Or should I just get all terrain tires? I live in Wisconsin and the tires I currently have need to be replaced. Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks
Nokian WRg2 is all I use. A little pricey, but low rolling resistance and excellent traction in snow and poor weather.
Winter tyres are a different rubber mix to all terrain. The rubber on winter tyres softens below 7 degrees to give more grip on ice and in snow. Ordinary tyre rubber gets harder as it gets colder giving less grip so go with winter tyres. If you tell us a little about the weather conditions you normally encounter in the winter this would help us to help you with choice of tyres, as this forum is spread across the globe and winter in different areas means very different conditions.
Normal conditions would be a few inches of snow, occassionally big snow, but that's rare. Basically I just want something that can get decent mileage and decent traction in the snow.
Here is a list that is comprised of all LRR tires recommended for the Prius. It is more information than you need, however, it does list the recommended tires for your situation. Be sure to look over the entire post, you should find what you need there. All a lot of Prius Chatters seem to recommend the Nokian WRg2. I can't say what is best considering I don't use a winter type tire. Hope the list helps you. Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List | PriusChat Thanks to F8L for posting this information! Good luck to you and welcome to Prius Chat. Ron
If I lived in a place like Wisconsin I'd likely buy a set of snow tires mounted on their own set of rims - you can buy them from a place like tirerack.com and just pull them on and off yourself. Just remember that your TPMS light will light up - there are a few ways to deal with it, but if it were me I'd just use some black electrical tape over the light. The up-front cost will be higher, but if you look at it long term really the only added cost will be the set of rims.
IIRC....some people buy Corolla rims and mount their snows to them and exchange as necessary. If you have TPMS (don't know for an 08 G2) then you'll get a little red light when you leave your highway tires behind in the garage, but an equally small piece of black electrical tape will take care of that. As far as whether or not you "need" snow tires? That's sup to you. Did you use them on your usta-car?? Was your previous car a truck or RWD car? The G2 is a front driver, and I've never been wild about using snow tires year-round on cars such as this however (comma!!!) I grew up in Indiana, and although I know which end of the snow shovel goes into the snow---things may be different up in the Badger State. If it were ME? If you need snow tires for 2-3 months out of the year, I'd pop for a cheap set of (Corolla?) OEM rims and mount a good set of snows on them, otherwise? I'd put the "giveacrap" switch in the "don't" position, and just stay off the roads when the snow gets deep enough for you to worry about things like your car's diminutive ground clearance...etc. You know what kind of vehicle you see bottom-side-up in a ditch more than any other? Riiiight. 4x4's with "snow and mud" tires. That's because after the plowing, sanding and salting are done...you still have ICE to deal with. Four Wheel Drive becomes Four Wheel Slip and Slide. Of course....I just moved to a part of the country where we don't have to DEAL with all of that. WE just have to deal with hurricanes... Crap! GOOD Luck! ---
^ I'd second the corolla rims. Just let your dealership handle the install the first time, to verify fit. This also means you can detail your regular wheels really well, and preserves the rims. Don't bother with extra TPMS, unless a tiny light on in the dash is going to upset you And if normal for you is a few inches of snow, that is more than enough reason for separate snows. We've got snow tires on for about 5 months over the year, but with our temperate climate it feels like overkill, most of the time. At least (as mentioned above), any time the temperature is below 7 deg Centigrade (45 Fahrenheit), snow tires will be of benefit: they stay more pliant and grippy at low temperatures.
As BritPrius stated above, it's not just about snow traction. In cold weather, the standard all-season tire loses pliability and become hard. So hard that stopping distance is severely reduced. So even on dry pavement you stopping distance is going to be reduced when temps are below 45F. That is why winter tires are so important. If you get snow then step up from a winter tire to a true snow tire. The Michelin X-Ice Xi2 and Xi3 are fantastic studless snow tires that are quiet, low rolling resistance, affordable and offer excellent traction and cold weather braking.
It totally depends upon driving conditions. This winter will be my 13th driving Prius in Minnesota. Snow tires simply have not been necessary for me. A set of really good all-season tires did the trick with my 2004. (With the new generation, even the factory tires work fine.) If your driving consists of roads that are typically plowed before more than a few inches of snow cover them, then I'd say snow tires are overkill. Ice is a different matter. But I live too far north and in a region where sand & salt use is frequent (to the point where studs are illegal), so ice driving is very limited.
I live in Wisconsin and seasonally have my tire shop swap out my Bridgestone Ecopias for General Altimax Arctic winter tires. They do the swap for $30, so I don't go the spare-rim route. The Generals are great in snow, but the car takes a mileage hit of about 4 mpg on the highway. If the car didn't see a lot of rural driving I probably wouldn't bother.
