New 2013 pip owner here w question

Yes, all 4 for safety. Two on the front will make for dangerous handling.

Also, please reconsider not needing snow tires on 4wd. Those extra drive wheels do absolutely nothing to help you stop or steer around an accident.

 

Any time ambient temps are below 7 C (50 F ?) dedicated snow tires will be grippier. The rubber is formulated to stay pliant at lower temp's. And as soon as you encounter snow the aggressive tread may make the difference between sliding and sticking.

As far as 4 vs 2 snows, the overwhelming concensus is 4. Most places won't even install 2, might even be illegal?

None of this makes any difference PIP, vs Hybrid, vs regular car.

 

Snow tires make a huge difference when on ice and snow, or even when the roads are dry but the temperatures are low. Snow tires are designed with a different rubber compound that stays flexible (and hence, able to grip the road surface) at lower temperatures.

This video here will show you the difference - All-Season vs. Winter / Snow Tires

You might want to look for low rolling resistance tires to keep up your gas mileage. Good ones are the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 and the Michelin X-ice 3.

 

I an in NY and have gone through 7 years with Prius without snow tires. Not a problem for me.

I suggest you try out the first year without it.

 

Agree with usbseawolf2000, when I lived in NJ. I never had snow tires. I was there when we had those back to back 20" plus storms. Of course, I had to wait until the roads were plowed, but otherwise, the car performed very well in the snow without any snow tires.

 

Been driving in WI winters in a Prius (or Leaf) since 2006, and I've never had snow tires nor felt the need. Smart driving (and properly maintained tires) is the best solution.

 

With a 10 mile commute, if you can keep the ICE off and charge daily, you'll be amazed just how little gas you'll need to buy.

And welcome to the forums.

 

Eh, tires are cheap insurance. The stock PiP tires are especially bad winter tires, and those four small patches of rubber are the only thing keeping you safe. Do you need them? No way. Do they make winter and cold weather driving far more comfortable and safe? Absolutely.

 

I live in NJ and the last time I used dedicated snow tires was around 1978.

 

This is a good point. The stock Ecopia tires perform average or worse in every area except rolling resistance. They even blow out more easily, due to softer sidewalls. (Because of this, 40psi is probably a safer inflation pressure than whatever is listed on the door sill.) You might well do fine with four *quality* all seasons, but I wouldn't run the OEM tires in the Winter. Or the Summer, either, if I could afford to replace them.

 

How many miles are on these tires?

If your 4WD doesn't need better tires in winter, than the OEM tires on the Prius should also be 'good enough' for their first winter too. But if this a used car, with tires that have already seen a winter season, then all bets are off.

4WD helps with 'go'. It is no better with the more important 'stop' and 'steer' than a 2WD with the same tires.

 

Testing brand new all seasons in a few inches of snow, you'll find they do so-so. Give them a year or two, when they're still perfectly legal, say around 5/32" remaining, and the snow performance will tank: once the sparse/shallow siping wears through you can can be running on nothing but longitudinal grooves.

Snow tires ARE an extra hassle, but on the flipside:

1. Their rubber stays more pliant in the cold.
2. The tread is much more aggresive.
3. The keep your OEM rims out of winters worst.
4. They can be part of your tire rotation scheme.
5. Both sets of tires are going to last longer.
6. You can stretch the all-seasons' life, get closer to min tread depth, since you're not using them in snow.

 

If you do decide to break down and get snow tires, and money isn't a big issue, get four steel wheels for them as well. Tire machines really do a number on tires from about the second year on, and the wheels will at least half pay for themselves in longer tire life and no annual mounting fees after the first one. It's also much more convenient to be able to just change wheels yourself, or have your local garage do it, than to wait an hour or more (I just waited two) for a tire shop to mount and balance them.