2002 Prius replacement tires.

[Herbicidal]

Hi everyone! I'm posting on behalf of my coworker. He owns a 2002 Prius. He is burning through tires in less than 30,000 miles per set. He was told by the dealer that he can only use one of two different brands of replacement tires - Bridgestone or Dunlops that have specific values for low rolling resistance. If he uses anything else, his entire vehicle warranty is void!!! Can this be true? This may be specific to that model year, I'm not sure on that point. He is currently using Dunlop RE910's.

Thanks!

[mustang67408]

Originally Posted by Herbicidal

Hi everyone! I'm posting on behalf of my coworker. He owns a 2002 Prius. He is burning through tires in less than 30,000 miles per set. He was told by the dealer that he can only use one of two different brands of replacement tires - Bridgestone or Dunlops that have specific values for low rolling resistance. If he uses anything else, his entire vehicle warranty is void!!! Can this be true? This may be specific to that model year, I'm not sure on that point. He is currently using Dunlop RE910's.

Thanks!

Thats about the biggest buch of BS!!!~!!! I have ever heard.
Going thru tires at less than 30k miles is normal on a prius. I would caution him in using anything other than the recommended tires, reason = the fuel mileage will drop. Other than that as long as he stays with the same size tire and doesnt go any wider or taller it WILL NOT VOID THE WARRANTY, unless it can be proven that the tires caused the problem and thats not likely to happen.
A bigger or smaller tire will throw the computer off, and it will affect mileage and acceleration. It was designed for the low resistance tires.

It is illegal for them to tell you that
Click here-->http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...s/warranty.htm
Hope this helps

[Herbicidal]

Thanks my friend! I'll pass the info along.

One tire place he called suggested going to slightly wider tire, but the same overall height. Such as a 185/60-14. Apparently this would open up a whole new set of possibilities for tires. But again, it may reduce his gas mileage. Another Prius owner he found on the internet went to that size using a Goodyear Allegra. Then he switched to synthetic oils and claims he just about broke even on his gas mileage, even with the slightly wider tire.

My friends Prius has just about 80,000 miles on it. Are there any potential problems at this point switching to synthetic's?

[mustang67408]

Originally Posted by Herbicidal

My friends Prius has just about 80,000 miles on it. Are there any potential problems at this point switching to synthetic's?

What we were told was, Toyota seals were not designed for synthetic. The synthetic molecule is smaller and has rounded egdes, this will allow it to more easily slip past the seals. The springs in the seals are designed with "x" amount of tension to keep conventional oils in. Some people swear by it and have no problems. I had a bad experience with synthetic oil so between that and the cost, I wont use it. Dont believe in it. I change oil every 2500 miles and will do that till the day I die. Never had a engine problem in any vehicle I have owned and maintained.
It probably wont hurt anything, But the only way to tell is for him to just try it.
I know my luck and wont make that mistake again.
PRIUS's ROCK!!!

[theyotaguy]

The reason the Prius tire is unique is because it is has a higher load rating.Read the sidewall of the OEM tires for the maximum load,and make sure that the tires that are installed have at least that same rating.The Bridgestone tires that are OEM are clearly labeled "Extra load",because they also make the same size and model tire that is a standard load tire.

[nhparrot]

The following TSB probably also applies to the 2002

PG015-00 REPLACEMENT TIRES The Prius hybrid vehicle uses a special extra load (XL) carrying capacity tire that differs from other Toyota products of similar tire size. Please order Prius replacement tires by the correct tire part number (not size) to ensure receipt of the correct specification tire.

[LEcheandia]

Can you tell me if this is also true for the 2006 models?

Thanks

[mustang67408]

NO, the 04-06 prius
DOES NOT use LOW rolling resistance, extra load tires.
Just use the same tire quality or better that originally came on vehicle.

[rami]

Just replaced my tires on my 2004 Prius at ~ 40,000 miles in February with 4 new BF Goodrich tires (P185/65R15 86T). Noticed a significant drop in mpg (more than 5 mpg) which I could not understand. After reading this post & the responses it sounds as if the reason for the decrease in mpg is because of the tires. There was no warning or indication in my owner's manual about using a specific tire, where did you find that information? What tires are correct?
Thanks

[mustang67408]

Originally Posted by rami

Just replaced my tires on my 2004 Prius at ~ 40,000 miles in February with 4 new BF Goodrich tires (P185/65R15 86T). Noticed a significant drop in mpg (more than 5 mpg) which I could not understand. After reading this post & the responses it sounds as if the reason for the decrease in mpg is because of the tires. There was no warning or indication in my owner's manual about using a specific tire, where did you find that information? What tires are correct?
Thanks

The "TIRE SPECIFICN WARNING" is only for the FIRST GENERATION (2001-2003) Prius.
It has nothing to do with your 2004.

[rami]

Thanks for the response. I have been plotting my mileage, service and filling station info in an excel spreadsheet since I first got my new 2004 Prius back in Dec. 2003 and it has been steadily averaging 45 mpg. My mileage plummeted as soon as I put the new tires on. The dealer looked the car over & ran a systems operation check but found nothing & could not (would not?) explain why there was such a change.
Though there is no warning for the "second generation" Prius it is certainly coincidental & I suspect that there is a connection, though it is not stated.

