I was out and about all day today just after the big Noreaster in my new 2010 Prius V. My stock Toyo's worked just fine. I stopped and started on hills and on slick snow covered roads without any problems. Braking was fine, lefts and rights into traffic were fine. No problems at all. So what's the problem? Why are there so many people in this group that are so negative about the Prius' performance in snow and why do so many of you insist that snow tires are an absolute necessity? It's not helping Prius sales in the Northeast and other areas that get lots of snow one bit.
A+ as far as I am concerned. Took advantage of the first ice-snow this winter to check out my 2010 Prius II . Went to a closed school parking lot and did my best to throw it into a skid, swerving, braking while turning, accelerating while turning - nothing phased it. Great handling car in snow, best I have ever driven:cheer2:. Sure the yellow light comes on for TC, and the ABS beeps, but it is solid as a rock and all the parts work together to make it a safe ride. Then took it up a steep snowy mountain road, no sweat, then a dead start on a slippery hill, the TC took it slowly up alternating drive wheels as it went. Perfect performance.
New car, fresh tires? Try again next winter with 20k+ miles of wear on them. If you had the same OEM tires as me (which you don't, as mine is not a V), I'd bet that next winter doesn't produce the same results you had today.
Because most of the winter driving comments are for the Gen II Prius. The Gen II traction control is much fussier than that on the Gen III, especially for the early Gen II models. Tom
This is the second winter for my Prius and it has handled the two early for us snow storms perfectly. I have 23,000 miles and the original tires. Drove the "mom taxi" after midnight in sub freezing temps down a country road and uncleared city streets. This car handles beautifully in the snow and ice. I echo the sentiment- it is the best I have ever had for snow. I was worried about the depth of this last snow storm but it went through it just fine. After 15 months and 23,000 miles I love my Prius and I imagine I will drive one for the rest of my hopefully long life.
I was going to post the same thing. A little wear on the OEM tires will drastically change snow driving performance for the worse. Next year, or even later in the winter, you may find that it's time to buy a set of dedicated snow tires.
if the prius is the best you have ever driven in the snow, you probably haven't owned too many cars before Prius drives just fine in the snow same as any FWD, it's not any better or worse.
I agree, you need good tread on all weather tires to produce good results in snow. After my experience with other OEM tires, most recently Bridgestone Turanzas on my 06 Sienna XLE, they have to be replaced at around 24000 miles. So that's my plan with these Toyos. I'll make sure I put on a good set of all weather tires (I'm sure this group will help me select them) with 60K warranties and go from there. But I definitely won't need snow tires and all the aggravation that comes with them.
Thanks for all of you with Gen II Priuses for clearing this up. I suspected such. The question is "Why aren't dealers in snow prone areas selling the daylights out of this capability?" I'm sure it's costing them lots of sales when people ask them about this because of Gen II and they don't have an answer. Both dealerships I worked with when I bought my Prius didn't have a clue.
This is my 2nd winter with my 2010 Prius II. The OEM Ecopia 20 were not sufficient (or even safe in my opinion) for Cleveland winters. I bought a dedicated pair of winter tires (Continental ExtremeWinterContacts) and have been extremely pleased with it's winter driving ability. Like several of the earlier posts, your tires (both type and condition) will make a huge impact on winter driving performance. Realistically, if you live in a snowbelt state and can afford a new car; you owe it to yourself to buy a set of dedicated winter tires. They are inexpensive winter insurance that can turn a white-knuckle experience into an enjoyable drive.
I have to agree about the Prius being great in snow. I drive a Honda Fit 2007 manual tranny. Im more of a sports car fan and believe in driver control over the car. I have had 4 years of winter driving in Pittsburgh. Before that snow driving was a foreign concept for this Los Angeles bred guy. Anyway I drove my fiancee's Prius yesterday, im the chauffeur for her and her mom, who is visiting for the holidays. I LOVE the traction control. More importantly the limited slip diff . What a difference. Her mom's old BMW has "traction control" but I hate it. I manually turn it off. The BMW slows down the slipping wheels. Which, for me, is not ideal if I have to traverse deep snow. I dont want the undercarriage to get stuck. Anyway the limited slip on the prius is fantastic. I cannot get over how much fun it is to drive in the snow. My only complaint is that the prius is not fun enough. I cant drift the prius like I can my Honda Fit. the emergency brake is a pedal. Not conducive to throwing the rear end sideways in a FWD car. My approach to driving is to push limits and comfort levels. Become acquainted with worst case scenarios so that you are more prepared to handle them. Of course do so in safe areas before attempting such manuvers. The only time I have lost control and wasnt able to regain control was when my Honda Fit went skiing down a steep road. The bottom of the hill was an intersection. Luckily i skied thru with no cross traffic. No amount of tires or ABS would help in that scenario.
08 prius sucks in snow. Way too too sensitive trac control with gay abs. When I want to stop. I want to damn stop and not slide all over the damn place
Dedicated snow tires, especially on separate rims, have several advantages: 1. They'll extend the life of your regular tires, and allow you to run them a year or two further: you don't want to be going into winter with all-seasons with 1/2 treadlife remaining. By that time all the lateral tread and siping is likely gone, and the "all" seasons are a menace. But having snows allows you to defer that new all-season purchase. 2. They make tire rotation very convenient, doubly so if you have your own garage/carport, floor jack and four safety stands. 3. Regardless of your vehicle, there is a night-and-day difference between snows and all-seasons, even brand new all-seasons. The tire compound of snow tires stays more pliant at lower temperatures, the aggressive tread and siping will markedly improve your braking distance, handling, snow traction and grip on ice. 4. Running snows on cheap steel rims protects your expensive alloys from salt/sand. Downsides: 1. Extra cost, upfront. 2. Storage. 3. Marginal benefit if you're climate is temperate enough. The Prius is not high clearance. Doesn't matter what tires you have: if the snow is deep enough you will get stuck. Anytime you're starting to brush the snow with the underbody, you're starting to compromise grip. The snows will still work better, get you out of more pickles, though.
My 2006 Prius, that I had gotten new Toyo's the last winter I traded it in for the 2010. So basically I am using on my 2010 Toyo's for the second season. I hated the 2006 trac control. The trac control seemed about the same at first, but I noticed that if you "floor the accelerator" it overrides some of the trac control. I also discovered that in EV mode you can also be in PWR mode, and power your way out of stops or snowbanks, w/o using gas! So the 2010 Prius is WAY better than the 2006, especially the famous crawl out of stop signs on ice - usually due to bad drivers spinning their tires out of stop signs. Also in deep snow, better handling. Doing intentional 180's and 360's is still just as difficult with the 2010 as the 2006 was (damn near impossible). So I borrow my GF's Hyundai Accent for those cravings.
