Prius in the Snow?

I also have a 2006 Prius, and it does well in the snow. That said, there are still times where the TC is too aggressive and a bit slow returning power. The Gen II traction control is focused on saving the HSD, not improving traction.

Traction control has been vastly improved for the Gen III. If the Gen II traction control was perfect there wouldn't have been any room for improvement. From 2006 on, it's not bad for the Gen IIs, but not as good as it could be.

Tom

 

Optimus, I'm wondering what sort of wheels you are now using for your LRL summer tires? I just installed a set of Blizzaks on mine, using the OEM wheels, and am planning to buy a new set of LRL tires which I'll install in the spring. I've read that a lot of wheels are heavier and reduce mileage.

 

I'm using the Motegi Racing SP10's size 15x6.5 in Hyper Black. They were about the lightest wheel I could find without breaking the bank. There are even lighter wheels, but cost seemed to go up significantly. The SP10's spec at 14 pounds a piece which is comparable to stock (most other typical aftermarket wheels weigh more). The SP10's come in a couple different colors. Note that the Hyper Black like I bought is not really a full black wheel. The front face is painted bright silver, and only the "sides" of the spokes are painted black. The factory lug nuts cannot be used with the SP10's, so you will need to get new ones. I used "tuner" style lug nuts. They are lightweight and narrow. I'm not sure a regular lug nut could even be used with the SP10's due to limited clearance for a socket to go around a regular lug nut. Regardless, I think they are a nice wheel for the money and weight.

 

Hi HardCase ... long time no hear! Remember Flathead Valley's snow back in (I think it was) 1998? Woah! For that reason, in 2006 we bought steel rims & studs from the Big O Tire shop out there on E. Idaho St. Not for the Prius ... for our Lexus hybrid RX. Sure, the MPG's are not as good with heavier rims ... but heck, when the temps are down in the 20's ... your MPG's go to pot anyway ... so who can say what the greater cause is.

 

Yo hill, yeah, it's been a while. And thanks for the info, Optimus, I'll look into either some light-weight rims, or see what some stock ones would cost......I'm sure a pantload if you go through a dealership to buy them!

The bad snow-year here was '96-97. This year we've got about 18" of fairly densely compacted snow on the ground here in town already, and a lot of the side-streets are hard-packed snow/ice, although the main roads are mostly clear......for now.

Last Christmas I drove to Minneapolis to visit my kids, left Kalispell on the 22nd. East of Bozeman I hit what turned out to be the worst blizzard in over 30 years according to news accounts at the time, all the way across eastern MT, ND, and Minnesota. It was a nightmare drive. I was in my Prius with the stock Integrities. Actually, the car didn't do all that badly, the biggest problem was visibility, or the lack of it. Still, there were too many hairy moments to count. I'm doing the same trip this year and decided that I was going to have decent snow-tires. Hopefully we'll not have the worst storm in 31 years!!! Fingers are definitely crossed.

 

For what it's worth, I bought my SP10's off eBay. They were basically new, only 300 miles on them, but I got them for half price and in new condition. Even new from tirerack.com though, the SP10's are still quite reasonably priced in my opinion (particularly concerning weight). I was going for a different look, so I specifically searched out an aftermarket set of wheels that were comparable in weight and a design I liked. That being said, we had a set of snows on cheap steelies with hub caps on the previous Prius, and those were just fine too. Granted, it was a 2002 Prius with 14" wheels and smaller tires (less weight overall), but it still worked great. I bought used hub caps from a newer Toyota (non-Prius). Still looked factory with the Toyota emblem in the center. I had another set of hub caps too--they looked almost identical to the SP10's. Can't remember where I got them though. If you're just looking for cheap steelies, you might be able to get away with searching a broader range of vehicles and be able to find something to work as long as it has the right bolt pattern and offset. The wheels I bought for our 2002 where actually from a Honda. I got all four for $100 off craigslist locally.

 

"Dumb Question" - when you put on snow tires is it only for the front wheels or is it one all four?

 

Always do all four. Just two is inviting disaster.

Tom

 

Furthermore, you might even have a hard time being able to buy just two snow tires from anywhere because of the safety issues involved from buying only two. You will see warnings/notes on websites such as tirerack.com etc.... You will always want to install snow tires in sets of 4, no matter what type of vehicle you have.

 

I bought the 2002 new, and it was always a gem in the snow--loved her. However, she was killed by a deer early last Spring after 8 years of a beautiful life together, and I bought a 2009 fleet car that already had the touring package (which, from what I can tell, has only 2 differences--the 16" rims and a longer spoiler). It's pretty good in the snow also, but I'm hoping will get better when I get 2 new front tires this weekend. I believe it has the originals, and unfortunately it's a touring model with 16" rims, so they are more expensive and difficult to find than 15". Any suggestions as to what kind I should get? I want all-season, not snow tires. Looking at Kumho Solus KH16 right now, installed at a local shop for $109.89 each (before tax). Thanks.

 

I was told by my Toyota dealer they have changed the ECU's programming at least 3 times since 2004. My 2008 Prius drives great in the snow better than my Golf Diesel ever did.

 

I have a 2005 model which I started driving in January 2005. The first five winters I drove with radials, performance was dependent on condition of tires. Sometimes it was bar of soap, sometimes smooth driving. Regardless, deep snow is no friend to this car. I bought snow tires (four all around) for the first time last year, best thing I ever did as we had a brutal 2010-11 winter.

We just got hit this past weekend here in Northern NJ with snow. I did not have my snow tires on yet, but I bought BF Goodrich radial T/As back in May and they handled very well.

 

chelvis, what did you buy for snow tires? My 2006 Prius is terrible in snow. The Integritys were terrible. The Yokohamas are terrible. I'm in rural West Virginia and the road that leads past our house is rarely treated. Every year, it's a regular 1) get *just* to inches of the driveway ... and no further (our driveway is in the midst of a climb and blind turn), and 2) Prius, meet the same damn ditch every year. At this point I'm going to ask the neighbor if I can just park at his place at the foot of the hill and keep my hiking stick in the car. It's almost a joke now ... I call the local tow company: "Oh, you have the blue Prius. Ok, be right out."

Anyway, some googling gave me the Bridgestone Blizzaks WS70 tires as an option. Any other ideas?

 

I have an older Blizzak and they've worked great on my 2010. I hear the Michelin X-Ice are also a good snow tire. I'd have to look at Tire Rack to get other options, and see if they are in their recent pamplet I got in the mail about their winter tires to see if they tested them or provided the results in it.

 

Thanks, wick1ert! I'll look at the X-Ice also.

 

The Blizzak WS70 and XIce Xi2 are probably the best studless snow tires you can get. Nokian also makes great snow tires but they have so many versions that I get confused. I have posted tirerack's winter tire testing results. Click on the link in my signature for more info.

 

Note to readers: Due to differences in Traction Control, Gen2 drivers (e.g. Juanuchis) are not likely to get the same performance as Gen3 drivers (e.g. wick1ert) out of any tire.

But good tires are still essential to getting the best winter performance that the various vintages of Gen2 are capable of providing.

 

Or you could just go and buy a Subaru to tide you over for the winter months while your Prius' pagoda roof becomes one with the snow

 

I traded in my Wintercat XT studded tires for a set of Hankook I-pike studless tires. I am running them on a set of steel snow wheels so far they really grip the wet pavement most likely because of all the unique grooves and multiple sipes. I will post feedback after testing them out in the snow.

 

What is this "snow" stuff y'all speak of?