Snow tire recommendations

GreenMachine, we're in Ann Arbor, which isn't known for its snowfall, but this year has been strange. The period from Thanksgiving to Christmas felt like my boyhood in Buffalo - snowy and frigid. After Christmas, it's been raining and today hit the mid-40's. Who knows what January will bring us.

I'll see if these tires "break in" after some putting a few more miles on them. We don't do a lot of highway with our Prius, so I'm not disappointed.

 

Been running Nokian WRs for a month and like 'em. Noticeably quieter and better-tracking. Running 48/46 with no apparent MPG hit.

 

48/46 ?

 

The tire is likely rated for 51 PSI like many other winter tires.. I run a minimum of 48/46 in my Michelin X-Ice as a matter of course...

Part of the reason is that it is normally recommended that you increase the tire pressure over whatever your normal value is by at least 1 PSI for every 10 degree decrease in temperature.. ie, if you put 35 PSI in the tires in the summer when it's 80F+, then in the winter, when it's 10F, you'd need to increase the pressure to at least 42PSI (+7PSI for -70 degree change) to make up for the change in air density..

Besides temperature, the other reason for adjusting tire pressure when using non-OEM tires is that the load rating could very well be different than the OEM, and putting factory recommended pressure in a non-OEM tire could result in the tire being in a totally different load region, which could have treadwear, handling and safety ramifications.. This is something few people ever think of, preferring only to look at the one number printed in the owner's manual, but there is much more to choosing tires beyond simple size equivalence.. For example, the OEM Integrities are rated to carry 1168lb per tire when they are inflated to 35 PSI each.. In contrast, a popular replacement tire for the Prius is the Michelin Hydroedge, which needs 44 PSI to carry the same 1168lb load.. What this means is that if you put the factory-recommended 35 PSI in the Hydroedge, you're actually overloading the tires and it's not surprising that you get a significant MPG loss..

In other words, the point I'm trying to make is that factory recommendations are for the OEM tire only and may not apply to other brands of replacement tires, even if they are the same size.. In the example I've given, 44 PSI on the Michelin is actually equivalent to 35PSI on the OEM Goodyear tire.. In a winter tire, you may need to increase the pressure even more to maintain equivalent performance..

 

Righto, c4.

Yes, Machine, 48 lb front, 46 rear. Sounds like a lot, but, relative to the specs of the tire, it's not. These tires are in another class. I've never bought such expensive ones. But my wife drives it most of the time, and it's rainy season, and...

 

Nice tire but mine were near the wear indicators at 20,000 miles. Switched to GY Assurance Tripletred. MUCH quieter than the WRs,handling improved too. Will report on wet performance after I have some driving time.

 

I would like to provide a somewhat comprehensive report on the snow performance of my new Prius type III with newly mounted Bridgestone BlizzakWS60B 19565R15 (purchased at Sears for $416 including mounting, balancing, check alignment and taxes).

I am an experienced snow driver, and this report deals with a trip to my house in the Vermont mountains from Massachusetts.
1. While traveling up a wide, 3 in. snow covered road I decided to moderately accelerate. The results was a smooth increase in speed while traveling in a straight line with no illumination of the traction control light. Excellent performance.
2. On the same 20% grade, I decided to put the pedal to metal. Then the speed increased with straight line direction, but the traction control rapidly fired on and off. There was still continuous acceleration. Excellent performance.
3. The driveway to my house in Stowe is famous for its steepness (30-40%). It is 100 ft long and bears off the main road by a 20 degree angle. I approached the road while traveling at ca. 20 mph, and accelerated moderately after making the turn. It went up the hill in a straight line, no slippage, and the traction control light did not illuminate. Excellent and better than any vehicle previously used over 40 years.
4. I wanted to test the grip and ABS breaks going down this driveway. I started down slowly and applied the brakes moderately for a full stop. then I stopped another 10 times on my descent. Once I jammed on the brakes and the ABS system chattered mildly, but I stopped in a straight line in a short distance. Also better than any vehicle ever owned.
5. I started driving back from Stowe on the day of the December 9th snow storm in the Northeast. This was the most intensive snow storm that I had driven in within the last 50 years. The snow was heavy and blown by exceptionally strong winds. On interstate 89 in New Hampshire, while no cars were nearby I decided to test the breaking. I moderately applied the breaks while driving 50 mph on a road covered with 4 in. of new snow, and the Prius came to a smooth, straight line stop with no ABS noise. Then I came up to 50 mph again and stomped on the brakes, and the ABS chattered and the car came to a smooth straight line stop. Remember there were no other cars in sight! Excellent performance.
6. The Prius with the Blizzaks performed better in this intensive storm than any of the 4 WD vehicles that I have ever owned. I was surprised at its stability on snowy roads in strong winds. I was easily able to travel accross the ruts to pass slower moving vehicles.
7. When I got to my house near Boston, the streets and my driveway (500 ft. long) had 8 in of snow cover. I pulled the Prius smartly into the driveway and it traveled through the snow like a snowmobile without slipping.

