Driving in the snow with a 2012 Prius Gen III

Craiglist shop around tons of 5x100 wheels check offset though. Got a set of Steelies with decent Bridgestone Blizzaks for $120

SPH-L710 ? 2

 

Why would you put snow tires on all 4 wheels? Put them on the front.


Galaxy Nexus ? 4

 

Why gamble? Just like in Poker, 4 of a kind ALWAYS beat 2 pair.

If you only have snow tires on the front, you can lose traction on the rear and it can spin out.

There are many articles and videos about this on the web. Also see information at tirerack.com.

 

The rear tires are actually where you need the traction most in winter. Whenever you replace just 2 tires they always say to have the newest tires on the back wheels in winter. The front end will have more traction because of its weight.

 

This is very dangerous advice. Put them on all 4 wheels.

 

I keep hearing the Prius sits low. Compared to what, a 4x4? We have four vehicles. Two (front) sit at 6 1/4" and two, including the Prius sit at 7".

 

BS, I grew up in upstate NY, lived in Denver and nobody had snows on all 4 wheels.

Galaxy Nexus ? 4

 

No. In California for example, The chain law requires chains or snow tires on the DRIVE AXLE.

Galaxy Nexus ? 4

 

I have lived here my entire life, witnessed numerous accidents that in retrospect were clearly caused by snows on the front, all seasons on the rear, and have even experienced it myself before I knew any better. Now I have over a decade on the track, thousands of miles of winter rally experience, and better understand traction and how it affects a cars balance, and you are dead wrong to give that advice. Fortunately the word has been spreading over the last few years and you'll find few reputable shops who will install snows on the front only of a fwd car anymore.

 

Chains are a somewhat different animal because top speed tends to be about 20mph. Where tire imbalance bites you is when you are doing 65mph down the road and the rear end suddenly swaps places with the front. It's extremely dangerous and there is nothing you can do to catch it.

 

I don't speed at 65 on a snow covered road. That's reckless driving to say the least.

Galaxy Nexus ? 4

 

I guess you've never heard of black ice. Plenty of places where it can pop up that the speed of traffic is 65mph or better. The same basic concept applies at 40 or 50mph too.

And you are right; 65 on a snow covered road with the tires most people equip their vehicles with is reckless, yet that's the typical behavior of most drivers. (Who wants to spend money on tires; all-seasons are just fine, right?) With great snow tires and experience to know how to react rather than freak out when a vehicle starts to lose traction, 65 may be perfectly safe.

 

If u can afford it put snow tires on all 4. Trust me when the front grips around a turn and the nice person end breaks lose you will wish u had

SPH-L710 ? now Free

 

Four snow tires, never less, the old practice of just putting them on the front drive wheels has long since been shown to be wrong.

If you've "gotten by just fine" all these years, consider yourself lucky. I was one of those "I get by just fine on all seasons" guys fro many years, until I actually tried 4, modern snow tires on a car. The difference in margin of safety is simply night and day. We put them on both cars from Halloween to nearly Easter.

All it takes is the deductible from one fender bender to pay for a set of snow tires that will last you multiple winters.

 

Exactly. The tire shops that I've bought from in the past won't install 2 new tires on the front of any car regardless of season. They tell you that 2 new tires need to be on the rear for winter traction. They also make sure when doing tire rotations to check the tread depth and keep tread depth balanced on each axle so that you don't end up with 2 older tires on the left side and 2 newer tires on the right. This is also a safety issue.

 

I currently drive a rear-wheel-drive smart in Minnesota winters, and I guarantee you will LOVE having snow tires. It's the best thing ever. You will become so much more confident in all conditions. Plus, rotating them each season has definitely been nice, "extending" the life of each set (kind of). I was planning to get a Subaru as my next car, but when I realized snow tires make my little car go through nearly anything, I realized I had no need for AWD, and I'll just get a Prius and a second set of wheels with snow tires, like I have with my smart. Works VERY well.