Looking to buy a Prius

lcdJunky,

Mass does allow the use of studded tires from Nov.1 to Apr. 30. That pretty covers our winter and then some...

For Shelley, in NJ, you can run studded tires from Nov. 15 to Apr. 1. For other folks: Here's the list as to whether your state has restrictions or not:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter/studtire/re...regulations.htm

Amazingly, even Florida allows studded tires!

Jayman mentioned one tire that is a very highly regarded winter tire on this site, elsewhere and by friends is the Hakkapeliittas.

http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tiresub...cfm?cid=1&sid=1

Although, the three big downsides are that they are not long lasting, with or without studs, are expensive, as Jayman indicated and, as per their site, it appears that they aren't making this tire anymore!

I agree that having a second set of tires and rims and having to swap them off every fall and spring can be a big pain. Another option is:

http://www.spike-spider.com/

This may be a better option for you Shelley although they aren't cheap. But, they are supposed to be really easy to put on and off when you need them. There's a poster here from MA who had picked up a pair at
the beginning of winter. Hopefully, he'll shed some knowledge on how they worked for him this past winter.

And, Shelley to answer your question, wet roads have been no problem. My Michelins handle this quite well.

Thanks for the input Jayman! In most of the Northeast, except for northern parts of VT, NH and ME, we have to frequently contend with freezing rain or a couple inches of slush. The cold, crisp snow on the road is less of a driving hazard for us.

-bob

 

Trust me on this: the factory Prius fog lights are purely front-end decoration.

 

Hi Bob:

So does Nevada! Kind of odd the folks in Nevada don't seem too concerned about the dreaded "road wear" but folks who experience true winter road conditions in Ontario, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are willing to put their lives at risk over it.

I think the tread life issue is somewhat overblown. True, if you get lazy and run the tire when it's over 50 F for extended periods, it will wear quickly. If you use some common sense and take them off once the road danger is over with, they should last at least 5 seasons.

Put another way: you're only using the winter tires in winter and the all-season tires in summer and more moderate conditions. Overall, your tires will last *longer* and you will have tires much more suited to the road conditions.

As far as *cost* I've always thought of it this way: say I decide to run my "three season" tires and due to road conditions I slide off the road into a pole. Or rear-end a car at a red light. Or God Forbid hit a pedestrian.

By the time I get done with a tow bill, insurance deductions, loss of use, a possible medical claim, all the usual bulls*** involved in a situation like that, then it's *far* cheaper to invest the money in good winter tires on their own steel rims. I've noticed that Tire Rack has good package deals.

I went to the Nokian tire URL and they have discontinued their "classic" Hakkapeliitta Q, which is a somewhat old-fashioned studdable winter tire. The Hakkapeliitta 2 or, as they call it, "the king of studdable winter tires," is definitely available. They have it in our Prius size too, it's actually a common tire size.

I'm trying to persuade my Condo Association to allow studdable winter tires in the underground parking. A few of us are concerned about driving on icy city streets.

Don't get me wrong, the Dunlop Graspic DS-2 is a great studless winter tire. It's a bit easier to live with than a studded tire. But on that glare polished ice at intersections, you just can't beat a good studded tire.

Not that bad of a PITA: it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to do the entire car. The alternative is to reuse your stock rims and have a tire shop swap tires. After 2-3 seasons the cost in doing that will exceed the cost of having dedicated steel rims. Plus you'll destroy your aluminum rims in the process