Prius 15's are better than aftermarket 17's! (Wrong wheels/tires can wreck your MPG)

[wyatt]

I am pretty sure the Ecopias aren't that good in ice and snow. I haven't driven with them in those conditions, but I remember seeing that somewhere.
Oh, and I have driven in quite a bit of rain, with no problems to report.

[silverdelight]

Are the Defenders supposed to be good in snow? I haven't really had much chance to test that out yet. I think I drove one day in slightly snowy conditions, we've had an unusually dry and warm winter so far. Not enough to make a judgement either way really.

[F8L]

Originally Posted by silverdelight

Would either of the two be better on wet/snowy roads? I did take it on the highway today for a 60 minute road trip and managed to average 45 MPG for the trip. I was surprised at that. It was another 10 degrees warmer today (47), if that had anything to do with it. At least now I know I can still get at least 45 MPG with the Defender tires, even if it's only on the highway. I was worried I'd never see that kind of mileage again

The Energy Saver A/S does better in wet, the EP422 does better in snow. The Energy Saver A/S handles better, the EP422 is more comfortable. The Energy Saver A/S offers better fuel economy, the EP422 is cheaper.

[F8L]

Originally Posted by wyatt

I am pretty sure the Ecopias aren't that good in ice and snow. I haven't driven with them in those conditions, but I remember seeing that somewhere.
Oh, and I have driven in quite a bit of rain, with no problems to report.

I used to think the same thing but TireRack tested them in snow and they were great.

Tire Test Results : Eco-Focused All-Season Tires: Do They Deliver on the Promise?

Offsetting its underwhelming wet performance was the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422, this time showing impressive snow traction while feeling stable and composed. Right behind was the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max which also delivered impressive results, especially under braking. The Continental ProContact with Eco Plus provided reasonable traction with just a hint of understeer, while the Yokohama AVID TRZ showed competitive, but lower overall snow traction than the others.

[silverdelight]

I was referring to either the Energy Savers or the Defenders being better in snow, not the Ecopia. So you still prefer the Energy Saver over the Defender then as an overall tire?

[F8L]

Originally Posted by silverdelight

I was referring to either the Energy Savers or the Defenders being better in snow, not the Ecopia. So you still prefer the Energy Saver over the Defender then as an overall tire?

I place fuel economy as my number one priority so I much prefer the Energy Saver A/S. I just like seeing big numbers. If the 4+mpg hit didn't bug me so much I would have kept my 17" wheels.

[kah]

Interesting discussion.
I use ecopia EP150 165/70 R14's as my summer tyres, ContiWinterContact during the winter. I felt a huge difference when we changed to our wintertyres, FE did fall a little, but drivng in snow, or even on a cold wet tarmac, the ContiWinterContact feels much better planted and therefore a lot safer. I would definately recommend having dedicated summertyres and wintertyres over all seasons! People think all season tyres are better in the rain than summer tyres, but that is only true for tyre temperatures under 7 celcius (44F). All season tyres will always be a compromise!

I've been looking at changing my wheelsize, and that, of course, also means changing my tyres. I have some 14" alloys, but as i've later found out, they look light, but are actually not that much lighter than steelies. Therefore i've been looking at some ROTA Slip Streams 15", they are quite cheap compared to anything else on the market with such a low weight, and they look alot more aerodynamic than my current wheels. Going from 14 to 15 would also mean that i can get away with only a small increase in tyre width (165->175), and increase my rolling radius by 3,7%..

I found a great online tool for calculating and comparing different tyre sizes here
Visual Tyre Size Calculator | Kouki Tech

[F8L]

Originally Posted by kah

Interesting discussion.
I use ecopia EP150 165/70 R14's as my summer tyres, ContiWinterContact during the winter. I felt a huge difference when we changed to our wintertyres, FE did fall a little, but drivng in snow, or even on a cold wet tarmac, the ContiWinterContact feels much better planted and therefore a lot safer. I would definately recommend having dedicated summertyres and wintertyres over all seasons! People think all season tyres are better in the rain than summer tyres, but that is only true for tyre temperatures under 7 celcius (44F). All season tyres will always be a compromise!

I've been looking at changing my wheelsize, and that, of course, also means changing my tyres. I have some 14" alloys, but as i've later found out, they look light, but are actually not that much lighter than steelies. Therefore i've been looking at some ROTA Slip Streams 15", they are quite cheap compared to anything else on the market with such a low weight, and they look alot more aerodynamic than my current wheels. Going from 14 to 15 would also mean that i can get away with only a small increase in tyre width (165->175), and increase my rolling radius by 3,7%..

I found a great online tool for calculating and comparing different tyre sizes here
Visual Tyre Size Calculator | Kouki Tech

Here in North America they cancelled the only really fuel efficient summer tire (Ecopia EP100). The good ones are all-season tires. In the EU it appears the most fuel efficient tires (that also do well in wet conditions) are the new Bridgestone Ecopia EP001S and the Continental ContiEcoContact 5 or the ContiPremiumContact 5 if you need more wet traction.

If you live in very cold climates then I agree, choose an appropriate set of winter or snow tires and a set for warmer weather like a summer or all-season tire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clSC7APitaQ

[RedDevil]

I was a winter tyre sceptic, and in Holland the winters are relatively mild. But my Honda Insight had full summer tyres as opposed to the all season tyres that I had on all my previous cars, and since I drive more than before anyway, I got me a set of Conti wintertyres.
Last November we had a short cold streak. Frozen roads, ice patches and flattened snow. I saw the cars in front and behind me struggle while I never lost grip at all. When the guy in front slid off the road and struggled to get going again, I decided to wait till he was well away and stretched my right leg at the very point he went off. My car clawed to the road and jumped forward.
I would never have believed the difference to be this big.
Even with winter tyres there is less grip on snow than on dry tarmac. But the difference with all weather tyres is huge. I see people struggle to leave their parking spot when the tires dug a hole in the snow. I was struggling like them last year. Sweet memories, now.

[Jyden]

Originally Posted by kah

Interesting discussion.
I use ecopia EP150 165/70 R14's as my summer tyres, ContiWinterContact during the winter. I felt a huge difference when we changed to our wintertyres, FE did fall a little, but drivng in snow, or even on a cold wet tarmac, the ContiWinterContact feels much better planted and therefore a lot safer. I would definately recommend having dedicated summertyres and wintertyres over all seasons! People think all season tyres are better in the rain than summer tyres, but that is only true for tyre temperatures under 7 celcius (44F). All season tyres will always be a compromise!

I've been looking at changing my wheelsize, and that, of course, also means changing my tyres. I have some 14" alloys, but as i've later found out, they look light, but are actually not that much lighter than steelies. Therefore i've been looking at some ROTA Slip Streams 15", they are quite cheap compared to anything else on the market with such a low weight, and they look alot more aerodynamic than my current wheels. Going from 14 to 15 would also mean that i can get away with only a small increase in tyre width (165->175), and increase my rolling radius by 3,7%..

I found a great online tool for calculating and comparing different tyre sizes here
Visual Tyre Size Calculator | Kouki Tech

Wider wheel will hurt your FE. So wil rims with open spokes layout. Better get use the original steel ones, and punt on fully closed caps.