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Snow tires vs. Cables

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by osiris12, Aug 7, 2007.

  1. osiris12

    osiris12 Owner of 3, yes three priuses

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    Hi All,

    I have 2 Prii, a 2001 and 2007 both of course have different tire size requirements.

    I've read many of the Snow Tires and Chains posts and am trying to figure out what is the best for my situation.

    I live in Mid Hudson valley, NY about 2 hours south of Albany in lower Dutches county. We get some snow, maybe 3 or 4 storms per year, but most are minor.

    I've always used the All Season tires on both cars, but last year there was one storm that kept dumping snow for 24 hours. Every time the town plowed the streets, 10 minutes later it was completely coverted with a few inches of new snow.

    I had to pick my wife up at the train station 4 miles away, but couldn't. My 2001 kept slipping on level roads (don't have traction control option on 2001).

    That was an usual strom last year. But I'm trying to decide to either get snow tires for both cars or a good set of cables. I fear that given the low amount of snow we get here, i would wear out the snow tires in just one season.

    But I'm also unsure about cables since I've never used them before.

    Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanx.
     
    #1 osiris12, Aug 7, 2007
  2. Dave

    Dave New Member

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    Bump. I'd like information about cables, too.
     
    #2 Dave, Aug 7, 2007
  3. brick

    brick Active Member

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    A set of four snow tires mounted on their own rims (steel works fine) would be the most effective solution. Put them on in December when the snow starts to fly, take them off in March. This is your best bet for both traction and stability.

    Cables are more of a last resort if you get stuck going up a hill or something. They provide the bite to get you moving but stability takes a dive since the rear tires are still sliding around. Finally, if you have a good set of snow tires you aren't likely to need the cables in the first place.
     
    #3 brick, Aug 8, 2007
  4. pgc100

    pgc100 Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ Aug 8 2007, 07:56 AM) [snapback]492305[/snapback]</div>
    I'm just south of you in Northern NJ, so I remember that storm. I started pricing snow tires on Tire Rack. The $750 for the set is painful enough, but the Tire Pressure monitoring adds another $450 to the price. I think cables or chains will be my preferred choice.
     
    #4 pgc100, Aug 8, 2007
  5. osiris12

    osiris12 Owner of 3, yes three priuses

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PGC100 @ Aug 8 2007, 11:01 AM) [snapback]492386[/snapback]</div>

    Thanks for the info. That is a lot $750 +450?

    I do about 110 miles a day and I would most likely wear out a set of snow tires if 3 months (Dec - Mar).

    I've heard the average tread life of a typical snow tires is about 3k. I just don't want to spend $1200 on tires that will turn to dust in just one season.

    What ever happened to the http://offroadrecovery.com/product/FLEX_TRAX product for smaller tires? Would this be an alternative to chains/cables and snow tires?
     
    #5 osiris12, Aug 8, 2007
  6. osiris12

    osiris12 Owner of 3, yes three priuses

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    Has anyone tried the

    Winterforce M+S snow tires?

    I'm trying to decided which one of these brands I'm going to use on my prius for the 2007-2008 winter season in upstate NY. The michelins are the most expensive while the WinterForce is the cheapest.

    Any experience with these would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

    1. Nokian Hakkepellita H2
    2. Michelins X-ICE
    3. WINTERFORCE
    :(
     
    #6 osiris12, Aug 31, 2007
  7. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    My 2004 is apparently one of the handful with over-sensitive Trac. With "all season" tires my Prius was helpless, After trying a studless tire I went with studded Goodyear Nordic's from Canadian Tire. It's the same tire as the Ultra Grip 500 sold in the EU:

    http://eu.goodyear.com/home_en/tires/repos...p?page=benefits

    Click on Profile to get a flash presentation. This is a very noisy tire on dry roads, but in deep snow - until the car high centers - and ice, they work great. I have them on steel wheels with proper lugnuts.

    Chains work great but can be intimidating to put on. Practise in your driveway so you know what to expect. Thats good advice for putting on the spare too - practise in your driveway
     
    #7 jayman, Sep 2, 2007
  8. steved

    steved Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Sep 2 2007, 11:44 AM) [snapback]505917[/snapback]</div>
    What difference in mpg did you notice with the studs vs. all season, vs. snow tires?
     
    #8 steved, Sep 15, 2007
  9. aapopper

    aapopper New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Sep 2 2007, 01:44 PM) [snapback]505917[/snapback]</div>
    Check out

    http://www.lacledechain.com/cat/traction/p...pinedetail.php#

    Pricey but a "snap" to install.
     
    #9 aapopper, Sep 15, 2007
  10. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(steved @ Sep 15 2007, 07:25 PM) [snapback]513159[/snapback]</div>
    Since I have the snowtires on separate rims, it's quick and easy to swap over. On a given stretch of road where I might expect 4.9 l/100 km (57 MPG Cdn gallon), I would use 5.5 l/100km (51 MPG Cdn gallon).

    I think the fuel economy loss has more to do with the tread design itself. If you go to the Goodyear EU website, in the link I provided, you'll notice how aggressive the tread pattern is.
     
    #10 jayman, Sep 17, 2007
  11. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Does it help to lower tyre pressure like it does in sand?
    Sorry i have never seen snow and was just wondering. Well I have seen snow in the Himalayan Mountains but I was several hundred kilometres away (I think) flying past.
     
    #11 patsparks, Sep 17, 2007
  12. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    I've never tried to lower pressure in snow. The problem in my climate, when there is snow it's usually very cold too. Tires can easily get too low if you don't keep an eye on the pressure
     
    #12 jayman, Sep 17, 2007
  13. brick

    brick Active Member

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    The reason you would lower pressure in sand is so that you can ride on top of it. With snow you want to do the opposite: bit down through it. So I doubt you would gain anything from reduced tire pressure. Maybe it would help a little on glare ice? Either way I don't think it's recommended do do anything other than keep the tires properly inflated. Let the rubber compound and tread pattern do the work. (I also recommend staying home when the roads are glare ice. ;) )
     
    #13 brick, Sep 18, 2007
  14. priussoris

    priussoris New Member

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    #14 priussoris, Sep 18, 2007
  15. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Sep 18 2007, 03:02 PM) [snapback]514452[/snapback]</div>
    Seems good, and the price is right
     
    #15 jayman, Sep 18, 2007
  16. stumpy_c

    stumpy_c New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(osiris12 @ Aug 31 2007, 01:23 PM) [snapback]505045[/snapback]</div>
    I can vouch for the Hakk 2s. Absolutely rock solid in heavy snow and very good on ice. Can't say enough good things about them - amazing winter tires.

    I've also heard nothing but good things about Bridgestone's Blizzak winter tires. Tirerack.com has Blizzak Revo 1s on sale right now for $57 per tire.
     
    #16 stumpy_c, Sep 23, 2007
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