OT: snow tires needed on a Prius?

[thwart]

Thoughts from those of you who live in the Snow Belt and own one of the very best hybrids out there... ?

We have a 6 mo old Prius V (wife's car primarily) and trying to decide if it's worth the trouble and $$$.

We did do snows/winter wheels on our Honda Fit (since passed on to our daughter) and that seemed to be a worthwhile move...

[zap]

With regards to winter tires, Prius is no different than any other car. If it was worthwhile for the Fit, it will be worthwhile for the Prius.

[4Rings6Stars]

My buddy has a new (just upgraded from the original) Prius and his biggest gripe in the snow is that you can't turn off the traction control. Sometimes you need to spin the tires...

He has snows, FWIW.

[batman1425]

Fellow Madison, WI native and I don't regret the snows we put on my wife's Civic last year. She commutes 35mi each way.I know the winter here last year was a cake walk and we could certainly have done with out them with how little snow we got, but you just can't beat a set of dedicated winter rubber if you live in a snowy climate. Even if it isn't snowy, the softer compounds perform much better at lower temperatures than the all seasons, which need to be harder to avoid excessive wear in the warmer months. And when the inevitable blizzard comes, you are ready and she won't get stranded somewhere. All season tires are better than they used to be, but ultimately they are OK at best for most conditions particularly winter. If you are commuting daily by car in the cold snowbelt, snow tires are always worth the investment IMO.

[deechee]

As with bike tires, you get what you pay for.

I've driven many years with and without snow tires, but the main thing with snow tires is that they give me more confidence. Its nice knowing I'm driving on something that will brake shorter and handle more securely. I'm driving on Nokian Hakka R's and only in a handful of situations have I needed to spin the wheels a little - and rarely do I spin them enough to need to turn off traction control. I live in Montreal.

I just bought my parents a set of Hakka 7's. They handle fantastic on the dry. I'm happy knowing they're on a safe set of tires.

[dave thompson]

Any car deserves/should have dedicated winter tires if there's a chance of snow and or ice. I you live in an area where snow builds up on the streets, aggressive snow tires are called for. If you live where there's more ice than snow on the roads, like here in the Pacific Northwest, "ice" tires are supreme.

My Volvo is shod with Michelin X-Ice which work extremely well and my wife's car has Bridgestone Blizzaks which also are top-rated.

[AngryScientist]

absolutely.

one of the added benefits of winter tires, is that you can dump the all-seasons or "no-seasons" that come stock with almost all cars. dedicated summer and winter tires rule, best of all worlds IMO.

another added benefit - if your car comes with 17, 18 or larger wheels, it's nice to size down for winter tires, a little more air cushion for bad pothole ridden roads and plusher ride, along with the more reliable cold weather traction.

winter tires increase the factor of safety on any car that is driven at or near freezing temps or on snow/ice. their price of admission is well worth it when you consider what just one fender-bender costs.

[MattTuck]

Are snow tires better in the snow? Yes.

Are they worth the cost? It depends. I know plenty of people who have never had snow tires and have never crashed or gotten stuck in the snow.

I think some slim slice of the population gets real benefit, but for most people, they can start braking a bit earlier when coming to a stop, and go around corners a bit slower.

All season tires are perfectly fine for 99% of drivers, assuming they take the normal precautions for driving in the snow.

For the masses, it is a bunch of marketing and scare tactics to drive sales. For the few people that demand higher performance, I won't fight you that they help.

But to say that anyone "needs" snow tires is ridiculous; it's like saying someone needs a Starbucks when dunkin donuts will do.

[carpediemracing]

It snowed here recently, a bit early for the area. You could tell the ones without snow tires - they were the ones going 15 or 20 mph in 40-45 mph zones. They were also the ones that were most hesitant going downhills. The OP probably knows but snow tires help most when slowing/stopping, next when turning, and then when accelerating.

The Prius uses low rolling resistance tires and my understanding is that these tires sacrifice some traction for rolling resistance.

Tires in snow need lots of tread grooves since snow sticks best to snow (and snow tires load up on snow purposely). Ice needs the little cuts in the tread so that each tread knob becomes exponentially larger as far as grabbing edges go. The stock Prius tires don't have much of the first and none of the latter - they resemble the grooved F1 tires.