Conclusion: The New Prius III with the Blizzak Snow tires are an excellent combination and both companies should be commended for excellent products.

I almost did not buy a new Prius due to the negative comments on this blog on its snow performance. I am glad I did , because it is a dynamite car and the fill-up data on fuel efficiency for mixed highway and local driving is 50.1 mpg.

Good snowmobiling.

Bill

 

Blizzaks were great on my 1996 Grand Caravan which, unfortunately, I turned in during Cash for Clunkers for a 2010 Prius, my first new car in 42 years of driving. After a scary snow episode I put four Michelin X-Ice tires (from Tire Rack) on the Prius OEM rims two days ago and hopefully that will facilitate winter driving.

 

> wmoser wrote:
I would like to provide a somewhat comprehensive report on the snow performance of my new Prius type III with newly mounted Bridgestone BlizzakWS60B 19565R15 (purchased at Sears for $416 including mounting, balancing, check alignment and taxes).
snip
>

Along the same lines, without trying to say how they rank among the choices available, I fitted four Michelin X-Ice snow tires on a day when we had about an inch of snow. First, I used my church's parking lot to test braking, turning, etc. with the OEM tires. The traction control came on many times, and seemed to make the car "hop." Sharp turns at ~20 mph resulted in some failure to hold the line being driven. The results were fair to poor, as expected.

That same day, I had the Michelins mounted, and went back to the parking lot. Did the same things as before. I had to try very hard to get the traction control to come on -- the car didn't need it with the snows mounted.

Since then, I've had a chance to drive it on iced-over roads in our subdivision. No skidding under prudent stopping (but not babying it) and accelerating from a complete stop. Traction control never came on.

Result: Better results from these snow tires than I expected. I'd buy them again. Only negative is that very occasionally, on a particular type of road surface, there is a noticeable whining sound from the tires -- but it's not really an issue. I apparently did not suffer an mpg penalty with the snows set at 35-33 as by the tire shop.

 

So you replaced OEM 185 65 r15's with 195 65 r15 XI3's and was please and had no issues? They are holding 4 for me at tire rack but want me to sign a waiver before putting them on my vehicle saying I will have them installed somewhere else and take responsibility for the consequences of my choice should there be any. I was looking for increased ground clearance as well as less revolutions per mile but do not want them rubbing knock to knock or in the rear under load... Please advise. I am supposed to pick them up Monday...

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@Aegison may be long gone? I would stick with the stock size. What the theoretical lift, 6.5? Basically 1/4". Not worth the hassle. Enter your vehicle on TireRack, Costco or wherever, see what's readily available.

 

Back away and get the studded Nokia’s Hakka suckers, and 195/65-15 is the correct tire size, go to a different place.

 

Ignore this.

 

Those studded tires don't have a 40k mile warranty and I can't run them back and forth across the country all year like I did the Xi3's on my Sonata. I'll stick to them. I just want to know if anyone has successfully run 195/65r15's on a gen 2? Thank you.

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Is my door wrong too?

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I want Michelin xi3's. They are an eco-friendly tire and I have had great experience with them. I've used them for years and I enjoy driving with him all year. They're guaranteed 40,000 miles unlike any other winter tire. They are available in the stock 185's. I don't want 185's if I can put 195's without a problem. For reasons I've already stated, such as ground clearance and fixing the two miles per hour that my speedometer is off and reduced revolutions per mile means wheels are turning less times each mile. All good in my opinion? No?

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My 2 cents: no. The only thing off thing now is the speedo, and that is by design: it's intenional to show the speed slightly high, in a (futile?) effort to get people to slow down a bit.

The extra ground clearance increase, say 1/4", is hair-splitting. Getting the bigger tire will throw the odometer off, and the "gearing". Again, all minor. The 195 width will also cost a bit more, and will not be quite as grippy in snow.

For all of those reasons, I wouldn't second guess Toyota, would stick with stock size. But I guess I've made all those points already, lol. Up to you.

 

I deal with more ice than I do snow, so I was thinking surface area would be greater increasing overall traction. Is that line of thinking off with an ice tire?

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Not sure, minor? I know in snow narrower is better. Still, I've pretty much got my hands over my ears when you say increase tire od, lol.

You're not alone, there are folks increasing tire sizes, for all the reasons you've mentioned, I'm just not in that camp.

 

Surface area comes at the cost of reduced ground pressure. You need a good balance of both. Personally I prefer a slightly narrower tire of matching diameter. That usually gives you a little extra sidewall, so if you leave them on through a cold spring you're better shod for the potholes.

I can't claim it's the only way to do it, but it's been working for me.