:blink: QUESTIOIN? does a person need a good set of tire chains for the drive wheels with a lot of snow and hills in country driving? or would a very good all season radial be good? you here so much that tire chains are much better and easier to put on now days than they used to be! so would it be wise to invest in a real good set and just leave them in the car.then when snow gets seriuos then just slap them on or isn't this feasible? if the chains are a good solution then please suggest where can they be purchased? thanks much. pete 2006 prius pkg#8
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pete bogumill @ Oct 29 2006, 02:05 PM) [snapback]340326[/snapback]</div> Down here in NC I still get chains for the ice. We occasionally get bad ice storms and they're very handy. I haven't yet purchased a set for the Prius but it's on my to-do list. If you buy them, then they're there if you ever need them.
Pete: You may want to consider the chains discussed here... http://priuschat.com/Z-chains-t25708.html they are much easier to put on and take off, and only require a portion of the time to put on than the regular snow chains require. Only draw back, you can't drive them on hardtop (regular pavement without ice or snow) for very far.
I make frequent trips to VT from MA in the winters and only had issues on 2 occasions last year. 1. I was trying to go up a hill that was a sheet of ice. Even in 4WD, this would have been tricky. I ended up making it, but needed to take a much bigger running start and keep it floored and let the TC do its thing. 2. I took a wrong turn near an apple orchard and ended up having to come up a wet/muddy grassy hill. I got stuck and had to push the car. Amazingly enough it was easy to push and we got out no problem. Prior to the prius, I had a Jeep and only needed chains 1 year to tow my snowmobile trailer up an incredibly trecherous driveway. One time, a chain broke and scratch the crap out of my car. My advice - Just get some good snow tires. I think that's all you'll ever need. And remember - the car can handle an inch or two, but much more than that and you'll be in trouble. Even if it can go through 3-4 inches of untouched snow, if you come across a partially plowed area, you'll likely run into piles that exceed that and could get hung up on them. If conditions are this bad, you really shouldn't be driving anyway.
Um, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin you may want to think about a second set of actual winter tires, not just all seasons. Check out these links . . http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=25131 http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=25371 http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=25137 http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=24911 http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=23508
:lol: wisconsinites drive in almost anything... things rarely close due to snow, and if your workplace is open you've got to be there. the prius has lower ground clearance than other cars i've driven, so snow piles definitely can become an issue. plus the whole traction control thing means no spinning tires, which would sometimes be helpful in getting off a big pile of snow. as far as tires, i'd also switch to a good pair of snows. some places will actually switch out your tires for you at the change of seasons for the life of your tires when you buy at their store. chains are nice but i'd go with snow tires first. if you beat the pre-thanksgiving travel rush you might even get a pretty nice deal.
I just put our winter tires on the Prius last night. I use studded snow tires because the traction control on the Prius is so agressive that you may not be able to move the car in slippery conditions. I also drive over the coast range nearly every weekend all winter. The roads are generally clear, but patches of black ice are very common... hence chains are not practical. I also carry chains for an emergency in deep snow... but if you experience clear roads, with occasional patches of ice... then studded tires are best in my opinion. /Jim
