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Got snow?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by spiderman, Nov 3, 2009.

  1. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Even though we don't have snow on the ground yet, I put the steelies w/ studs on tonight. They are calling for freezing rain tonight and don't want to take a chance.
    I was happy the wheel combination didn't look hideous as I thought they would. Sides, soon all the cars on the road are all gonna look the same. :p

    The ride is loud but comfortably smooth. The steering seems less sensitive to me too. I am running higher pressures of 38/36.

    Peter

    [edit] attached better photo. Also only noticed a half mpg drop in FE on my typical commute today.
     

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  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    'bout time you got some lol... we've been basking in the sun and looks like a low probability of precip in the next week or two.
     
  3. bestmapman

    bestmapman 04, 07 ,08, 09, 10, 16, 21 Prime

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    What steel wheels are you running.
     
  4. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    They are compatible with the Corolla and others like VW, Subaru. I have a post with the specs in it here.
     
  5. chrisj428

    chrisj428 Active Member

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    Thanks, Peter! Now I know what mine is going to look like towards the end of the month. :cool:
     
  6. Jayhawker

    Jayhawker New Member

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    SNOW? SNOW? Is that the white stuff that falls out of the sky? :D :D :D :D It was 94 here yesterday and supposed to be 93 today, then upper 80's through the weekend! We still have our frickin AC on.
     
  7. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Yes,
    Finally got some snow and I am very happy with the G3 in the snow. Had about 4-5" fresh powder and went into an untouched picnic area. Had no problem navigating the area even though I couldn't tell where the parking lot was. You can see in the second photo that the car was plowing and bottoming out on the snow. Had it been hard packed, I probably would have problems. Had a little snow over the hood as I was leaving and running to get up the hill leading out. Slip indicator came on just a few times. In all, a very capable Alaska car! Oh it was 16F outside.
     

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  8. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    What tires?
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <shudder> Thank goodness it's bare and dry (the snow that fell has long melted away).

    I must've missed the thread where you retrofitted the foglamps. I assume it was expensive (since it looks like all factory parts)?
     
  10. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Good question, I had to run out in the garage to find out. I bought them used from a guy this summer. Two seasons of light use. They are General Altamax Arctic studded. Very nice tires, great grip.
     
  11. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    You haven't been following the saga? I have about $140 into mine. A little more than most as shipping to Alaska is crazy. I can't tell you how happy I am to have those blanks out of there!
     
  12. Fstr911

    Fstr911 Member

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    OK Spiderman, time to change the subject, just a bit.

    You posted two images; the first one is very nice photography... BUT there are no foot prints in the snow on that first one!

    How’d you do that….was this a Spiderman technique? ...smiling here
     
  13. Judgeless

    Judgeless Senior Member

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    I just ordered snow tires and new rims today.

    I ordered 4 195/65R-15 Michelin X-Ice Xi2 Green X on 15x6.5 Elbrus I05 SDC ICE rims from Tire Rack. I decided not to get the sensors. From what I read these are great non studded snow tires.

    When I purchased the car I ordered the Toyota OEM all weather mats. That was a complete waste of money. They do not offer any protection from ice and snow melting from the mat on to the carpet.

    I ordered the WeatherTech mats over a week ago directly for their site. They still have not shipped. They are another one of those companies that makes promises on a delivery date and never deliver.
     
  14. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Yes, those are good winter tires. They appear to be based on an older Nokian design
     
  15. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Hi Pat,
    If you look closely you will see the tracks... I tried to jump out so as not to ruin the virgin snow. :) I haven't been in my tights for years for a good reason! :D
     
  16. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    That is good to know, thanks! They seemed like good tires and I didn't want to shell out a ton for new ones so I took em.
     
  17. RodJo

    RodJo Member

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    Just got my Xi2's today from TireRack. We'll see if they perform as well as the reviewers say.

    As for WeatherTech, it took exactly 2 weeks for me to receive my Floor Liners. When I called they said it was taking 7-10 business days to make and ship them after the order is received. With that said, the Floor Liners are great.
     
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Nope. I asked for a summary cause I was getting lost in all the jargon and never got one so I never bothered to continue reading it. $140 is a little pricey but not bad considering it's an OEM part (foglights cost up to $400 in Canada as a dealer-installed accessory on some Toyota models). Care to write a quick how-to? (Hopefully it's not too hard. I did all the install on the 2005 Prius without any background knowledge on electronics - I just followed the DIY instructions)
     
  19. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Actually I did make the offer to Start a DIY document. I would essentially use Hawkmoon's instructions for the basis and add from there if that is OK with him. There are so many options in that thread it would be time consuming to add it all so I plan to just start with the basics and others can add from there.
    Sound good?
     
  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I guess I didn't see it >.<. You can just tell me how you did it lol. (and if you followed Hawkmoon's instructions, then I guess give him credit) and once you're done, I can post it (or you can post it) in the Knowledge Base section for future reference.

    I'd like to do the foglight mod some day (esp. since you can turn them on with the parking lights only which is the point of foglights). If I can grab a step-by-step DIY, that would be awesome!

    Thanks!