Prius C in the snow

As a new owner I'd read others' comments that the prii are tanks in the snow IF you have good snow tires. Living in Vermont it still amazes me when people try and get by without snow tires in winter, hoping "all weather" radials do the job. If you look at the specs and tests, "all weather" tires typically are NOT excellent in all weather, merely good in all and sometimes excellent for some. Snow tires are another animal altogether - meant for the snow and ice traction (and typically NOT stellar in other conditions). You should absolutely spend the extra money to get a decent to excellent set.

Since you've got the C, I presume price is an issue (when isn't it, right?). The Nokia and other top brands will license out their previous top-line tread patterns to other manufacturers and milk the patents while they (e.g. Nokia) move on to newer and better tech. This doesn't mean the old patterned treads are bad. So, long story short, if you do your homework you can find brands like General Altimax, Contis and others that have stellar ratings in snow and ice but are cheap by comparison.

If you don't leave the snow tires on year round and don't drive stupidly long distances in winters, you'll get several years of use out of them, especially those w/longer wearing compounds. Using them will extend the life of your regular tires. I have to use snows about 1/3 of the year, driving 250-500 miles per week, and this still holds true for me. The main issue is the initial up front investment and the service charges for mounting and swapping the tires. After you buy the snows, it's about $10/tire twice a year for the next two to three years before you have to get new ones again.

If it still seems like too much to pay and you'd rather bank on being safe with the all weather tires...do the math and figure out what it will cost you in time, money (including insurance), stress, and so forth to lose control and slide into something or someone. I drive long distances in the winter at all hours and ROUTINELY see cars off the road, especially early AM and just as the storms hit, the type of precip changes, or just before the next cycle of plowing. A lot of people don't know how to drive in the snow and ice and even if they do, no amount of it will compensate for the car breaking free because of inappropriate tread. If you start sliding (ice, slush, freezing rain, snow...whatever, it doesn't matter), you're in trouble.

I'll be buying snows for my Prius C sometime in November and I'll be doing the homework to see what's cost effective w/a top rating, guaranteed. Don't want my baby sliding either uphill, downhill...any which way.

 

I should point out that not one of these posts seem to be about actual driving experience with the Prius C in the snow, as requested. (Unless the car in the photos that is covered with snow is a C?). The Prius is a completely different vehicle, and while the drive systems are similar that's where the similarity ends. To the original poster: there is little or no actual experience here for you to go by, just speculation and extrapolation based on a larger, heavier car. I was wondering the same thing, and it's annoying to see people just guessing authoritatively...

 

Actually... there are many people on here that have said they own the C and driven it in snow... but of course you are right, there is going to be less experience with a C in snow as it's only been out for 1 winter now.

Like has been said already. The traction control sucks... get good winter tires. End of story.

 

I have a Prius C 2 and put Bridgestone Blizzak's on it last winter. I had no trouble here in Wisconsin and we had a fairly snowy winter. The traction control didn't over compensate on our decently plowed roads and in 2 to 3 inches of powder it did fine. We don't have mountains in Wisc so I don't know how it would do on a steep winter incline/decline. I feel quite comfortable with it's winter handling and performance.

 

I live in Northeast Ohio and have had my C since January 3rd. I don't remember any problems with it in snow, but our roads here are plowed pretty well. I don't use snow tires. I think I opted for SO's large 4 wheel drive SUV once in a snowstorm, but that's about it.

Also, traction control can be turned off. Read this thread: Disable Traction Control for winter situations? | PriusChat

 

I have had winter tires for all of my cars for 25 years or more. I buy them for use in the mountains of NC and generally my experience matches the feedback from tire owners on TireRack. I've used everything from Firestones to Michelins and most often I found Michelins to be most effective but pricey. My advice is to visit tirerack.com and check their tests as well as user feedback to select the tires you decide fit your budget.
And yes, do have a winter set and a summer set; you'll last longer and they'll both last longer if you keep them in a cool place out of sunlight when not on your car. Easier for you in VT compared to us in NC.
PS we find the Prius C is as good a winter driver as any; that's especially entertaining when you rescue occupants of a BMW who ventured out on all-weather' tires.
good luck.
PS there will probably be some feedback from tire users in VT on tirerack.

 

Nokian tyres on the horizon


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I hadn't driven a car with winter tires until a couple of years ago, and after that I won't drive a car without them. I just ordered a set of general altimax artics and they are awesome(I've had them on two other cars) and they are worth every penny. I've always a at least one 4x4 for the winter and a fwd car with a good set of snow tires are better in the winter unless you are talking about driving in really deep snow. I ordered a set of 185/60/15's for my c today from discount tire and I'm going to put them on my stock steel wheels, and put my all seasons on a set of konigs I just bought.