One of the nice things about the Prius is that the tires should be pretty cheap - they're relatively small tires. My old 93 Civic VX, with its 13" stock wheels, was really inexpensive to shod in snows.

[witcombusa]

Are snow tires better in the snow? Yes.

Are they worth the cost? It depends. I know plenty of people who have never had snow tires and have never crashed or gotten stuck in the snow.

I think some slim slice of the population gets real benefit, but for most people, they can start braking a bit earlier when coming to a stop, and go around corners a bit slower.

All season tires are perfectly fine for 99% of drivers, assuming they take the normal precautions for driving in the snow.

For the masses, it is a bunch of marketing and scare tactics to drive sales. For the few people that demand higher performance, I won't fight you that they help.

But to say that anyone "needs" snow tires is ridiculous; it's like saying someone needs a Starbucks when dunkin donuts will do.


I couldn't disagree more.

Quebec finally made it law for all cars during the "frozen" months. I wish some of the northern states down here would follow suite.

Yeah "they don't need them"...then why do they get stuck in their driveways or worse yet get out on the public roads and drive @ 10 mph as an accident waiting to happen.

If you are unwilling to equipe your car for safe winter travel...keep it off the road!

[goonster]

For the masses, it is a bunch of marketing and scare tactics to drive sales.
Yes, that is why those hype-happy Germans, and fear mongering Swiss, require them by law.

edit: I looked up the details, and it turns out that Switzerland does not require M+S rated tires in the winter, however . . . without them you can be fined if you cause a traffic disruption, and will face greater liability (reduced insurance coverage) in the event of an accident.

[JLP]

Where I live it ices up all the time, and we have steep hills.

One of the dads at the bus stop insists his big truck brakes better because it has 4 wheel drive.

Yeah, um...he probably thinks those Italians should be convicted for not predicting the earthquake too.

Science Be Gone!

[saab2000]

Yes. Is the car or the cargo worth $1000?

If you ask the question you know the answer.

[saab2000]

Are snow tires better in the snow? Yes.

Are they worth the cost? It depends. I know plenty of people who have never had snow tires and have never crashed or gotten stuck in the snow.

I think some slim slice of the population gets real benefit, but for most people, they can start braking a bit earlier when coming to a stop, and go around corners a bit slower.

All season tires are perfectly fine for 99% of drivers, assuming they take the normal precautions for driving in the snow.

For the masses, it is a bunch of marketing and scare tactics to drive sales. For the few people that demand higher performance, I won't fight you that they help.

But to say that anyone "needs" snow tires is ridiculous; it's like saying someone needs a Starbucks when dunkin donuts will do.

Coffee and cars ain't the same thing. Proper winter tires ("Snow" tires is too limiting because they excel in cold rain and cold temps too) are night and day better than summer tires. "All season" tires a a massive compromise biased towards summer.

There's simply no comparison. They are required in places in the world and I also thought it ridiculous until I witnessed the difference first-hand.

I drive a VW GTI which is all but undriveable in snowy conditions with non-winter tires. I installed my winter wheels this past weekend. I have zero regrets about having bought them 5 years ago. If nothing else, they save wear and tear on your summer tires.

To compare scientifically tested tires to a cup of coffee is simply absurd.

[thwart]

Ah, just the help I needed. Wondered if the tires on the Prius were 'decent' in the snow. The Fit has a very short 1st gear (wheelspin even in rain is not unusual), so for that particular car the stock tires seemed not quite as big a factor in this snows/no snows decision.

Thanks to MattTuck for his advice from one end of the spectrum, and witcombusa from the other.

Didn't mean to start an argument about snow tire use... :help:

The '$1000 worth of cargo' argument will carry the day, I think.

[rwsaunders]

We don't get a ton of snow in western PA, but enough to make conditions testy at times. I wouldn't think of sending my wife and kids out in Winter without proper Winter tires. We've run Blizzaks on our Odyssey(s) for the past 12 years with great success (about three seasons per set)...amortized that's about $200/year for the Winter tires.

