other company tires these go farther than 90K.
Would love to hear if anyone have used the Michelin Hydroedge or other energy saver tires.
Just noticed I had neon air instead of nitrogen :-).
I have 50,000 miles on my 2008 prius tires
I have 36,000 miles on my 2008 Prius and want to replace somewhat worn tires before the winter months. Traction was awful in the snow - any recommendations
Just went in for 30,000 checkup on my 2007 Prius and was told I needed 4 new tires and their "special" at the dealership was over $800 w/ alignment. Must be something wrong with my hearing! I'm in the Northeast and will need something for the ice and snow come December. Any suggestions?
I had my first flat tire today on my 08 prius, I tried to switch it out, but the bolts won't seem to budge, anyone have any details on maybe if they are just too tight from the factory? Or is there some kind of silver covering on the bolts, I am afraid to break it.
Any step by step details on changing a prius tire would help.
I have a 2008 Prius, and the tires are just about down to the wearbars at 14,500 miles -- yikes! Went to the dealer to ask them to realign (local shop noticed uneven wear at inspection) and they said 'sorry, you're two weeks out of warranty'.
We finally did get them to perform the realignment, but their explanation of 'It's the roads' doesn't ring true given the 45,000 miles on our Subaru's tires (Michelin).
Seems as though the earlier models did better in tire life?
Lowered my rear windows and thought I had a helicopter flying overhead. Turns out to be tires that do not wear evenly. The dealer says it is tire pressure. The dealer recommends 32psi. From what I read in your comments 42psi on front and 40psi on rear. My tires need replacing. Have good tread on middle of tire but wear terribly on the inside. My current mileage is 25,800 miles. I am going to keep my rear windows up and get a little more mileage. My question is about tire pressure changing when traveling. As the tires heat up I am sure the air expands. And what happens when one travels in the colder climates. Does air pressure decline in the colder climates. A smaller tire then is prone to uneven pressure depending on the driving conditions. Will this cause tires to wear unvenly? Or is it the allignment on the Prius that gets out of wack easily? Rotate the tires and the out of wack front kills the tires. And what happens if you use a gas vs air pressure. Will that gas be affected by heat and cold like all gasses? Changing the tire type to a Michelin Hydro edge or a Michelin Harmony - Will that increase the tire life? I am going to drive another 5,000 miles and listen to what you have to say. Want a tire that is safe. Gives good road handling and decent mileage. Please keep sharing your thoughts.
I own a 2008 PRIUS and today had my 40,000 mile checkup. I was told I needed new tires.
I went to COSTCO who was having a special $70 OFF any set of 4 Michelin/Goodyear tires.
I asked the Tire Rep. what the best tire for my PRIUS was? He informed me that Michelin as just come out in the last three months with a special tire made for the PRIUS. It is call the Michelin Energy Saver A/S. [185 / 65R15 86T] Model No. (MSPN): 31703. A set of 4 cost me $526.16 which includes the mounting & balancing plus the Road Hazard Warranty. Check out Michelin's SPECS on the tire at: http://www.michelinman.com/tires/passenger-car-minivan/energy-saver-as/#....
MAX LOAD/tire = 1,168 lbs. at 44 psi. Recommended tire pressure for daily use is: 35 lbs./Front; 33 lbs./Rear. Treadware grade: 480.
These tires have only been on the market for 3 months now.
The Michelin website indicates that:
• "Up to 8% more fuel-eficient than standard tires to save you money."
• "Stops up to 8 feet shorter for added safety."
• "Reduces CO2 emissions as much as planting 40 trees."
One drawback is that Michelin does NOT do a mileage guarantee on this tire. I was told that it was due to the weight of the PRIUS and its use of the "B" Mode Electromotor deceleration process utilizing the rear tires to slow down the car.
Just curious if you got any replies re:tires for winter. I have a new-to-me 2004 prius and am going into my first winter with it, tyring to find out what tires might get me through snow & some ice.
2002 Prius:
Original Bridgestones replaced at 36K---I thought that was too few miles. Ran them at Toyota-recommended 33 back, 35 front (or thereabouts).
I researched tires, found one I thought would be better in rain---but WalMart here in Beloit WI would not install anything but one of the two recommended, either more Bridgestones or the other, Dunlops. A major consideration is need for the tires to support the extra load.
Got Dunlops, ran them at 40 psi back, 42 front. Now at 62K, and the Dunlops have worn down to 3-4 /32 and need to be replaced. Far too few miles---won't buy them again.
Back to Bridgestones, or are there other "approved" alternatives at this point?
I have a continued problem with the tire pressure light going on. I've had it reset five times in as many months. Only twice was there a nail in the tires. other times there was either no problem or low inflation. It's a 2008 with about 28000 miles on the tires. The dealership keeps telling me there's no problem with the tire pressure sensor but I beg to differ. Any suggestions?
if your Prius is in california I suggest that you research the lemon law and determine your options. I had the same trouble (11 times including several 'flat tire' warnings and pulling over on the freeway) with an audi a-8 purchased new and received a new car.
I have a 2002 Prius, Bridgestone OEM tires lasted only 35K kilometers. Using Falkens now which are wearing well but I don't like how they drive. They will be replaced in the spring with the new Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 energy saver tire. It is available in the early model tire size, unlike the Michelin.
I have a full set of winters on seperate rims with Blizzaks mounted, these tires are outstanding. I will buy more of them.
Also, the EP100 does have a 50K mile treadwear warranty. My car has been trouble free and I think rather highly of it.
But the competition is slowly ramping up and I think Toyota will struggle to maintain it's market lead.
I just purchased new tires for my somewhat new to me 2006 prius. I got 59,000 miles out of the original tires (previous owner said he never changed them). I purchased pirelli p5 recommended by the tire dealer and the tread pattern looks like it would be a great wet/dry tire, dont know about snow as this will be my first winter. I also got a oil change and checked the level and it was overfull. I have only driven 90 miles since oil change and tires but it seems my mileage is much lower, like 5-8 miles at least. I drained some of the oil out and will see what happens. I hope it isnt the tires because they said I should get 70,000 miles out of them and it will kill me to have much lower mileage for that long.
Front tire tread almost completely gone at 40,000 miles. I thought this was bad but from reading everyone's comment I guess I am lucky. Picked up a nasty bolt in right rear tire so now off to the tire shop to get a new set of tires. I was going to just replace the one tire, but the 'guys' in my office said I should replace at least 2 tires. So now with the bolt lodged in my other tire - 2 it is.
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