 

I live in Toronto and this past winter we had a massive snowstorm and my c was literally a death trap to drive in. I had winter tires installed too (they were hankooks but can't remember which ones) but no matter how slow I drove breaking was a nightmare. And trying to accelerate from a stopped position was really scary as I had to really push the gas pedal. I don't quite understand how the traction control system works on this far but am curious to read others here suggestion to drive in ECO mode? I usually have that off, what advantage would it give me in winter driving?

 

^ Using ECO mode gives a more graduated throttle response, which you're less likely to spin your wheels. It's not a big difference though.

There's not been much mention in this (resurrected) thread of rubber compounds: snow tire rubber stays more pliant at colder temperatures, improving grip, snow or not. Seven degrees Centigrade (45 Fahrenheit) is the borderline: once ambient temperatures drop lower there's traction advantage with snows.

Snow tires are an additional expense/hassle, and need storage room. OTOH, they extend the longevity of both sets of tires, and keep your (likely) pricier OEM rims/tires out of winter's worst. They also allow you to detail your rims more thoroughly when they're off, or do flat repairs.

 

**Driving Experience**
In April 2012 bought new C with 16" wheels, daily commute 45 miles over hills/winding Massachusetts roads. First snow experience in December with Bridgestone factory-delivered all-weather tires (17k miles on tread) was dreadful. Halfway up a steep incline, car in front of me stopped. Road was snow covered; it was snowing heavy. Tires had no traction; downshifted to "B", spun tires inching my way to top of hill, about 1/4 mile, took ~20 mins. Going downhill in "B", car skidded sideways, stopped just short of hitting stone wall head on. Owned SAABs prior to C, discovered Nokian Hakkapeliitta Nordic winter tire when lived in Chicago (awesome) put 2 new on front each winter; ***never*** got stuck or skidded in snow. For my Prius C, considering either 2 snows on front -- Nokian Hakkapeliitta R -- or 4 Nokian WRG2 All Weather Plus tyres before Thanksgiving, as there are few US Nokian distributors with limited allotments, so availability may be an issue later in season.

 

Put snows on all four wheels, please. You can go with the less expensive Ultragrips or General Arctic tires and still get very good traction. Putting snows on the front only is a recipe for disaster, especially with a light car. I've done it with heavier cars like a Camry, but even then I regretted it.

 

What problems are caused by putting snows on the front only?

 

With much more traction in front, the rear can lose traction first and swing out, or even put the car into a spin. Last Winter, after many years of no problems with the Camry using snows on the front and all-seasons on the rear, I was driving at 55MPH on a snow-covered road, with wind. The rear of the car started to swing out, the first stage of a spin. I corrected, but the rear had so much less traction it then came out on the other side. Several more corrections later, I got it back under control. I sighed with relief, and it immediately started up again. I didn't crash, but a less experienced driver would have spun out, possibly into another car. I won't make that mistake again. With small FWD cars especially, you need roughly equal traction from all four wheels. I never drove my 1986 Civic Si in the Winter after the first time it spun, at low speed happily, with snows on the front and the crappy Summer tires it came with on the rear... Anyway, bottom line: good snow tires on all four wheels are much better (and no more expensive) than great snow tires on the front only.

 

That's interesting. It seems like the wind was a triggering factor..

I was thinking about what happens when you are making a turn, or going around a curve and suddenly need to brake.
Seems like the rear end (low traction end) might slide out and put you sideways.

I should have read the manual. Is there anything in the brake control computer that can sense
the rear-end sliding out and compensate by judicious individual bake application?
Force the 'C' to brake in a straight line?

 

Ah ha! VSC Vehicle Stability Control (I have it on my Ford Escape too)..
Technology File | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION GLOBAL WEBSITE
Neat video explains it..

So, the question is, would the VSC in the C2 still work on snowy curves if you had M&S on the rear and Snows on the front?

 

Sure, VSC-ABS will still work, but only to the extent that it can find some traction with the weaker tires. That means loosening the braking force on the other tires and wasting that extra snow tire traction.

 

Toyota's hybrid system "B" mode has nothing to offer when moving uphill. While analogous to downshifting in certain other situations, it is effectively "no change" in this situation.

 

Stability control can't exceed the grip of the tires, as noted. Again, it would be far better to spend X dollars on four *good* snow tires than on just two great snow tires. My housemate has a set of General Altimax Arctic (IIRC) snows that work very well with the Prius hatchback. Hopefully they will also work well with the PIP. We aren't even considering leaving the Ecopias on, front, rear or both.

 

Look up the term 'snap oversteer'. It's a very dangerous and completely uncontrollable situation that can be caused by lack of grip at the rear.

VSC can greatly minimize it, but as well noted already if there is no grip to be found, nothing can save you.