Help: Best and worst tires for hybrid cars
Cooper Lifeliner SLE - The best tire for Prius hybrid cars?There is nothing worse than buying a hybrid car to save money on fuel only to have to use that savings to buy new tires many hybrid buyers have complained.
Unfortunately, many hybrid cars were outfitted with low resistance tires that simply haven't performed well. In the post Toyota Prius hybrid and unusual tire wear, Prius owners have provided a number of tips for buying and maintaining tires.
Inevitably, however, it just seems that many of the Goodyear and Michelin tires that have rolled out with many hybrids simply aren't up to the task. Certainly, there might also be weight and alignment issues, but substandard tires appear to be a primary problem.
Nonetheless, some Prius owners have had great results with Cooper Lifeliner SLEs and there is a lot of hype around the Bridgestone Ecopia EP100, a low resistance tire largely designed for hybrid vehicles.
What are your favorite hybrid tires?
Labels: Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
1:27 PM
5 Comments:
be nice to have a consumer organization .. run a test with identical cars but different tires.
If hybrid's are about sustainable transportation, the standard tires on our 2006 Prius didn't fit the bill. For any small increment in mileage, they seemed to wear too fast and mean I'd dispose of the tire itself too quickly.
After our first set of tires went rather quickly on our 2006 Prius, I went to my favorite tire - Dunlop. In my lead-footed days, I tore through Goodyear because they were too soft. I tried BF Goodrich and found the didn't grip well, so I'm assuming they were too hard. Dunlop have been just right ever since. Long wear, good traction, and I don't think they've hurt my mileage.
I drive Camry, which has been equipped with Michelin tires. The wear is normal (about 50% in 2 years). I wonder, however, why Toyota uses Michelin tires with high speed index designed for sports sedans: are they really saving fuel?
PS: I had to replace two tires due to a pot-whole, so that I was not especially happy to learn their price.
I've not heard that many complaints from Camry hybrid owners regarding tire wear. My Bridgestones have performed very well in lots of different conditions and they have lasted.
By far the majority of the complaints I've heard have been regarding the Prius.
Fortunately, however, the options seem to be increasing.
Also check out Cooper Tires' new GFE which a low rolling resistance utilizing advanced design and materials technology to maximize fuel economy, saving money at the pump while providing excellent traction and treadwear. 8/25/09 - 10/31/09 you can get $40 Rebate on a set of four. www.coopertirerebates.com
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