I purchase the Blizzaks online from Tire Rack...two days turnaround for shipping. The shop instals them when Thanksgiving rolls around and we swap them for standard tires around Easter. Here's a link for your Prius.

http://www.tirerack.com/snow/WinterPackageMain.jsp?autoMake=Toyota&autoModel=Prius&autoYear=2012&autoModClar=Four

[Louis]

Lets assume for the purposes of this question that I'm being cheap - mostly because I plan on selling the car in question next spring, and don't want to spend lots of money, and the snow tires in question won't fit my next car. I assume the next buyer won't be interested in the snow tires.

On a small front wheel drive coupe is it worth it, or a complete waste of time to get just 2 new Blizzaks instead of 4, or will 2 give me a decent benefit? My existing Blizzaks are worn out, but I have them and the steel rims just sitting there in the garage. How about cutting the price in half and putting them only on the front?

My quick calculations show that two tires + shipping + mounting + balancing of tire on rims + disposal of two old tires will be about $200 total. I live pretty far out in the boonies and sometimes have about 5 flat miles that don't get plowed promptly + a few steep hills that can be pretty slick.

TIA

[Ken Robb]

Lets assume for the purposes of this question that I'm being cheap - mostly because I plan on selling the car in question next spring, and don't want to spend lots of money, and the snow tires in question won't fit my next car. I assume the next buyer won't be interested in the snow tires.

On a small front wheel drive coupe is it worth it, or a complete waste of time to get just 2 new Blizzaks instead of 4, or will 2 give me a decent benefit? My existing Blizzaks are worn out, but I have them and the steel rims just sitting there in the garage. How about cutting the price in half and putting them only on the front?

My quick calculations show that two tires + shipping + mounting + balancing of tire on rims + disposal of two old tires will be about $200 total. I live pretty far out in the boonies and sometimes have about 5 flat miles that don't get plowed promptly + a few steep hills that can be pretty slick.

TIA
What is avoiding a wreck worth to you? I sold a nice set of used snow tires for a fair price via BMWCCA classifieds. I would think you could do the same via Craig's List.

[Louis]

What is avoiding a wreck worth to you? I sold a nice set of used snow tires for a fair price via BMWCCA classifieds. I would think you could do the same via Craig's List.

1) The car is a '97 Integra. Assuming the wreck is most likely to happen at low speed and only damage the car, and not me, the car itself is unlikely to be worth more than $1500. So wrecking the car (or running off the road and not being able to get back on the road, which is the more likely issue) would not be a huge loss, just a big inconvenience.

2) I don't think there's a big market for used 195/60-14 snow tires. If I could sell them for half price I think I would do it. I don't think I could even get that, but I suppose I might.

[MattTuck]

There's simply no comparison. They are required in places in the world and I also thought it ridiculous until I witnessed the difference first-hand.

This will be my last post in this thread, but suffice it to say that I would like to keep the discussion focused on facts, and not people's experience of superior handling characteristics.

I'm not saying they aren't significantly better than all season tires. What I'm saying is that the 'need' for them is over hyped. Perhaps the snow tire manufacturers should donate to some politicians' campaigns here in the US, and we could pass legislation to require them here too.

From a 2012 Research Report from TIRF: (http://www.tirf.ca/publications/PDF_publications/2012_Winter_Tire_Report_7.pdf)

To summarize, a review of existing literature (primarily since 1985) was performed. Generally speaking, in winter driving conditions, winter tires are superior to all-season tires and summer tires according to experimental studies and demonstration projects. However, there is an insufficient body of literature, notably epidemiological collision studies, to validate this in terms of how these findings translate in the real world. More precisely, the question whether this apparent advantage of superior performance of winter tires in winter conditions translates into fewer collisions, injuries and fatalities requires further investigation, especially in light of recent and continuous improvements to winter tire technology. Much of the earliest available research deals with the effectiveness of studded tires. In more recent years, as studded tire use has declined, more studies have been conducted which review the effectiveness of non-studded winter tires. However, as stated, more research is needed to better understand and measure differences in effectiveness of available types of tires under various road conditions. It is important to note that Quebec undertook its own research on the matter and other jurisdictions are encouraged to build upon this.

