Raidin

gshadow325

Congrats on the big 300!!!!

Since you go thru tires. Have you tried different brands? If so what did you like and didn't like?

my hankook concept v2 in 225/45/17 is almost at the wear bars. Don't feel confident to drive them too much longer in the rain. I'll log another 5k by end on next month so I'll need a replacement set advice soon.
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For the first time in my life I'm going to wear out a while set of tires by myself. This is my only car in my whole driving career of 30 years did I ever keep a car long enough to do it. 35k in one year. I know no where close to you. First car I love enough to drive like this.

Raidin

First off, thank you!

As far as tires go, I had the same idea you did. I figured since I used a set of tires per year, I'd try different kinds. I have gone through the following:

1. The Michelins that came with the car (Primacy MXM4?) - replaced after 66,173 miles. Good tires, nothing especially noteable other than low tread life. Generally considered to sacrifice fuel economy for quietness and comfort. I'd agree there.
2. Bridgestone's Ecopia EP422 Plus - replaced after 82,702 miles. Nothing special to note other than they have been the best tires for fuel economy I've ever had. I've hit 52 MPG with them, and was able to reach 50 MPG often (I normally top out around 47 to 49). They're probably louder than most tires, but since I'm always on concrete highways, I rarely notice noise. It's hard to notice but they may ride harsher then the rest as well.
3. Pirelli's Cinturato P7 - replaced after 102,368 miles. Nothing special here either. Average like the rest, including fuel economy. They seemed a bit on the quiet and comfortable side. Very similar to the Michelins, except they lasted quite a while.
4. Currently on: Continental's TrueContact. Current miles on them: about 50,757 miles (and at about 7 to 8/32 tread depth). Nothing special to report.

Unless there's a very interesting tire that is available when it's time for a new one, I will try the EP422 Plus' again.

tofuprod

Congrats!

In your time of owning the vehicle and with your commentary above in regards to tire selection -

What would you suggest for the best "bang for buck" in terms of fuel economy and tire life (obviously conditions vary).

I'm currently on the OEM michelin MXM4s and have zero complaints thus far with the spring rainfall and winter snow here - but would like your input if possible. I wonder how Continentals DWS/06 would stack up in comparison, since I've run those on my prior/current vehicles.

RonSwanson

Congrats! That's an insane amount of miles in such a short time. How far are you planning to take it?

Raidin

@tofuprod: I'm going to have to go back and look at what I paid for each, then I'll give you the best answer I can.

Keep in mind folks that I only buy tires that are rated as LRR, so my selection is smaller than some of you might look at.

@RonSwanson: I replaced my Prius C with this CT because, among other reasons, I wanted a car that will last long enough to where I wouldn't have to replace it, only repair and maintain. I plan to take it as far as it will go.

I figured that fixing and replacing parts after several hundred thousand miles, even the engine and transmission, will be less expensive in the long run than buying a replacement car.

I run just over 100k miles a year, and I think with good maintenance I should be ok for a while.

Raidin

Here are the figures for the tires I bought with prices:

1st set of tires: Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus
Cost: $548
Miles driven: 84,128
Tread when changed: 5/32" (starting at 10/32")
Cost per mile: $0.0065
Tread loss: 1/32" every 16,825.6 miles

2nd set of tires: Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S Plus
Cost: $592
Miles driven: 102,368
Tread when changed: 4/32" front, 5/32" rear (starting at 10/32")
Cost per mile: $0.0058
Tread loss: 1/32" every 22,748.4~ miles

3rd set of tires: Continental TrueContact
Cost: $504
Miles driven: Approximately 66,235
Tread when changed: 3/32" (starting at 11/32")
Cost per mile: $0.0076
Tread loss: 1/32" every 8,279.4~ miles

Cost per mile is based on when I decided to change the tires, just the miles divided by the tread depth at the time of replacement.

Update: I changed the last set of tires (3rd set) to reflect that I have now replaced them. They were easily the worst I've used. I was going to try the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max but was discouraged by the shop because they felt these were very bad tires. I went back to the Ecopias (same as 1st set) and will try to run them to 3/32" this time and see if I can't beat the Pirellis for miles driven.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

very nice.. what year is your car? would love to know your oil change timings.

Raidin

2014 (You can see it in my signature). My OCI is currently at 26,000 miles. I plan to change the oil today and based on how well my filter has held up, we'll see if I can go further next time (Blackstone Labs has recommended I try 28,000). Also looking into a bypass oil filter which will extend it further with cleaner oil.

Raidin

I updated my tire report earlier in this thread as I have just put on my 4th set of tires, another set of Ecopias (same as my first replacement set). Car currently stands at 317k miles.

So far I am once again having issues with one of the horns going out, and now the passenger-side wiper nozzle got blocked. It still sprays but with virtually no pressure.

Replacing the nozzle head didn't help, so a further check discovered a Y-shaped plastic pipe-thing that routes fluid to both nozzles was blocked. Lexus charges $88 for it (it's as big as a Quarter in size), so my mechanic scoffed at this as ridiculous and made his own.

I live in Texas so we still do state emissions inspections, and I had mine done at 317k. The CT passed just fine as always.

Aalexx

Hmm, interesting that you have been able to log so many miles on the stock battery pack. Have you had to do any grid charging (for maintenance) on the battery at all? Seems like a good idea in order to bring "life" back into the battery. Unless your still going strong on stock battery that is. Why fix something that isn't broken.

Raidin

I recently heard about these chargers that you can buy to "recondition" the hybrid battery. I'd have to do more research before deciding whether or not it's worth trying. As I understand it, the hybrid battery is designed to handle many charge and discharge cycles, and is only really limited by time, not usage. My car may have over 300k miles, but it's only 3 years old. The batteries tend to last at least 10 years or more.

Aalexx

Yes you can buy them (for a hefty price) or just make your own for a little over $100 dollars. The reason they get so expensive is added safety features, timers, monitored voltage, etc. prices can go up to almost $800. If your comfortable working with electricity you can make a nice one with features you want. Or seeing as you have a mechanic (time issues) buy one and be done. If I recall correctly some you can install in your car. Again this is to "restore" lost battery capacity, so I don't think you will benefit from it, not enough to warrant the purchase price and labor to do it, not now anyways. I recommend reading up on it, its very interesting. Don't think I can post links to one of the more thorough explanations, but a simple google search will get your interest peaked. Interesting process seeing battery capacity restored.

Mutorcs

Congratz Raidin! Indeed a very pleasant ride to drive

Trexus

Congrats Raidin! That is so awesome that you hit 300K miles on your CT 200h.

I was able to hit over 400K miles on my 1996 ES 300 but eventually got rear-ended. I do miss my old ES 300.

Regarding tires, I did purchase the Michelin Premier A/S and felt that they wore out quick. They were alright/decent, nothing spectacular.