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We're hard on our tires. My wife drives aggressively, we live in Vermont weather, and our road conditions are poor. Also, we keep our tires at 42/40 for better mileage (does that cause the tires to wear faster?). We wear snow tires about half the year, because we have snow about half the year here. But we don't do long drives, go off-road, or do anything else unusual, and in 27 months we've put 40,000 miles on the car.

However, even considering this, we seem to be getting far too little lifespan for our tires. In the two years and three months we've had the Prius, we've burned up the original Goodyear Integrity tires, and a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks, and put one season on another set of Blizzaks which they say only have one more season left in them. Thus, we're averaging 16,000 miles per set of tires.

Now, I know that in our conditions we can't expect to see 60,000, or even 30,000, but I am also doubting that we really need as many changes as our tire store is suggesting. We have been sticking with them for years since they've been really good about not recommending unnecessary repairs and being trustworthy, and that's a rare and precious thing. But we're starting to think that they're like that on everything but tires. Friends have said that they've also heard this particular shop suggesting new tires long before they're really needed.

What do you think about what kind of lifespan we should be able to get out of our tires, and if we're being screwed over?

Are the Bridgestone Blizzaks "soft" and likely to not last long? If so, what's a good snow tire for the Prius that can handle the kind of weather we have here and feel safe, but might last longer? I don't mind paying twice as much for tires that are just as safe and last three times as long; I want the best value-to-price ratio I can get.

Anyone have any input on the idea that a pair of snow tires, once they run down to where they're not good enough for a Vermont winter, could then serve a season or two as summer tires? I've gotten conflicting statements on this, even from the same people.

Your problems have much more to do with the tires than anything with the car itself.
The Integrities are terrible, wear quickly (mine were shot at 26k miles). But I've got about 47k miles on my Michelin HydroEdges and they look like they'll go the full 80k they're warrantied for.

That said, you do need to make sure you've had an alignment done...if that's out you could see increased wear.

Running at higher pressure will improve tire life, not harm it.

We're getting the 5000 mile maintenance and rotations regularly. And yeah, I knew that the OEM tires sucked, though yours lasted to 26K and you're thinking that's bad and mine didn't even get to 16K! But I'm more put out by the idea that the Blizzaks only last two years; they're supposed to be good tires. I can accept getting less than other people, but less than half as much?

But when was your last alignment? They don't do that with the rotations. BTW, I only rotate mine about once every 10-12k miles...I think the every 5k is overkill.

And how does this compare to your previous tires under the same conditions (albeit on other cars)?

18.000 on the first set / 45,000 on the second set.. my third set is looking better.

Before you buy tires next time, check out the wear rating. Not sure, but I suspect the HydroEdges are higher than most others. I think they are 810 or something like that. Most other "average" tires are below 500. And, snow tires have really soft rubber and usually don't wear very long.

I'm sure there are other tire brands besides Michelin that have high wear ratings -- look for the higher numbers.

I got 65,000 on my last set of Hydroedges, but I changed them out early. I will probably get 80,000 on the second set that I put on last summer.

Otherwise, keep them pumped up and rotate regularly.

And "all" Toyotas seem to be tough on tires. Hence the 5,000 mile rotation stipulation. That's even required on my Highlander as well as the prius. Then again, an awfull lot of "integrity" OEM's have gone the 50,000 miles, and have been replaced with a new set. You read of it here quite often. Snow tires? The best always seem to wear the fastest. I suspect it is the softer rubber compound used for added traction that's the culprit.

Faster, sure. But 15,000 miles, two seasons?

The reason tires have to be rotated regularly is that most new cars are front-wheel drive. That puts a higher percentage of the total vehicle weight on the front tires, which are doing double duty as the steering wheels AND the drive wheels. Plus, they get most of the friction during braking. When most vehicles were rear-wheel drive, tires wore a little more evenly; unless the driver had a lead foot.

Regarding snow tires, the rubber compound is softer, which makes them wear faster. The harder rubber compounds in longer wearing tires don't grip as well on snow and ice. For example, the HydroEdges are great on dry pavement and even in the wet; but they are only average (or maybe a little worse) in snow country.

I appreciate all the reminders about rotation and alignment, but I have been doing that fastidiously according to the recommended schedules, I promise. Anyone know the answers to any of my questions?

• Is 15000 miles really a likely lifespan for any of our tires? Or are we being robbed?
• Is there a snow tire that'll do the job, but get a better rate of lifespan to price, than the Blizzaks?
• Can worn snow tires be "demoted" to serve as summer tires for a season or two?

So the state of Vermont doesn't require inspections that include a measurement of tire wear?

It would be good to get an opinion other than that of someone who wants to sell you new tires. As I recall if there's still a 1/16th of an inch of tread all around the tires they're not dead yet.

My 2002 Prius came with Bridgestone Potenza low-rolling resistance tires, and I've bought the same each time they needed replacing. They've lasted 48,000 and 45,000 miles, respectively, so I think 16,000 is way too low, even for Integrities. I set my tire pressure to 42 front and 40 rear, and they are wearing evenly, so I contend that is a "correct" pressure. (When the Prius first came out, folks used the recommended 35/33 but found the tires were wearing out at less than 30k miles, and the edges of the tread wore through before the center, indicating under-inflation.)

The way to tell if your mechanic is recommending new tires too soon is to check the tread depth yourself. You don't have to change them until the treadwear indicator (a high spot in each tread's crevasse all the way across) is at the same level as the tread itself (so it looks like there's a solid bar of rubber from tire edge to edge), but most people will change them when it gets down to about 1mm of tread above the indicator.

Douglas (2002 Prius)

My Integrities lasted 45K no problem, ended up switching them out at 50K before rain season.. running 36/34 (the recommended by Toyota is 35/33).

Is it the driver or the road that determine tire life? Hehe.

Hey Bud, go with Hakkapellita snows{check the spelling} from Finland maybe made by Nokia? Safe driving to you.