Further, I find snow tires of dubious benefit based on a study of cab drivers in Germany. This study provided an experimental group of cab drivers with anti-lock brakes (a superior technology in all regards) while the control was given regular brakes. The two groups had statistically the same number of accidents and the anti-lock brakes did not provide any increase in safety. The reason for this is something called risk homeostasis. Which basically means, that when risk is decreased in one area, we increase it in another. From wikipedia on the subject: There are at least three studies which show that drivers' response to antilock brakes is to drive faster, follow closer and brake later, accounting for the failure of ABS to result in any measurable improvement in road safety. The studies were performed in Canada, Denmark and Germany.[1][2][3] A study led by Fred Mannering, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue University supports risk compensation, terming it the "offset hypothesis".

At the end of the day, as a society, I do not support the idea that snow tires will make us safer. For the few times a year that you must drive in the snow, I think it much more logical and economical to drive slowly and safely with your all season tires than to buy snow tires and pretend you're mario andretti.

Are there benefits to getting snow tires? yes, I'm not arguing that. But the idea that they make you a safer driver is unconfirmed at best, and completely misleading at worst.

I'm out.

[carpediemracing]

1) The car is a '97 Integra. Assuming the wreck is most likely to happen at low speed and only damage the car, and not me, the car itself is unlikely to be worth more than $1500. So wrecking the car (or running off the road and not being able to get back on the road, which is the more likely issue) would not be a huge loss, just a big inconvenience.

2) I don't think there's a big market for used 195/60-14 snow tires. If I could sell them for half price I think I would do it. I don't think I could even get that, but I suppose I might.

The issue with putting two tires on the car is that you have good traction on one end and poor traction on the other. The best place to put the tires, if you choose to do this, is the rear of the car. This way you face essentially the same limits as if you didn't put the snow tires on in the first place. If you try and stop hard, your front tires will slip before the rears and therefore you'll keep heading in the direction you were going. Ditto if you try to turn too hard, etc. You end up with a car that has slightly higher limits than what you have now.

On the other hand, if you put the snows on the front of your car, you've just turned your car into a mega drift machine. Put your brakes on and the rear lets go, and you may not know which way it'll head. Go into a turn even slightly hot (for the rears; the fronts will be fine) and the rear will step out in a big way.

After saying all this to an ex-gf she listened to her mechanic and had the good tires put in the front. "Better traction going up hill". Well it was only after the car turned itself around at 55 mph that she admitted that the mechanic had insisted on putting the good tires up front. We bounced around a bit (she was in the left lane, touched snow, the front was fine, the rear let go, and we were on a curve on an otherwise clear highway).

All this is kind of moot if you have a massively long driveway and all you want to do is play rally car racer. Put the snows on the front and go to it. In fact I wish I had such a driveway where I could pretend to be Ken Block (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K37p0vw9cU) and the like.

However, if you are driving on public roads, even a little waver, where the tail lets go before the front, you run the risk of all sorts of stuff. There's an example clip that illustrates what can happen when the tail lets go here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItA8ntrtSPs) (warning: graphic).

This is one of those questions that you may ask yourself in other situations. "I don't plan on crashing on the bike so should I buy a helmet?" "I don't plan on crashing my car so why bother with the seat belt?" Or, more likely, because the first two you kind of do automatically, "Why should I pay for renter's insurance? I don't have much that anyone would want to steal." "Why buy life insurance? The chances of my dying soon are next to nil."

For snow tires once you leave your driveway then there are too many variables to contend with.

As a side note a 1997 Integra shares a common platform with a bazillion cars out there. You should be able to sell your wheels/tires to any number of compatible Civic/Integra owners out there (not to mention the other imports that share the same bolt pattern and offset).

If you don't want to buy 4 snows then don't buy any at all.

*edit: snows vs all season on snow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfvyPtYR0Y).
I will admit that snows are worse when there's no snow out. I admit that studdable tires, typically made of "regular" winter tire rubber, are not as good as the fancy non-stud tires. I've driven with all three types of tires on one car (a 93 Civic) and there's a difference between the snows (studdable/non-studdable) and all season or summer tires, and there's a difference between studdable and non-studdable especially since I didn't stud my studdables.

[DHallerman]

one of the added benefits of winter tires, is that you can dump the all-seasons or "no-seasons" that come stock with almost all cars. dedicated summer and winter tires rule, best of all worlds IMO.


Yes, but...summer tires are great for better weather, but they're useless in the snow, dangerous in fact.

