Tyres for Prius 3rd Gen

yannakis

Looking into the consumables of a potential used car purchase, I can't seem to find any 215/45 R17 tyres with Class A rolling resistance.

1. What tyres does Toyota recommend?

3. Would the car pass NCT with 225/45 R17 tyres?

grogi

YanisK wrote: »

Looking into the consumables of a potential used car purchase, I can't seem to find any 215/45 R17 tyres with Class A rolling resistance.

1. What tyres does Toyota recommend?

3. Would the car pass NCT with 225/45 R17 tyres?

Yes, it would. I did replace the 195/55/R16 to 205/55/R16 with mine years ago without any issues.

You will get a 2-3% less indicated efficiency (because the diameter is a bit larger too and car thinks it travelled less than it actually did), but real world efficiency will be minimally affected.

Just call your insurance to let them know you've changed the size - theoretically it invalidates the type approval.

yannakis

Do you believe real world efficiency will be similar between 215 Class A and 225 Class B?

grogi

YanisK wrote: »

Do you believe real world efficiency will be similar between 215 Class A and 225 Class B?

You're overthinking it...

What you really want is quiet tyres with reasonable grip.

I recently got rid of the rubbish EC300's off the leaf and got Goodyear efficient grip performance and while the ec300's had better dry grip the wet grip was rubbish and the goodyears have a bit less dry grip but I'm ok with that because the wet grip is brilliant for the high instant torque of the leaf motor.

Not sure I notice a difference in fuel economy but the goodyears are a lot quieter though most tyres get noisier as they wear.

On the MK II Prius I had Dunlop sport blu response and they were good too helped me achieve 4.4-4.6 L/100 kms along with my skillful hybrid driving skills too of course.

n97 mini

I got Sava Intensa UHP tyres for ours. The stock tyres are noisy and the Savas were the quietest replacement I could find. Grip was good, didn't notice any drop in economy, and fairly cheap. Advertised as having rim guard but that's not really the case.

n97 mini

n97 mini wrote: »

I got Sava Intensa UHP tyres for ours. The stock tyres are noisy and the Savas were the quietest replacement I could find. Grip was good, didn't notice any drop in economy, and fairly cheap. Advertised as having rim guard but that's not really the case.

They get a C fuel and E wet , I wouldn't put them on any EV or Hybrid !

n97 mini

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They get a C fuel and E wet , I wouldn't put them on any EV or Hybrid !

They get an A for not driving me insane, unlike the stock tyres!

zilog_jones

I'm also using Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance on my Prius, although I have 195/65 R15 tyres. Only had them a few months and they seem good so far. I bought them based on good wet performance and low noise according to ADAC tests (tyre label ratings don't really mean much IMO). I've heard some reports of them not lasting very long but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

One thing to note with the 3rd gen Prius from what I've heard is that if you're changing tyre size you must change all four, otherwise the traction control will not be happy at all.

grogi

Deleted User wrote: »

They get a C fuel and E wet , I wouldn't put them on any EV or Hybrid !

I am really willing to trade the efficiency for quietness in a car with such poor noise insulation as a Prius.

September1

I drive on Hankook ventus prime2 K115 XL which are B/B and are fine.

Keep in mind that rolling resistance is much more important for cars with regenerative breaking, as you get some energy gains even when slowing down.

n97 mini

grogi wrote: »

I am really willing to trade the efficiency for quietness in a car with such poor noise insulation as a Prius.

The Sava tyres I mentioned above made a huge difference.

Soarer

Are there really 17" tyres on a Prius?

n97 mini

Soarer wrote: »

Are there really 17" tyres on a Prius?

On the top model. Fairly low profile too making the ride pretty hard.

The Goodyear Efficient Grip performance are very quiet, on a proper road surface the leaf is very quiet. On a extremely poor road surface like tar and chippings they are obviously more audible but nothing is designed to drive on such a disgraceful road surface. As tyres age they get noisier.

yannakis

Soarer wrote: »

Are there really 17" tyres on a Prius?

These ones here are 17''

n97 mini

Deleted User wrote: »

The Goodyear Efficient Grip performance are very quiet, on a proper road surface the leaf is very quiet.

Just for comparison, they're rated 69db, the Savas are 66db. Decibels are non linear but that +3db means they're rated twice as loud. If they were 72db they'd be 4 times as loud. I have GY EG on my other car, they're quieter than stock, if not the quietest, and certainly are a good tyre.

n97 mini

n97 mini wrote: »

Just for comparison, they're rated 69db, the Savas are 66db. Decibels are non linear but that +3db means they're rated twice as loud. If they were 72db they'd be 4 times as loud. I have GY EG on my other car, they're quieter than stock, if not the quietest, and certainly are a good tyre.

