Sanity Check

[The Critic]

The OE Yokohama Avid S33d tires on my Prius have 7/32" left on all four. Since I am at 14k right now, I am guessing that they will be worn out just before 30k-- right in line with what CapriRacer predicted for many OE tires.

I am thinking about getting a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires as an upgrade since I am dissatisfied with the road noise and poor wet braking of these tires. However, with the various Michelin promotions and trade-in credit, the out-of-pocket price for this "upgrade" will be $340. The tire shop is willing to give me $50/tire for trade-in credit, and they have an upcoming $70 off a set of 4.

The normal price of a new Avid S33d is $120/tire. Since I have about 60% left on the tires, I guess the "value" of my tires are about $70/each. Since they're giving me $50/tire on trade-in, I guess I am only losing $20/tire for the upgrade.

Do you guys it will be worthwhile to do this? Or should I just save the money for the BMW.

 

[HTSS_TR]

$50/tire is very generous for trade in used tire with 7/32" tread remaining. I would not pay $20/tire for not high quality tire with that much tread.

 

[Strakes]

Your sanity? You may be insane.

Tires? The Primacy MXV4s are on our minivan and think they are an awesome tire. Very quiet and great rain traction. We love them.

With $270 off a set...I'd do it because I'm insane too.

 

[AstroTurf]

Take the trade...

You'd be looney not to.

Jim

 

[hattaresguy]

Its a Prius not a 911 GT3. IMHO I'd just drive it easier and milk 50k out of the stock tires.

Poor wet weather performance? In a Prius? What are you hitting the exit ramps at 120 in the rain and going hard on the brakes?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Its a Prius not a 911 GT3. IMHO I'd just drive it easier and milk 50k out of the stock tires.

Poor wet weather performance? In a Prius? What are you hitting the exit ramps at 120 in the rain and going hard on the brakes?

It only took 45 mph in a straight-line for the car to wander more than I feel comfortable with. And yes, my tire pressure is within 0.5 psi of each other on each axle.

I did go ahead with the purchase of the new Primacy MXV4 tires. So far they have been a day and night difference. I will update this thread after this weekend. I should have over 500 miles on the tires by early next week.

 

[eagle23]

Glad you went with the Primacy's. Heard nothing but good comments, and at that price/$70 bonus you got a real bargain.

Peace of mind is everything, not squeezing every penny out of unsatisfactory (to you) tires. Standing water is pretty unforgiving

I'd do the same thing if I could on my Accord, those or the B'stone Serenity's.

 

[sciphi]

I'll be looking forward to your review. The Primacy MXV4's were on the short list for when the OEM Goodyears kick the bucket on the Cruze. So far they appear they'll be shot at 20k miles, like every other OEM tire.

 

[Nick R]

I'd probably swap out these Firestones with Hankook H727s, Kumho Solus LX Platinums, General Altimax HP if I could afford it. I want the Michelin MXV4s, but they are $40 a tire more expensive.

 

[AstroTurf]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
I'd probably swap out these Firestones with Hankook H727s, Kumho Solus LX Platinums, General Altimax HP if I could afford it. I want the Michelin MXV4s, but they are $40 a tire more expensive.


What does the 40 dollar difference really work out to be?

Lets see... 40 times 4 equals 160 divided by 5 divided by 365...

You are right, that .0876712 cents extra per day for a better set of tires isnt worth it.

 

[CharBaby]

A friend of mine has swapped out the Integrity's on his Prius for MXV4's and...Of course love'em! Not quite the tire[MXV4] that I'd be inclined to put on a Prius but, hay, who am I?

He put the MXV4's on for their overall great rating and they showed to be "decent" for low rolling resistance. Notices no MPG penality with the MXV4's

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: AstroTurf
Originally Posted By: Nick R
I'd probably swap out these Firestones with Hankook H727s, Kumho Solus LX Platinums, General Altimax HP if I could afford it. I want the Michelin MXV4s, but they are $40 a tire more expensive.


What does the 40 dollar difference really work out to be?

Lets see... 40 times 4 equals 160 divided by 5 divided by 365...

You are right, that .0876712 cents extra per day for a better set of tires isnt worth it.


How about, I have more important things to spend that $160 on. You know, like a car payment, credit card bills, cell phone etc. That's why I haven't replaced them. They aren't nearly as bad as the Kumho Solus KH16s on the focus were, so I'm not complaining.

If there is a vehicle we have that needs the OE tires replaced it's the equinox. 235/55/R19 tires are quite expensive. But those Hankook H725s are quite horrid. I'm afraid to let my mom drive them in the snow.

 

[JOD]

$$ per mile, it's really hard to beat the MXV4's, so I guess it depends if you plan on keeping the car for the long haul or not to determine if they're 'worth it'. I'm at 7/32 on mine, and I have around 60K miles on them. They should make it to 100K just fine, longer if I want to push it. At that rate, an extra $40.00 a tire is well worth it.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
A friend of mine has swapped out the Integrity's on his Prius for MXV4's and...Of course love'em! Not quite the tire[MXV4] that I'd be inclined to put on a Prius but, hay, who am I?

He put the MXV4's on for their overall great rating and they showed to be "decent" for low rolling resistance. Notices no MPG penality with the MXV4's


On the highway the mileage penalty is a few % at most. But for city driving, the difference is probably closer to 7%.

Why? I think it's due to the weight of the tire. The OE Avid S33 tires were 18 lbs each, but these new Primacy MXV4s are 23 lbs. That's about 1/3 more in weight, which is a lot of extra unsprung mass...which probably hurts acceleration as well.

Weight and fuel economy aside, the Primacy MXV4 are superior to the Avid S33d tires in just about every area-- ride quality, handling, traction, steering response and noise.

The bill out the door ended up being about $365 after the rebate and the trade-in credit. They initially tried to sell me their "100% replacement" road hazard for $18/tire, but I kept passing on it so they eventually made it work out to about $6/tire, so I took it.

 

[CharBaby]

Well done my friend!
I beleive too, that as the tires(MXV4) ware in some, that the MPG will increase some. I just wouldn't know how much or when this will happen.