How many miles can a Toyota Prius tire go? How much does it cost compared to conventional tires?
The Prius' owner's manual and the driver's door jamb plate both state 35psi (240 kPa) front, 33psi (230 kPa) rear. (In the newer UK Prius' owners' manual, it states when driving over 100mph the pressures should be set to 38psi front, 36psi rear.) Dealers are notorious for incorrectly inflating the typre pressures too low, to make for a cushy ride. (It also means faster tyre sales for them as you wear them out faster!) Toyota Prius tyres (particularly with the US suspension) are notorious for rapid outer edge wear even at the factory recommended pressures of 35psi front, 33psi rear. Outer edge wear is indicative of underinflated tyres, so you will find that many US owners suggest inflating to higher than factory specs (often in the 40psi range, which is below the max. cold pressure on the original equipment tyre, which is usually 44psi or 50psi depending on fitment), to prolong tyre life and for better MPG. (All that outer edge scrubbing of an underinflated tyre is just eating up MPG...) However, I am informed by many UK owners that if you have an auto accident, the auto insurance people do check tyre pressure, and will fault you (give them reason to not pay out) if you have too high or too low tyre pressure... So keep that in mind. I would highly suggest that you follow the owner's manual (handbook) recommendation of 240kPa front and 230kPa rear. Low tyre pressure is the leading cause of tyre failure (which is not only a nuissance, leaving you stranded somewhere with a flat, but also a serious safety concern if a blowout occurs while you are driving!). If not for safety, do it for the better fuel economy that comes with properly inflated tyres.
The Prius uses similar tires as other cars -- and just like many other cars, the tires that the manufacturer ships them with are only so-so. When it comes time to replace the first set, there's plenty to choose from, pick what you like. The story gets a bit more complicated for the earlier Prius (model year 2003 and earlier), as the original tires were classified as "Extra Load" (XL) and are size 175/65R14. There's not a whole lot of XL-rated tires in that size, so you either have to get slightly larger tires to meet the load rating, or get the exact same tires as originally shipped with the car, or choose to get non-XL tires. The published weight of the Prius doesn't actually mandate XL-capable tires, but it's close, so that's probably why Toyota spec'd them in the first place. Using non-XL tires, but keeping close watch on the pressure, should be fine. (For people that don't know, keeping more pressure in the tire allows it to support more weight. Obviously you should never exceed the tire's upper pressure limit (measured when the tire is cold) as shown on the sidewall though.)
the tire will last around 30-40k miles, the cost is a bit more than conventional tires due to the load rating of the tire. i think they may cost maybe $30 more than regular tire. but if you put the wrong load rating on there they will not last long at all. so the extra cost is well worth it.
If you are talking about the LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) 15" Goodyear Integrity tires that come stock on the US Prius, you can expect anywhere from 22,000 to 37,000 miles on them. Two very important things play into getting extended mileage. 1) TIRE PRESSURE: The folks that are getting 37,000 miles out the Integrity tires are running them above the OEM suggested door sticker pressures. They are running them at 44 psi front 42 psi back at least. This is above the manufacturer's suggested pressure setting but, they are getting much more mileage. 2) ALIGNMENT: A very high percentage of the people getting 37,000 miles out the Integrity tires had their front end alignment checked very early in the game. Most of them have done this for fuel economy reasons (high mileage fanatics) but, most of them did report the front end being anywhere from slightly to pretty badly out of spec. MPG: The side benefit of paying attention to these two important features is that if you are taking care of both of them like the folks represented above are doing, you will get about 2-5 more miles per gallon in fuel efficiency over the OEM setups. COST: $66.00 each at Tire Rack see Link below
