Okay, don’t laugh or roll your eyes, but I’ve lived in the west all my life and I just bought a 2005 and I’m loving it. I have the possibility of transferring to upper Michigan In Sept for one year. What do I need to know about how a Prius will handle the roads in an Yopper MI winter. No garage or covered parking. Battery? Tires? What do I need to know before I make this decision? I’ve only driven in snow 2 times, in Oregon. Not as concerned about my lack of experience as I am about how a Prius will handle the weather
Get snow tires. All season tires in snow are a joke. You should be able to find a used set that is already mounted on steel wheels. Sure beats unmounting current tires on wheels to put on snow tires. Obviously the used snow tires should be in good condition w/ lots of tread left.
While you can find used wheels for less, here is an all new solution https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=X-Ice+Xi3&partnum=865TR5XI3XL&prefWheel=X40877&autoMake=Toyota&autoModel=Prius&autoYear=2005&autoModClar=&snowSortCode=20098&sortSize=15 https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runSteel&wheelMake=New&wheelModel=Steel+Wheel&wheelFinish=Black+Painted&initialPartNumber=X40877&prefTire=865TR5XI3XL&autoMake=Toyota&autoModel=Prius&autoYear=2005&autoModClar=
A huge cold weather advantage of hybrids is that the engine is started with the HV battery. In really cold weather when 12 volt batteries can hardly turn over an engine with a conventional starter the Prius will snap to life easily. Here's an example of Prius traction with snow tires.
