Winter tires and rims

I never had studded winter on Prius, but had arctic claw studded winter tires on Civic Hybrid for 5 winters. They are super secure on icy road, but not so good on fresh snow or slash, and downright the worst tires you can have on dry pavement. If the roads you drive regularly during winter gets icy and do not melt till spring, the studded tires can be life saver, but if you do any driving on dry road or even on fresh snow, I would not recommend.

 

The nokian studded tires are great under icy conditions but overkill for a Prius. The Michelin Xice i3 are a much better all around winter tire with the added advantage of being a low rolling resistance tire as well. The design of the studs on the nokian 8 series are much quieter than traditional studded tires but will kill your mpg. I ran a set for 2 months and never got above 40 mpg. Switched to the michelins and have never got less than 48mpg. I run the Michelin year round as their wet weather traction is amazing. Another reason I run them year round is price. You can buy a set in the spring for around 65$+\- per tire when they are on sale. Or 40$ cheaper than the Michelin all seasons with comparable mpg. 50k so far on first set and at least 30k tread life remaining.

To summarize
1. Nokians, expensive, noisy, marginal in snow, terrible mpg, fantastic on ice.
2. Michelin Xice i3, cheaper if you shop smart, better all around and no mpg hit. Awesomene on snow.

 

Yes, and again yes, best possible scenario, not having studs on ice is like not having studs on ice, a big mistake, it’s not starting that matters, it’s stopping, I’ve run the Michelin’s, I prefer studded nokians, pri are winter beasts, unless yer studless...

 

Can I use the same steel wheels and winter tires that I ran on the Gen 2 (2007) Prius I previously owned on my new 2017 Gen 4 Prius Two? Got plenty of life left in the tread. Mostly concerned about whether the wheels will work... Thanks!

 

Hi everyone, first time posting here and really enjoying the forum so far. Just got a 2017 Prius Technology Advanced (15" wheels) up here in Toronto, to replace a 2004 Corolla. I've been shopping for winter tires for a few days and was about to post my Corolla winters on Kijiji (Hankook i*Pike 195/65R15 91T) when I finally clued in that they are the same size!

I am just not sure if the steel wheels they are currently on would fit on the Prius as is, if the same lug nuts I used on the Corolla would work, and if any other modifications would be required (e.g. hub caps, etc.). Or should I just get new rims? Photos are attached. Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

They look like an earlier "gen" than the ones I'm using (see post #5), may well work though. Check that they'll physically fit, clear everything, are snug on the central hub. Lug nut seat style never changes? Your current lug nuts will likely work, but for TO winters consider getting plain nuts (post #5K).

I used a commonly available 2" ABS end cap as a hub cap, and without it, you will have a rusty/grotty mess before long. The cap is slightly loose, so I pushed on a make-shift gasket onto the hub surround on the rim: a "rubber band" created by snipping a cross-section of bicycle inner tube. With that pushed on, the cap is snug fit, hasn't flung off in a couple of winters I've used it.


(Besides the cap, I also put a drop of oil on the tip of each wheel stud after nut install, brush it around a little. Without this it gets rusty.)

 

What might also work is rubber electrical tape, you stretch it and wrap it around itself as many times as you need to get the thickness that you want. Holds together quite well, I prefer it over normal electrical tape because the adhesive can eventually give out on those. I have even used it to wrap leaky pipe joints.

There is also a non-adhesive version,

I have used both and they work well, the non-adhesive doesn't leave any residue when you later remove it. For some things I don't care, but for the wheel hubs I would probably use the non-adhesive, it's just a little trickier to apply.

 

Since winter is here I see no one has posted about winter tires lately. I got the idea kind of late because I just bought my gen 4 Prius last month and bought some American Racing wheels at Tire Rack two days ago and decided I wouldn't install them until spring and use the stock wheels as my winter wheels. It is mostly flat ground around where I live I can get by with all season tires but I would like to have the TPMS working on both sets of wheels. After doing some research on the internet I found what I consider the most practical way to have two sets of wheels with working TPMS and not having to go to the dealer or tire shop when I switch.
My plan is to get four programmable TPMS sensors and have them cloned to the existing ones that came with the car so the TPMS system would recognize the cloned TPMS sensors of my new wheels. I could just change the wheel and be done with it, no trip to the dealer or tire store.

 

Post an update, how it works out. I think someone else mentioned these too.

 

I use Nokian WRG3 year round and they work just fine. No hassles with TPMS, changing wheels, storing wheels, etc. No mileage hit. DO remember, even with "proper" winter tires, studs or no, DO leave your superman suit at home. It's still slippery!

 

That is what I am thinking of doing. Nice to know there is no mileage hit. Do you have any comment on tread wear of WRG3?

 

The Nokian WRG3 seem to wear about the same as the tires the car came with. Best thing is, I get them from Cal Tire (only place that has them here) and they honour the treadwear warranty (and do free repairs and rotations). Pearl, a GII, wore them a little fast (they were WRG2 then). I got a $40 discount per tire when I replaced them.

 

Anyone used Coopers? When I was last shopping for winter booties for the car, some friends highly recommended Coopers, but that was after I'd already hit the button on a set of Blizzaks! (…just curious, that's all! )

 

With Christmas so close I don't think I will be messing with my plan for winter and summer tires.

I removed the pizza hubcaps and found some plastic plugs to fill the holes on the stock rims, they were perfectopic fit but it took a little hot glue to make them stay put. It cost more to ship them than they cost but I got ten in the bag.