And in the northeast, and I'm guessing in other snow-belt areas, the first storm can come on quickly, surprisingly fast. That was true with last week's "Nor'easter," and it was true with last year's Halloween storm.

So, it's too easy to get caught before you put on winter tires, with summer tires still on, and yet snow on the ground. That's why I prefer high-quality performance all-season tires, which covers my butt when the early snow arrives. And then I follow the T-to-T rule for winter tires: on around Thanksgiving, off around Tax Day (April 15th).

Dave, who says that if you put winter tires on in mid-October say that might take care of it in some parts of the US of A

[Louis]

If you don't want to buy 4 snows then don't buy any at all.

OK, you have me convinced. I was fixated on the hills, because that's always been the real problem, and I've always been OK on the flats.

I'll either get four Blizzaks and plan on selling them, or just leave what I have on now. Maybe buying the four tires will be the price to pay for us not ever getting more than 1" of snow and no freezing rain all winter long...

Thanks :)

[witcombusa]

Yes, but...summer tires are great for better weather, but they're useless in the snow, dangerous in fact.

And in the northeast, and I'm guessing in other snow-belt areas, the first storm can come on quickly, surprisingly fast. That was true with last week's "Nor'easter," and it was true with last year's Halloween storm.

So, it's too easy to get caught before you put on winter tires, with summer tires still on, and yet snow on the ground. That's why I prefer high-quality performance all-season tires, which covers my butt when the early snow arrives. And then I follow the T-to-T rule for winter tires: on around Thanksgiving, off around Tax Day (April 15th).

Dave, who says that if you put winter tires on in mid-October say that might take care of it in some parts of the US of A

I simply put them on when the forecast is for snow :eek:
Haven't been caught out yet. Takes me 15-20 minutes.
I drove someones car with no season tires in 3" of snow one time. That
will never happen again :no:

[Tony T]

Prius related: Toyota Recalling 670,000 Prius Hybrids in U.S. (http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/toyota-recalling-670000-prius-hybrids-in-u-s/?hp)

Toyota is recalling 670,000 of its 2004-9 Prius hybrids in the United States to fix problems involving the loss of steering and the hybrid powertrain shutting down, the automaker has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The move is part of a worldwide recall of almost 2.78 million vehicles, according to The Associated Press, which quoted Toyota officials in Japan. Only the Prius is affected in the United States. Outside the United States the recall covers the Corolla and the Wish, a small van.

The cars are being recalled because the metal used for a steering component is not hard enough, according to a report the automaker filed on Wednesday with the safety agency. The part could wear out “if the steering wheel is frequently and forcefully turned to the full left or full right position while driving at low speeds,” and that “could result in the loss of steering ability,” according to the report.

[deechee]

From a 2012 Research Report from TIRF: (http://www.tirf.ca/publications/PDF_publications/2012_Winter_Tire_Report_7.pdf)

Are there benefits to getting snow tires? yes, I'm not arguing that. But the idea that they make you a safer driver is unconfirmed at best, and completely misleading at worst.


Thanks for the article, I'll read through it more carefully later.
I agree with you that winter tires are not "needed". I grew up for years driving really cheap cars with cheap tires. You learn to adapt. With Quebec legislating mandatory winter tires, what I see now are people who run their winter tires all year round. The legislation only says by which date you need to have winter tires ON, never when they come OFF. :) There's also a jack-a** who has studded tires on his bmw 1 series parked near my work. They're not legal at this time of year. How CHEAP are you?

Also, the other day I saw a brand new SUV running Goodyear F32s. That's really sad. I saw those tires back in the 90's. I can't imagine how old those tires are and the ancient rubber technology running in those.

People will always find a way to be cheap and they're the dangerous ones. But I think in the context of this thread, new winter tires are definitely worth the $. They are for me, simply for the peace of mind they provide.

[saab2000]

This will be my last post in this thread, but suffice it to say that I would like to keep the discussion focused on facts, and not people's experience of superior handling characteristics.

I'm not saying they aren't significantly better than all season tires. What I'm saying is that the 'need' for them is over hyped. Perhaps the snow tire manufacturers should donate to some politicians' campaigns here in the US, and we could pass legislation to require them here too.