[PointCrossed]

Originally Posted by mustang67408

What we were told was, Toyota seals were not designed for synthetic. The synthetic molecule is smaller and has rounded egdes, this will allow it to more easily slip past the seals. The springs in the seals are designed with "x" amount of tension to keep conventional oils in. Some people swear by it and have no problems. I had a bad experience with synthetic oil so between that and the cost, I wont use it. Dont believe in it. I change oil every 2500 miles and will do that till the day I die. Never had a engine problem in any vehicle I have owned and maintained.
It probably wont hurt anything, But the only way to tell is for him to just try it.
I know my luck and wont make that mistake again.
PRIUS's ROCK!!!

Ok why does the toyota service give you an option for synthetic oil? I have had synthetic oil in my truck from the first oil change, and I check my oil every 5 fillups and change my synthetic every 10,000 miles and I will do that till the day I die. BTW I get ~17mpg and I am sure its my exhaust mod.

[mustang67408]

Originally Posted by PointCrossed

Ok why does the toyota service give you an option for synthetic oil? I have had synthetic oil in my truck from the first oil change, and I check my oil every 5 fillups and change my synthetic every 10,000 miles and I will do that till the day I die. BTW I get ~17mpg and I am sure its my exhaust mod.

Its a free country and you can use whatever you want. Toyota service gives everyone the option to use synthetic or NOT. What I was told was OFF the record, because it is very hard to prove if synthetic caused an oil leak or if it was the seal. But they were not specifically designed for synthetic.
It is just like aftermarket Air filters, they work in some trucks and not others. Synthetic works in some vehicles and not in others.
I am glad it works or you and others.
My dads DC just got 19mpg w/5 people on a trip to calif. It has regular oil (from the dealer) and is 100% stock otherwise.
I have seen way to many cars with to many of the go fast/ get better mpg aftermarket stuff (ie. plugs/filters/magnets/ionizer/ect....) and dont believe any of it works, including synthetic oil. But that is just my opinion (old school). Nowadays they recommend oil changes at 5k (I personally dont believe in that either) but for $21.95 oil changes every 5k, kinda seems silly to pay for $5 or so a qt. for synthetic.
The newer sequoias have synthetic from the factory in the diff and the seals are different than previous years.
They also dont recommend synthetic for rear axle seals (see attachment) in earlier models due to the seals.
I am not going to argue with anyone on this.
You use what works for you and i will use what works for me.
And everyone lived happily ever after.

[trumph]

I researched this issue extensively as my problem was excessive wear on the inner shoulder of every tire (25K miles). I looked at a comparable tire size (195/60R14) to maintain the same (or almost the same) tire diameter to maintain the correct speedometer/odometer reading. After researching several manufacturers, I thought I had decided on the specific tire for my needs (safety, longevity, performance, etc.). Obviously, this excessive wear has been occuring for some time (and reported to the Toyota dealer in warranty several times), and in my discussions with Bridgestone Technical Support, only alignment could be causing this problem. I've had disagreements (understatement) with the dealer and so I called Toyota Customer Relations. They indicated Toyota would not support any decision to replace the tires with any tire other than the high load rated tire designed for the vehicle (Bridgestone RE92, Dunlop SP10). The dealer indicated a different tire size would affect the alignment and would not guarantee the results. After some consideration, I chose the Dunlop SP10 (made only in the size for the 1st gen. Prius). I will not make purchase from the dealer and got them through special order at SAM's.

When I purchased my vehicle, I asked if a full size spare would fit in the wheelwell and was told no. After I recieved the vehicle, I placed a wheel in the wheelwell and determined that it would fit if the tools were relocated outside the wheelwell and small modifications to the foam pads in the wheelwell. So when I replaced tires, I purchased 5 tires and I plan a 5 tire rotation.

Lastly, I believe the tire pressure must be maintained at 40PSI minimum. These tires are rated 50PSI maximum, so I keep 42PSI in front and 40PSI in rear. After only a few hundred miles, it is apparent that this higher pressure is effective in limiting the excessive shoulder wear.

Just my 2 centavos. YMMV

[Applewhite]

I wish I had read RAMI's post BEFORE I bought new tires for my 2005 Prius (I got just 30K miles out of my first set). I had the exact same experience with the BFGoodrich tires, my mileage instantly dropped AT LEAST 5 MPG. I increased the tire pressure to 42 psi but did not see any change in mileage.

In fact, the BFGoddrichtires.com web site says that they do not make ANY tires that match the OEM specs for the PRIUS. It even directs you to the Michelin site for tires that are an OEM match. I believe the key factor is the load rating of the tire as the PRIUS requires a higher than "standard" load rating, presumably due to the weight of the battery pack.

The dealer reports that it is essential to maintain proper tire pressure AND to rotate your tires every 5K miles if you want to get "decent" tire life.

The folks at COSTCO were great, I'm returning the tires tomorrow and getting Michelins (at almost twice the price).