At 19K miles my TCH had worn through its original equipment Michelin Energy MXV4 S8 tires. Since exact replacements were $185 at Costo we opted for the $130 Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tires in the same size.

Of late, my wife has taken over my TCH, running it mostly on the highway on her new 100+ mile daily commute. The nav system computer was noting 35mpg average on the MXV4 S8 tires even with pressures in the low 30s (due to my neglect).

I had the new Pilot Exalto's nitrogen filled to 40psi all around. And now the car is averaging only 30mpg on the same commute. In cooler weather. Ouch.

According to Michelin's site, the MXV4 S8's have an "Energy Saver Construction"...so I assume that means they are low rolling resistance tires. The replacement Exaltos don't advertise that, so I assume they are not LRR tires.

I just swapped out my factory Dunlap LRR tires on my HCHII for winter tires (Dunlap M3s), and noticed an immediate 2-3 MPG drop so far, and I have to be much more attentive about keeping my state of charge up in my car because it just doesn't roll freely to a stop like it used to.

I'm bumping up the pressure tomorrow a couple more pounds from 40 in the old tires to 42 in these to see if I can get back some of the mileage as my new tires support another 5lbs more max pressure, you may want to do the same if the tire safely supports it.

I replaced all my tires from Bridgestone to Goodyear ReponsEdge tires. I have to replace them because those OEM tires had cuppings developed at around 19000 miles.
I see a around 3 MPG drop, which sometime more severe in short commute. I also realize that it is harder to switch to electric mode in slow speed driving (<30 miles per hour.)
I see the MPG drop as a compensation on a better handling and a quieter ride. On the other hand, after the MPG drop, I am still better than other similar car's MPG results.
Most of my milage are from Highway driving: usually 35 - 37 MPG @ 70 miles per hour (per my GPS). My Tire pressure is 36 on nitrogen.

ian

I also replaced the original tires with Goodyear ReponsEdge tires, and also lost mpg - from 38.5 to 35mpg. The original tires were rated as lousy at hydroplaning, which is a real concern here in the Northwest where water is frequently flowing across the road during winter.

This weekend I checked air pressure, and the tires were down to 27 psi. Yeow! How'd that happen? 40 psi got me back to 35 mpg, but with a more jittery ride. 37 psi might be best, with much more frequent checks on the psi.

It bugs me to lose the mpg, but the ResponsEdge tires have such a great feel. The car seems much livelier. Pretty expensive, though, and it's a tire expected to last about 30k miles, if I remember correctly. I might go back to the ComforTreds I had on my old Toyota, or their equivalent, when these wear out. They had a nice ride, great wet traction, and many more miles of life.

Soon I'll switch to the "ice" tires I bought for ski trips and occasional frozen roads here in the lowlands. Probably lose another bunch of mpg. Or maybe not.

Ya know, 35 mpg with a car like the TCH isn't bad at all, really. I wanted a bigger car, but didn't want 22 mpg. This car I like.

How did the Michelins wear out at only 19K miles??? That should be a 50K mile tire at a minimum - I get 75K out of the Michelins on my Honda minivan. I would think you would have gotten some type of pro-rated coverage if they were worn out at 19K and had been run a proper pressures.

Scott

I just thought I would add my 2 cents. I just recently replaced my original Bridgestone Turanzas when they hit the tread marker at 33,000 miles with a set of the the other OEM Michelein Energy S8 (the dealer had a 4/cost of 3 promotion) and find the ride just as quiet and smooth as before. I had been getting 39 mpg with mostly rural commuting at 55-65 miles per hour and tire pressure 40 psi, and am finding exactly the same with the S8 and same psi. I am hoping the new ones last longer since treadwear rate for the Turanza is only 260 and the S8 is 440. ymmv.

I had a tire rotation done last week at 24k miles 38k km and the dealer reported 90% tread left on 2 tires 75% on the other 2. You should have gotten much better life on your Michelins if they are the same as mine. I keep around 40 PSI always and it rides well.

I was wondering the same thing also. I have 34k on my Michelins right now and they're nowhere near the end of their lifespan. I had the same or at least very similar Michelins on my old Honda Accord and front lasted about 55k miles and rear close to 90k (never rotated), so 19k is way too short, are you sure those weren't Bridgestones?

Is this your first winter in the TCH? This will be my second full winter and both my TCH and my wife's Prius MPG drops DRAMATICALLY in the winter. I typically go from 36-38 to 30-34, and my wife goes from 52-53mpg to 42-44mpg. Are you sure your tires are doing this and not the cold weather?

The roads near our house are hilly and twisty. Push any car down a twisty mountain road and its tires will wear quickly. We don't baby this car just because it's a hybrid. All who live in this area are accustomed to lower gas mileage than EPA rating and lower than rated tire life, sometimes severely.

The MXV4 S8's lived most of their short lives at 40psi until my wife took over the car and neglected checking/refilling them. I, too, wondered how they could have lost so much pressure so quickly.