Winter Driving and Tires

Maybe this will help. There are many threads on tires on this site. If you go to the top of the page and click on "search" you can type in whatever you want to search for. Perhaps "snow tires" or something similar. Good luck.

 

Check the Tire rack for your options. There are a lot available in the size for the 17" Prius. If you keep the same wheels and tire size you'll have no problem with snow tires.

 

J.D.

I'm a huge fan of snow tires. I'm also a huge fan of search. (Just a little bit of n00b ribbing, but until I can talk Danny into a ToC, a second or two with the search function will help you immensely as you digest the enormous amount of information available in this Forum).

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/71184-snow.html?highlight=winter+tires

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...eels-winter-tires.html?highlight=winter+tires

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/71184-snow.html?highlight=winter+tires

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ns/71626-got-snow.html?highlight=winter+tires

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ptions-in-ne-ohio.html?highlight=winter+tires

Snow tire recommendations thread

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-tires-2010-prius.html?highlight=winter+tires

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...nter-summer-tires.html?highlight=winter+tires

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ter-tires-gen-iii.html?highlight=winter+tires

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...m/65115-snow-tire.html?highlight=winter+tires

And, finally:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...tions-2010-please.html?highlight=winter+tires

 

Why do people keep opening new winter tire threads? As listed above their are many.

 

Hello JD,

Living in Canadian snow, I sympathize. My Prius 2010 has 15 inch tires, got Pirelli Sotto Zero winter radials and Prius rims. Suggest you check out Pirelli site, another good brand for winter tires is Nokia Hakapalita. My 2002 Corolla ran without fear on Nokia NRW winters. Good luck!

 

Also check out www.tirerack.com .

 

Hi
I have a 2008. I am a convinced owner of Nokian tires. I bought Hakkapelita winter tires and it turned my Prius into an SUV! The car was great in the snow, even during storms. Traction control worked great. Never a worry.
In the past I have purchased 17 inch snows. That tire size is 'expensive', even just a regular tire is more expensive to purchase, the unfortunate drawback.
But those wheels look great!
Enjoy.

 

To answer your question good report done by tirerack.com

Simular a good write up done by Road and Track

And the winner hands down for "Snow grip" is the Michelin X-Ice II

Second is the BF Goodrich Blizzak second generation.

Being a fan of Michelin tires I went with the Ice-X II from tire rack.

Now I wait for snow

Tim

 

Just installed Michelin X-Ice II on both my Prius and my Daughter's Prius. Went to Costco. 4.5 hours wait time to get them mounted on Tuesday for my car and 3 hours wait time on Thursday for my daughter's. I heard that there was 6.5 hours wait time on Wednesday! It's only November 20th and there is no snow yet in Vancouver!

My daughter used to have a Camry with Hakappelita winter tires on it and it worked way better than my Subaru Outback with stock all seasons. Bought the Michelin as they were significantly cheaper than the Hakkapelita. Will see if they perform as well in the snow!

 

Sounds like a good choice. In Consumer Reports November 2009 issue, the Michelin X-Ice II was the highest rated winter tire -- more highly rated than the two Hakkapelitas tested by Consumer Reports:

Consumer_Reports_Nov._2009_Tire_Tests-1.doc

 

Regarding 15" alloy wheels for mounting snow tires, does anyone know if the choices offered on Tire Rack as compatible with the 2010 Prius are all OK choices? I noticed that the specifications differ a bit from one wheel to the next... Also, does anyone know the weight of the original 15" Toyota wheels?
Thanks

 

I got 4 Goodyear Nordics installed last week at Canadian Tire on the 15" stock rims for about $100 each. We're heading up to Mount Seymour tomorrow morning so I'll finally see how this car handles the snow, 124 cm in the parking lot! I'm really hoping I won't have to chain up.

 

I am waiting for your snow driving report Moner! This will be the first year I don't have an AWD car! What worries me the most is the low clearance of the front end...

 

I assume the tirerack offerings would work, but I believe they all have smaller offsets than the OE wheels, which would mean they would stick out of the wheel well a little more. I wanted to avoid having more sand and crap kicking up onto the paint, so I went for the OE 15" wheels off e-bay. If you are interested, I found this site which does a nice job of comparing wheel and tire pairings: Wheel / tire size calculator / comparer - RIMS-N-TIRES

I forget what the OE wheels weigh, but it is in at least one of the threads.

 

No problems getting up the mountain this morning but there really wasn't much snow on the road up and the parking lot was well plowed. I didn't see the slip indicator come on at all. Lots more snow falling tonight though and we're heading back up there in the morning so maybe I'll get a little more snow to play with. I'm definitely nervous about the car's low clearance if we end up with a Vancouver winter like last year's!

 

With my '04, I was quite happy with the studded Goodyear Nordic's from Canadian Tire. The factory studded Nokian's I have on my FJ are clearly better on ice and also on wet roads



Though any winter tire sucks in mild dry conditions. If I had known our weather would have been good for over a month, I probably would have put the other tires and wheels back on

 

it worked way better than my Subaru Outback with stock all seasons. Bought the Michelin as they were significantly cheaper than the Hakkapelita. Will see if they perform as well in the snow!