From a 2012 Research Report from TIRF: (http://www.tirf.ca/publications/PDF_publications/2012_Winter_Tire_Report_7.pdf)



Further, I find snow tires of dubious benefit based on a study of cab drivers in Germany. This study provided an experimental group of cab drivers with anti-lock brakes (a superior technology in all regards) while the control was given regular brakes. The two groups had statistically the same number of accidents and the anti-lock brakes did not provide any increase in safety. The reason for this is something called risk homeostasis. Which basically means, that when risk is decreased in one area, we increase it in another. From wikipedia on the subject:

At the end of the day, as a society, I do not support the idea that snow tires will make us safer. For the few times a year that you must drive in the snow, I think it much more logical and economical to drive slowly and safely with your all season tires than to buy snow tires and pretend you're mario andretti.

Are there benefits to getting snow tires? yes, I'm not arguing that. But the idea that they make you a safer driver is unconfirmed at best, and completely misleading at worst.

I'm out.

I will also not get into a big pissing match about it. Everyone can make their own choices on the matter. As to whether or not the tire manufacturers should lobby the feds to make them mandatory, well, I doubt that's what happened in Europe but it's surely what happens here all the time.

The argument about safety is an interesting one. The same arguments can be made about bicycle helmets. They arguably don't make cycling safer because no helmet has ever prevented an accident. By that argument it would be logical that some riders who rarely crash shouldn't feel the need to wear them. There is some logic there.

I have never had a car accident in 29 years of driving and I choose winter tires for the driving I've done in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Switzerland. I recommend the same to others in snowy climates. The less snow someone sees the less there will be a 'need' for snow/winter tires.

I'm out too. My opinions have been made clear.

[carpediemracing]

Yes, but...summer tires are great for better weather, but they're useless in the snow, dangerous in fact.

And in the northeast, and I'm guessing in other snow-belt areas, the first storm can come on quickly, surprisingly fast. That was true with last week's "Nor'easter," and it was true with last year's Halloween storm.


True on summer tires. I found out the hard way just how bad they are - I was pulling out of the office parking lot in 28 deg F temps and spun the car at about 15 mph and virtually no throttle. This was a 3 season car so I gingerly drove it home and garaged it for the winter.

Summer tires are to cars what tubulars are to bikes. There is a narrow but significant use for such tires and if the benefits both appeal to you as well as outweigh the drawbacks then it's worth it to have them. For the record I have tubulars as well as clinchers. I train on clinchers virtually all the time, except when test riding my tubulars.

If one doesn't have the option of owning a second set of rims with dedicated snows on them then it doesn't make sense to have summer tires. One also ought to have a jack, jack stands, and a decent socket handle and socket to change the tires over. Most relatively new cars have very straightforward jack points under the rocker panels so they don't require much crawling around. As noted above it takes about 20 minutes to change out a set of rims in a driveway.

If one has a dedicated set of rims with snows then the non-snows can be summers safely. With my previous summer-tired car I stopped driving it when the temperatures were expected to drop under 40 degrees. This eliminates the "surprise snow storm" phenomena. I had snows on both our regular cars for the last snow storm, although I admit I put them on the day before.

It was extremely frustrating driving through the snow. During the storm, with no traffic ahead, I was fine at 35-45 mph (and I did a couple emergency brake tests when the road was clear behind me and the tires and ABS worked great). The roads were freezing on the way back and the car still handled very securely. However I spent most of my driving time going 15-25 mph behind those that either were scared or didn't have snow tires on (or both). These are basically flat roads but as anyone who's driven in snow will know even a small hill seems extremely treacherous when your car lacks grip.

When my factory all seasons wear out - it'll be a while I think since I drive about 10k mi a year - I'll be replacing them with summer tires.

[boxerboxer]

My buddy has a new (just upgraded from the original) Prius and his biggest gripe in the snow is that you can't turn off the traction control. Sometimes you need to spin the tires...

He has snows, FWIW.

?? I'm in Northwestern MN and I'd say we get more snow than about 95% of the country, and I'd like to know when the hell you'd EVER need to spin the tires. Not even for parking lot shenanigans have I ever wanted to spin the tires.

[carpediemracing]

?? I'm in Northwestern MN and I'd say we get more snow than about 95% of the country, and I'd like to know when the hell you'd EVER need to spin the tires. Not even for parking lot shenanigans have I ever wanted to spin the tires.

