We had a light snow in Chicago last night and I was amazed how touchy the car was on the street, slides in the corners and when braking. I have Goodyear Tripletred on my other car with excellent traction, but before I start buying tires for a car with only 7M miles on it I want to make sure it is going to actually improve traction and that it is not the car itself causing the problem. Also are the Tripletred good for the Prius? I am willing to forgo a bit of MPG for safety.
Hi Arrallen, I switched over to Hydroedges about 5 months into the Integrities. I did not like the wet weather handling of the Integrities. The Hydroedges are fantastic in wet weather. In the snow, they are allot better than the Integrities. Tires can make a big difference in the Prius snow handling. The people who drive snow all the time have snow tires for the Prius, and there is a Nokian tire that many Prius northern Prius drivers favor.
They are amazing on rain soak roads. On snow, there's a pretty big improvement over the factory tires... though, I do have to refrain from brisk acceleration at most intersections in the winter (black ice here). Snow tires are better, but obviously not a good choice for when times other than winter. Upgrading to an all-season tire like HydroEdge is a worthwhile purchase. Mine have over 73,000 miles on them.
It's the tyres. I just switched to Nokian WRs after 68,000kms on the Integritys. What a world of difference in the snow. I actually can accelerate at my usual pace whereas before I would have to turtle.
Unless you need genuine snow tires, I think either the TripleTred or the HydroEdge would be an excellent choice. The TT would probably have the ...um, edge...in snow, according to the TireRack survey.
Aside from a small issue taking one corner that I'm pretty certain was due to driver error, I really haven't had any problems with my stock original Integrity's with 22,000 miles on them. Perhaps, I'm just not as sensitive to the behavior of the car as you. By the way, what year and trim package do you have? Perhaps it's the VSC that is making the difference for me.
I'm not sure how much snow Chicago can expect in winter. If you routinely get snow/ice, consider 4 snow tires, preferably studded. I run studded Goodyear Nordic tires from Canadian Tire, which are identical to the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in the EU http://eu.goodyear.com/home_en/tires/repository/UltraGrip500/index.jsp?page=benefits If you click on "Profile," a Flash presentation loads. This is an excellent tire on glare ice and in deep snow. However, the Prius is low to the ground and will eventually bog down. I should warn the Canadian members that this tire is VERY noisy on dry pavement. On ice, you'll want to get out and smooch each tire, they are that good
I completely agree. I have an 07 and this is my first winter with it, but so far I am pretty impressed. My previous car was an 02 Prius, and I thought that was ok, but not spectacular. I feel that the 07 is actually GOOD. I do have the VSC, though. I actually tried a couple times in a safe place to spin out (a little) and was not able to. That's not to say that on glare ice (my driveway) I did not find it impossible to turn and/or brake. But in snow and slush, I think it's pretty good with the OEM non-snow radials. I will admit to having grown up and learned to drive in central Maine where driving in snow was a way of life for 3 or 4 months of the year, and being. I also admit to NOT TRYING to drive like I would on dry pavement.
Jay, we are not allowed studded tires in Illinois, And the little snow refered too at least in Buffalo Grove was 9 1/2 inches My 05 handles great. Keep a full tank of gas for a little added weight. I have new goodyears on mine and i love em. (not the original integras, they suck )
This was a good weekend in the Chicago area to test out the Prius' winter feet. We live out west of Chicago, and we had it all the past few days: sleet, snow, freezing rain, snow, rain freezing on top of it, more snow, etc. I now have seen every light go on VSC, anti-lock brakes . . . I went around a corner a big aggressively, and the car even started to beep at me. I can't say for certain it is the tires (I have the stock Integrities at 6k), but I can say I would feel better if I had a bit more grip. I never felt out of control, but I did have times where I wondered at the "fullness" of my contact with the roadway!
Any good snow tire will make a HUGE difference, I have Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi's on an extra set of Prius rims. They are like having all wheel drive compared to the stock Integrity tires! I just took the car from Minneapolis to Chicago and back, they even handled great on the dry highway.
The reason some of us like the Nokian WR so much is you leave them on all year round. They are really good in snow, rain, and not bad on black ice. Nokian rate them "as good as" the Mich. ice tire. They don't wear rapidly on warm dry roads either. The latest version is the WR G2. I threw away my nearly new (10,000 km) Goodyear Integrities to put on Nokian WRs. No mileage hit, no noise, no seasonal tire changing. Oh, and they handle pretty well in the twisties. What more could you ask for?
I had a set of Haka's on a VW Westfalia. The once squirlly van became a TANK! I couldn't get it to slide. When it's time, I'll get a set for the Prius. (I still have an Outback for those real bad winter trips. Icarus
It's your tires. Goodyear Integrities are horrible in rain and snow. Low rolling resistance = poor grip. I briefly had a set on a car one time, until I figured out how dangerous they were once the weather got cold and wet. I couldn't get rid of them fast enough. Goodyear Tripletreds will solve the problem. Or the Nokian WRs if you have a dealer nearby.
Anyone know if there is a Michelin equivalent to the Nokian WRs ? Are there any US Dealers carrying the Nokian WRs ?
Nope. The WRs are in a class of their own. The next closest is probably the Goodyear TripleTreds in terms of similar ideas. I can't think of any Michelin tyres that are like that. The Tire Factory carries Nokian tyres in the US. That's the only place.
Two more places that specialize in Nokian tires: Meadow Creek Tire in Denver, CO; http://www.meadowcreektire.com/ Tires By Web in East Lansing, MI; http://www.tiresbyweb.com/
Tripletreads would make your car much better in the snow. See the thread called "Tire Upgrade" for lots of info on this subject.
Too bad they are so expensive. When I priced Hakkapeliitta SUV 5's for my FJ, the price made my jaw drop and my spinchter muscle lose all control. That said, the Nokian winter tires have a very well deserved reputation for performance in extreme conditions. A close competitor here in Canada is the studded Goodyear Nordic, AKA the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in Europe. It ranks only slightly below the factory studded Nokians http://www.aftonbladet.se/bil/dacktillbehor/dack/article319170.ab