There's always a trade off, the 66 db is fine if the performance is as good, like with the EC 300's that were on the Leaf, poor wet grip, good dry, the Goodyears are far better in wet with less dry grip but the dry grip was a small sacrifice. The goodyears are also more comfortable.

Efficiency is also important on a Hybrid/EV or any car really.

Those Savas in my opinion would be rubbish on a Leaf and possibly Prius for grip. Despite the Leafs low 100 HP it's high instant torque needs a Tyre that can put that down without loosing traction. Even the prius has a need for a good performance tyre due to the torque but the leaf has a lot more shove from the motor, the Prius would be faster due to being more powerful and also having a gearbox.

grogi

Deleted User wrote: »

Those Savas in my opinion would be rubbish on a Leaf and possibly Prius for grip. Despite the Leafs low 100 HP it's high instant torque needs a Tyre that can put that down without loosing traction. Even the prius has a need for a good performance tyre due to the torque but the leaf has a lot more shove from the motor, the Prius would be faster due to being more powerful and also having a gearbox.

You're taking it to the extreme... If Leaf / Prius need performance tyres, what tyres does a 150hp diesel need? Supercar tyres?

n97 mini

Deleted User wrote: »

Those Savas in my opinion would be rubbish on a Leaf and possibly Prius for grip.

Did you ever try them on a Prius? I did. No complaints.

grogi

grogi wrote: »

You're taking it to the extreme... If Leaf / Prius need performance tyres, what tyres does a 150hp diesel need? Supercar tyres?

I'm not at all taking it to the extreme, I never said the Leaf needed performance tyres. Just tyres that don't spin when you hit the throttle. What I find poor on the Leaf I'm sure I'd find poor on most cars.

n97 mini

n97 mini wrote: »

Did you ever try them on a Prius? I did. No complaints.

I didn't no. If you're happy with them that's all that matters.

n97 mini

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I didn't no. If you're happy with them that's all that matters.

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, but thanks all the same I'm happy to recommend those tyres for anyone who'd like to squeeze a bit of enjoyment out of their Prius. God knows, two Civic IMAs and a Leaf later the Prius was a hard car to like in comparison.

n97 mini

n97 mini wrote: »

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, but thanks all the same I'm happy to recommend those tyres for anyone who'd like to squeeze a bit of enjoyment out of their Prius. God knows, two Civic IMAs and a Leaf later the Prius was a hard car to like in comparison.

No I wasn't being sarcastic at all. We all have our opinions.

BionicRasher

Looking at getting new tyres on my Prius
Found Sava Intensa UHP 2 215/45 R17 91Y with rim protection (fuel efficiency of C and wet A and 66db)
Good price

Is this a good option.
Anybody recommend someone to fit them in the cork area if I we're to buy tyres online?

zilog_jones

I don't know about fitting tyres bought online, but AJ's Tyres on the Boreenmanna Road can probably order whatever you want, and their pricing is generally good.

I'd be concerned about the low fuel efficiency rating on those tyres, but I'm not sure if that EU tyre label stuff is trustworthy at all.

I've done about 14k km with the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance tyres on mine so far, they haven't let me down yet. I think the fronts were down to 5mm when I got them rotated last month.

grogi

BionicRasher wrote: »

Looking at getting new tyres on my Prius
Found Sava Intensa UHP 2 215/45 R17 91Y with rim protection (fuel efficiency of C and wet A and 66db)
Good price

Is this a good option.
Anybody recommend someone to fit them in the cork area if I we're to buy tyres online?

Look at Debica Presto UHP2: Eff C, Grip A, 66 dB. It is effectively a copy of Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance.

edit: on the second look that Sava and that Debica seem almost identical. Both are Goodyear brands...

yannakis

zilog_jones wrote: »

I've done about 14k km with the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance tyres on mine so far, they haven't let me down yet. I think the fronts were down to 5mm when I got them rotated last month.

Out of curiosity, what pressure are you running them on? Do you have 17'' wheels?

zilog_jones

I have 195/65 R15 tyres (standard on the Plug-in).

Manual states 36/35 psi (front/rear) and I'm doing 38/37, but have actually noticed the outsides are wearing slightly more (equally on both sides of tyre) so can probably increase the pressure a bit more. Manufacturer's ratings are probably on the pessimistic side and assuming OEM tyres, so you can usually safely increase the pressure a bit.

I hear some people going up near the max. limit on the tyres but don't know how much difference it really makes for fuel consumption, and it will make the ride harsher.

yannakis

Max definitely increases mileage further while making the ride harder, but it probably also decreases safety. I find that too risky!

My manual for the 17'' says 32/33 and i'm running on 38 all around for a couple of tanks - it's working well but at the same time I'm improving my techniques so not 100% sure what's making the impact :pac: