Vintage HiFi Audio Forum
General Banter => The Circular File => Car Talk => Topic started by: Anders on September 03, 2012, 11:35:38 AM
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I used to like listening to that show: Car Talk.
Anyone know where I can get a good deal on the right tires for my 2001 Prius ?
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Anders,
Shop around and let me know what you find. There's a locally owned tire business near my parents called Bubnash Tire that is generally lower than anywhere in price, including mass-volume internet sellers like Tire Rack. They don't charge for installation, valve stems, etc. The price you are given is the price you pay, sans tax of course. Even when I was a manager at Pep Boys, I bought my tires from Bubnash. I've recommended the place to several friends, most of whom ended up buying their tires there because the prices are usually unbeatable when you factor installation and shop fees from other places.
I'm actually getting Kuhmo 4X's installed on my WRX there tomorrow. If you tell me what size tires are on your Prius, I'll get you a price while I'm there. It'd be a small hike for you (about an hour each way), but, the price may make it worthwhile.
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The Tire Rack is what I always use. You can have them delivered to your doorstep like you see in the pic below of my Eagles, or they send it directly to a tire installer near your house for install (I did that for the chipmunk-food Honda Civic). You can get a set of 4 Yokohama Avid Toruing S all season for $272 plus delivery. That tire is rated 7.76 overall in the TR surveys so apparently it has made many Prius owners happy.
Link here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+TOURING-S&partnum=765SR4TOURS&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Toyota&autoYear=2001&autoModel=Prius&autoModClar= (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+TOURING-S&partnum=765SR4TOURS&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Toyota&autoYear=2001&autoModel=Prius&autoModClar=)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2022/2099570799_87cc560bda_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsifontes/2099570799/)
B0030273 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsifontes/2099570799/#) by JSifontes (http://www.flickr.com/people/jsifontes/), on Flickr
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Original Tire: Bridgestone Potenza RE92
Classic Prius comes with these tires standard. They are sometimes referred to as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) tires.
175 / 65 R14
84S speed & load rating
50 PSI (3.4 bar) maximum pressure
42/40 PSI front/back (2.9/2.8 bar) recommended
1102 lbs. (500 kg) maximum load
LRR (Low Rolling Resistance)
10/32 inch (8 mm) tread depth
902 revs per mile
"A" Traction
"A" Temperature
160 Treadwear
30,000 mile (48,280 km) warranty
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This Bridgestone Potenzas wear out so fast. We don't actually want those, but they are the recommended tire. We went through 3 sets in a year and a half when we first got the car. Upon recommendations from the Prius groups, we then put Goodyear Allegras on the car. They were only available at Sam's. They were great, lasted a long time, but did drop our milege a small amount. Overall worth it for the amount of wear we got. This car is heavier than your normal car, especially the front end.
We can't get the Allegra's anymore. Needing tires badly, we put Coopers on, of the correct size, but the noise they create is unbearable.
Price unfortunately is an abject. There are some other tires recommended by the Prius groups, Michelin which is out of our price range. The only official tires for the 2001 Prius are the Potenzas or the Dunlop S10 which is used in Canada. Just can't afford to replace tires several times a year.
Also the newer Prius doesn't have these same issues. These are pretty much exclusive to the original Prius, 2001-2003.
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Split from opening thread and created a new subject. You're welcome, noob. :D
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Hey he can't be good at everything :)
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The treadwear on the Potenzas is only 160. That's very low, and explains why they wear out in no time.
Also on Tire Rack are the Sumitomo HTR T4's. They've got very comparable ratings (7/10 overall) to the Yokahama's that Pepe mentioned and cost 52 dollars less.
I will get you a price on tires from my tire guy tomorrow, Anders.
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I tried to read up on the connection between thread wear and rolling resistance. It appears to be much more complicated than one would assume. I would err on the side of survey ratings and affordability. That simplifies it.
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Treadwear ratings are supposed to be uniform, based on government standards. In all reality, each tire company can use a different baseline for their comparisons. That being said, whether exaggerated or not, a treadwear rating of 160 is very low.
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Toyota told us years ago these are performance tires....in response to why the hell were the tires wearing out so fast. We got one of the three sets free. I just want the same longevity we got from the Goodyear Allegras. They were not LRR, but they did manage the weight of the car, and we were still seeing above average mileage.
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For the price/mileage/performance, it is hard to beat Goodyear. I run the Viva 2's on my Camry and get close to 60,000 miles for less than $400 mounted and lifetime rotation.
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The last time we were able to get the Allegra's, 4 tires at Sam's cost less than $200 installed. Wish they still had them. They were exclusive to Sam's.
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NTB was advertising buy two get two free recently. I know Sears usually does the buy 3 get 1 free as well. There used to be a place back home that sold tires from wrecked vehicles. You could get slightly used tires for dirt cheap. Do they have anything like that around the burgh?
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The Tire Rack is what I always use. You can have them delivered to your doorstep like you see in the pic below of my Eagles, or they send it directly to a tire installer near your house for install (I did that for the chipmunk-food Honda Civic). You can get a set of 4 Yokohama Avid Toruing S all season for $272 plus delivery. That tire is rated 7.76 overall in the TR surveys so apparently it has made many Prius owners happy.
Link here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+TOURING-S&partnum=765SR4TOURS&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Toyota&autoYear=2001&autoModel=Prius&autoModClar= (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+TOURING-S&partnum=765SR4TOURS&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Toyota&autoYear=2001&autoModel=Prius&autoModClar=)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2022/2099570799_87cc560bda_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsifontes/2099570799/)
B0030273 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsifontes/2099570799/#) by JSifontes (http://www.flickr.com/people/jsifontes/), on Flickr
Yokahama Avid +4 are THE BEST tire I've ever had from a wet/dry performance aspect. I can't recommend they highly enough. They have a decent mileage warranty & tire rack has the best prices, although you're going to have to find a good place to mount/balance them (for the life of the tire) so that can make the life cycle cost of the tire higher.
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Anders / Bunni,
My tire guy said he can get the Kuhmo Solus KR21 for $75-$80 per tire installed. That covers valve stems, mounting, and balancing. Of course, there's tax on top of that. He actually recommended these tires after I told him you had a daughter driving the car. He says these are great in the rain, they are an 85,000 mile tire so they will last, and they perform well in snow. These tires are 66.00 dollars each on TireRack.com. If you order all 4, plus pay shipping, you're up to approximately $310. That doesn't count installation or anything of the sort from TireRack.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?customSizeSearch=&width=175%2F&ratio=65&diameter=14 (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?customSizeSearch=&width=175%2F&ratio=65&diameter=14)
If you'd like more info on my tire guy, let me know. I had my Kuhmo Ecsta 4X's put on my WRX today. I was in and out within 25 minutes. My parents and I have purchased our tires from this place for the past 15 years. We even have friends who drive from as far away as Ohio and Pittsburgh for the prices.
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They look good SD, can you message me with info on your tire guy?
Really the only test is getting the tires on the car and seeing how the car responds. The tires on there now, meet the basic specs, but make more noise than I have ever heard. It's maddening! With the amount of driving Anders does, and yes the possibility of Emily driving the car at some point..we need to make sure the car is safe.
Thanks to everyone for your help and suggestions!!
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The place is called Bubnash Tire in Perryopolis.
The phone number is (724) 736-4550. The owner's name is Ed. He's very knowledgeable. If you call and tell him I talked to you about the Kumho Solus KR21's for the Prius yesterday, he'll most likely remember. He'll be able to tell you their handling characteristics, ride quality, noise and what not. You'll be shocked when you see the place. It's a little mom & pop gas station / tire shop in a town of 1500 people, yet, somehow they do immense tire volume.
Good luck!