I have a 2005 Prius. I needed to replace the original tires after only about 35000 miles. I read somewhere that the extra battery weight is the reason for this. I also read somewhere that overfilling the front tires might enable them to last longer. Toyota recommends 35 pounds in all tires. Is there any risk involved by filling the front tires to 40 pounds and might this help?
35K miles is not bad on original equipment tires. The battery has nothing to do with it. The Prius is not a particularly heavy car, battery notwithstanding.
I don’t know where you’re reading these suggestions, but I think they are unfounded. Buy high quality tires, maintain the recommended pressure, make sure the wheel alignment is correct, and drive gently. These are the things that maximize tire life.
The original tires on my '03 Honda Civic were shot in 24K miles. The replacements on my Civic, Michelin MV4 somethings are still going and the car is now at 92K miles.
For OEM tires you did well. If you buy good replacement tires you can expect them to last much longer. The OEM tires just don’t last long especially on Toyotas.
Prius uses very low rolling resistance tires from the factory to make the EPA figures(advertising bragging rights) look better. Unfortunately an expense is tread life.
Many Prius owners inflate to 42 front, 40 rear, for better handling and mileage. Be sure to keep the 2 pound differential (Toyota specs 35/33.). Your original tires were probably Goodyear Integrities which were not known for long life. I replaced mine at 23,000. Look at Michelin X available at Sam’s or Costco.
35,000 miles from OEM tires is pretty good. If you want your next tires to last longer than 35,000 miles, you will need to upgrade them (buy nicer ones). Over-inflating your tires won’t make them last any longer. Over-inflating them could make them wear out faster and could damage your suspension components.
I agree…I’ve had lots of Toyotas, and without question, the worse tires I’ve ever used were always the ones that came with the car…35k is excellent. Go by manual and do not over fill unless you carry heavy loads. If battery weight were an issue, no car would be able to carry cargo or passengers. Don’t worry and get on Prius forum for tire recommendations.
If those OE tires were Goodyear Integrities, as I had on both my 2004 and 2005 Prii, then the 35,000 miles you got was extraordinary. I made the mistake of replacing the OE tires on the '04 with the same tire, and none of the three sets would get over 20,000 miles without serious wet traction issues. Finally got wise and put on Michelin Hydroedge tires. After 50,000 miles the '05 still has half its tread left. I would refrain from overinflating the tires, especially if you do a lot of highspeed driving in warm climates, as our cars get. With the Hydroedge I may be sacrificing a mile-per-gallon owing to rolling resistance, but I’ll take the security of the wet traction any day.