For fun? :)

*edit let me expand - left foot braking with a FWD in snow gets the tail out nicely but you need to have some power going to the front tires else you basically just spin.

[bigreen505]

Just get something with studs. It's the only way we can hear a Prius coming.

[markie]

My boss has a prius and he drove off the road twice last
winter. As I understand it the prius has low rolling resistance tires to help improve MPG. This means the tires are hard and lacking in grip.

I have a mini and snow tires made a major improvement in grip. On its original run flats it was scary to drive in any snow at all. The back would just go... Winter tires (X ice 2) made it fantastic in the snow. It just plows through everything.

I do not know if it is safer, but it says on the road now. :)

[mack]

+1 for the Tire Rack.....but why stop at just tires, for another $200+change you order steel wheels, they mount the tires and you're in business for years to come, not to mention the self sufficiency in being able to go back and forth between tires/wheels for each season.
We live north of the OP and our hilly half mile driveway alone requires the winter specific tires (and I don't mean winter performance tires-big difference between those and snow and ice tires.). We also travel much for skiing and the benefits of the winter tires are huge.
I've been doing this for all our vehicles for many years and seem to get 5-6 seasons out of each set, the trick (IMO) is to get them off as soon as season ends.
We also have a Prius and as previously mentioned the stock tires are not good snow and ice tires, but put the winter tires on and those in combination with the weight of the vehicle make it formidable in snow in ice...what remains a factor in deep snow and drifts is the vehicle clearance.
The Bizzaks are undoubtedly nice but most others are on similar par, I've used the Dunlop graspic tires with great success and can speak to their wear longevity.
Probably not suitable for this forum.........but I'm thinking SNOW!

We don't get a ton of snow in western PA, but enough to make conditions testy at times. I wouldn't think of sending my wife and kids out in Winter without proper Winter tires. We've run Blizzaks on our Odyssey(s) for the past 12 years with great success (about three seasons per set)...amortized that's about $200/year for the Winter tires.

I purchase the Blizzaks online from Tire Rack...two days turnaround for shipping. The shop instals them when Thanksgiving rolls around and we swap them for standard tires around Easter. Here's a link for your Prius.

http://www.tirerack.com/snow/WinterPackageMain.jsp?autoMake=Toyota&autoModel=Prius&autoYear=2012&autoModClar=Four

[thwart]

Update:

Finally had a chance to take the Prius on a drive in real winter conditions, after a huge snowstorm here. Today it's sunny, 20 degrees, snow/ice covered roads.

I did so immediately after running Xmas errands with my A4 Quattro (with Continental snows mounted). So back to back comparison against a pretty capable winter warrior...

I'd say it does pretty well overall. I felt safe, and wouldn't hesitate to send loved ones out in it in these conditions. So we're going without dedicated snow tires for now.

[sg8357]

A good buddy asked Penske Racings head mechanic how to prepare his BMW for a Vermont winter.

1.125lbs of kitty litter in the boot.
2. steel wheels
3. Fulda Blizzak tires
4. Park in garage, await spring.

[xjoex]

I put Blizzaks on my Mini Cooper when I lived in SW PA. It was amazing, night and difference driving. Money well spent.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ENjcg4rQMlA/T4o9E8B-WEI/AAAAAAAAFQA/Cc05l96jlk0/s640/blizzak%2520mini.jpg

I have studded snows on my truck, but I live on a mountain side now.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bgh0HOIDDH4/UMfTtxsgDEI/AAAAAAAAI90/ZnLIBwjoupc/s912/PC110291.jpg

-Joe

[rccardr]

Do it.
Blizzaks on new steel wheels with pressure sensors from Tire Rack.

[palincss]

I couldn't disagree more.

Quebec finally made it law for all cars during the "frozen" months. I wish some of the northern states down here would follow suite.



There is, however, a lot of difference between Quebec and say, Virginia or North Carolina and points south. Here in metro DC we do occasionally get snow, but not with great regularity, and not in sufficient quantity and duration that it would make a lot of sense to get snow tires. You could wear a set out without having actually driven on snow more than a few times.

[palincss]

Just get something with studs. It's the only way we can hear a Prius coming.

Chains would work, too...