Excited... picked up new snow tires...

I have a set of RSi tires that have seen me through 2 winters so far. I'm very happy with their performance. If the new R lives up to it's billing (including even lower rolling resistance than the RSi ), it should be an excellent choice.

 

You will love them, Fish Antlers. I've been using Dunlop winter tires for the past several winters and they make a HUGE difference especially going up a hill. Wouldn't go out in the snow in my PRIUS without winter tires.

 

I just bought a spare set of wheels and I'm about to buy Nokian snows. Tell me, will the Nokian R give anything away to the Nokian Hak 5 as far as all out ice and snow performance do you think? Given my recent experiences goinog up hills on loose gravel I am frankly very concerned about the performance of the Prius in slippery and hilly country like we have here in Vermont pretty much all winter long. I'm determined to do everything I can possibly do to avoid problems - even if it means giving up a little as far as rolling resistance.

 

Congratulations on your acquiring new winter tires.

Regarding your friend and his SUVs, are those vehicles 4x4 or 4x2; what kind of tires are they equipped with; and what is the tread depth of those tires?

 

Yea, I was going to get the Hakk 5 but I don't run studs so I am going to switch to the R if for no other reason that it apparently has less rolling resistance - I'm hoping maybe it will be a little quiter than the 5 as well. I thought about studs but its $18 per tire extra and given the price of these tires I just can't bring myself to spend the dough. Plus, I'm not really sure about studs - I used to run them years ago and it seemed like they were very noisy and wore down by the end of the first winter anyway. I'm convinced the R is every bit as aggressive in snow and maybe a little better in wet.

I'm dreading the first time I drive to a meeting and find a foot of snow in the lot at the end of the day. I just have a bad feeling that this Prius is going to be a problem in certain situations. Nothing worse than struggling with a car stuck in the snow in a suit and wingtips! I may carry a tow rope and a shovel for the winter. Hopefully with a little modification of my winter driving techniques and some good snow tires it will be fine. We'll see.

We will have to compare notes as the winter progresses!

 

I'm glad I came across your post. I leave bright and early tomorrow morning on a business trip, back in a couple of weeks

For winter I run 4 "multi-fit" steel wheels from Canadian Tire, with Goodyear Nordic studded snow tires. This snow tire is exactly the same as the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in the EU

Goodyear Eur-Winter Tire-UltraGrip 500

If you click on Profile, a Flash movie loads that explains the tire construction and benefits.

This is a very aggressive winter tire, on dry pavement it hums like a truck bias-ply mud tire from the 1970's. On snow and especially glare ice, it can't be beat

I should warn you *not* to use the Toyota OEM lugnuts that are for the factory aluminum wheels. At least in my case, they dangerously loosened up! You should put the proper "acorn" style lugnut on a steel wheel

I got my lugnuts at Napa. The box is marked #641-2042. The correct size/thrad is M12-1.5 X 21mm

Napa dinged me $20 or $1 a nut

 

Incidentely, the same lugnut fits my FJ as well. I run steel wheels and Toyo Open Country G-02 Plus studless snow tires for winter. Good snow traction, but the ice traction is inferior compared to my Prius running the studded tires

I'm considering putting on a set of Hankook Dynapro I-Pike studded truck tires. They have a soft tread compound like the Open Country, with the added safety benefit of studs

 

I've been using Nokean tires for quite a while. In addition to exceptional performance, they have great durability, even on winter tires the tread should last for about 80,000 km (50,000 miles). I still use Nokean RSi that I purchased in November 2004 on my wife's car and they are not even half way through yet (appx 40,000 km of driving). I installed Hakka R last week on my Prius and noticed significant improvement in coasting. Not sure if it is the low rollong resistance feature, though because I also did wheal alignment.

 

Question, how do these tires effect mileage ?

 

Its a close call whether to run studs for me. I certainly could use them here in Vermont. But, I have found that the high end Nokian studless snows seem to be almost, but not quite I agree, as good as studs on ice - its really pretty amazing how good they have gotten. They perform a lot better on dry and wet which in reality is about 50% of my driving even in the dead of winter. Also, the studless nokian - like the R - is a low rolling resistance tire. Also, the R is MUCH quieter on dry pavement. So, while I totally understand the decision to use studs, I've decided to go studless, (in a snow tire sense only). I found some original equipment toyota alloy wheels for a reasonable price and decided to go with them - it was a little bit more $ than the steel wheels, lugs and hub cap option - but really not all that much more after you add in the hubcaps and lugs that you need with steel wheels.

We'll see how it goes. I hope I don't regret the studless option - but it is certainly possible I will.

As far as MPG goes it is my understanding that the Nokian R is actually very good in that department - I honestly don't know that for sure - but that is what I have read in various reviews - most of it probably propaganda of course. But I agree, whatever the mpg hit I am going to use full bore snow tires in winter on this car given where I live and work. If I lived in RI I would not get snow tires and deal with the semi annual switching issue - I would go with a really good all season.

 

I agree as well, just curious as to the MPG

 

Vermont wow, never thought about seriously using my Prius in heavy snow conditions, figured I’d still use my gas guzzler SUV for ski trips to Stowe. Have you been through a Vermont winter with your Prius as of yet (Studs or not?)

 

I just bought this Prius a few months ago and I'm frankly annoyed at Toyota for not disclosing the potential problems a Prius presents in my climate and hilly terrain. I had no idea it was a problem getting up slippery hills when I bought it. I have an 4x4 Pick Up to fall back on if need be. But I'm planning to use this Prius most of the time. Call me crazy - I don't know. But there are a lot of people here that have purchased a Prius in the last year - you see them all over the place. Kind of like Subaru was years ago in Vermont. I know I am going to have to be very careful not to put this rig in hard places to get out of. Last weekend I visited a relative at a lake house he rented. It had a long, winding, steep and very narrow drive with loose gravel. I wasn't even thinking about the Prius issue and I went ahead and drove down there. The first time I tried to drive out I was stopped dead at the first steep switchback. I backed down and had all the passengers get out and then I made it up - barely. I suspect it will be fine as long as I don't head up into the mountains and avoid steep drives where you have to start up hill from a dead stop. Also, I do think part of the problem is learning how to stay off the pedal to keep the wheels from spinning. As soon as they spin your dead in the water.