slip sliding around on snow, tires or car?

Arrallen · 12-15-2007, 10:20 AM

We had a light snow in Chicago last night and I was amazed how touchy the car was on the street, slides in the corners and when braking. I have Goodyear Tripletred on my other car with excellent traction, but before I start buying tires for a car with only 7M miles on it I want to make sure it is going to actually improve traction and that it is not the car itself causing the problem. Also are the Tripletred good for the Prius? I am willing to forgo a bit of MPG for safety.

donee · 12-15-2007, 11:21 AM

Hi Arrallen,

I switched over to Hydroedges about 5 months into the Integrities. I did not like the wet weather handling of the Integrities. The Hydroedges are fantastic in wet weather.

In the snow, they are allot better than the Integrities. Tires can make a big difference in the Prius snow handling.

The people who drive snow all the time have snow tires for the Prius, and there is a Nokian tire that many Prius northern Prius drivers favor.

john1701a · 12-15-2007, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donee

The Hydroedges are fantastic in wet weather.

They are amazing on rain soak roads. On snow, there's a pretty big improvement over the factory tires... though, I do have to refrain from brisk acceleration at most intersections in the winter (black ice here). Snow tires are better, but obviously not a good choice for when times other than winter.

Upgrading to an all-season tire like HydroEdge is a worthwhile purchase. Mine have over 73,000 miles on them.

**Tideland Prius** · 12-15-2007, 12:03 PM

It's the tyres.

I just switched to Nokian WRs after 68,000kms on the Integritys. What a world of difference in the snow. I actually can accelerate at my usual pace whereas before I would have to turtle.

hyo silver · 12-15-2007, 01:23 PM

Unless you need genuine snow tires, I think either the TripleTred or the HydroEdge would be an excellent choice. The TT would probably have the ...um, edge...in snow, according to the TireRack survey.

Danny Hamilton · 12-15-2007, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arrallen

We had a light snow in Chicago last night and I was amazed how touchy the car was on the street. . . .

Aside from a small issue taking one corner that I'm pretty certain was due to driver error, I really haven't had any problems with my stock original Integrity's with 22,000 miles on them.

Perhaps, I'm just not as sensitive to the behavior of the car as you.

By the way, what year and trim package do you have? Perhaps it's the VSC that is making the difference for me.

jayman · 12-16-2007, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arrallen

We had a light snow in Chicago last night and I was amazed how touchy the car was on the street

I'm not sure how much snow Chicago can expect in winter. If you routinely get snow/ice, consider 4 snow tires, preferably studded. I run studded Goodyear Nordic tires from Canadian Tire, which are identical to the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in the EU

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

If you click on "Profile," a Flash presentation loads. This is an excellent tire on glare ice and in deep snow. However, the Prius is low to the ground and will eventually bog down.

I should warn the Canadian members that this tire is VERY noisy on dry pavement. On ice, you'll want to get out and smooch each tire, they are that good

burns_fisher · 12-16-2007, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danny Hamilton

Aside from a small issue taking one corner that I'm pretty certain was due to driver error, I really haven't had any problems with my stock original Integrity's with 22,000 miles on them.

Perhaps, I'm just not as sensitive to the behavior of the car as you.

By the way, what year and trim package do you have? Perhaps it's the VSC that is making the difference for me.

I completely agree. I have an 07 and this is my first winter with it, but so far I am pretty impressed. My previous car was an 02 Prius, and I thought that was ok, but not spectacular. I feel that the 07 is actually GOOD. I do have the VSC, though. I actually tried a couple times in a safe place to spin out (a little) and was not able to. That's not to say that on glare ice (my driveway) I did not find it impossible to turn and/or brake. But in snow and slush, I think it's pretty good with the OEM non-snow radials.

I will admit to having grown up and learned to drive in central Maine where driving in snow was a way of life for 3 or 4 months of the year, and being. I also admit to NOT TRYING to drive like I would on dry pavement.

Clubford00 · 12-16-2007, 11:20 PM

Jay, we are not allowed studded tires in Illinois, And the little snow refered too at least in Buffalo Grove was 9 1/2 inches My 05 handles great. Keep a full tank of gas for a little added weight. I have new goodyears on mine and i love em. (not the original integras, they suck )

a priori · 12-16-2007, 11:49 PM

This was a good weekend in the Chicago area to test out the Prius' winter feet. We live out west of Chicago, and we had it all the past few days: sleet, snow, freezing rain, snow, rain freezing on top of it, more snow, etc. I now have seen every light go on VSC, anti-lock brakes . . .

I went around a corner a big aggressively, and the car even started to beep at me.

I can't say for certain it is the tires (I have the stock Integrities at 6k), but I can say I would feel better if I had a bit more grip. I never felt out of control, but I did have times where I wondered at the "fullness" of my contact with the roadway!

12-15-2007, 10:20 AM	#1
Arrallen Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 20 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #1 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	slip sliding around on snow, tires or car? We had a light snow in Chicago last night and I was amazed how touchy the car was on the street, slides in the corners and when braking. I have Goodyear Tripletred on my other car with excellent traction, but before I start buying tires for a car with only 7M miles on it I want to make sure it is going to actually improve traction and that it is not the car itself causing the problem. Also are the Tripletred good for the Prius? I am willing to forgo a bit of MPG for safety.

12-15-2007, 11:21 AM	#2
donee Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,401 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Hi Arrallen, I switched over to Hydroedges about 5 months into the Integrities. I did not like the wet weather handling of the Integrities. The Hydroedges are fantastic in wet weather. In the snow, they are allot better than the Integrities. Tires can make a big difference in the Prius snow handling. The people who drive snow all the time have snow tires for the Prius, and there is a Nokian tire that many Prius northern Prius drivers favor. Last edited by donee; 12-15-2007 at 11:26 AM.

12-16-2007, 11:49 PM	#10
a priori Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chicagoland (West) Posts: 772 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 2	This was a good weekend in the Chicago area to test out the Prius' winter feet. We live out west of Chicago, and we had it all the past few days: sleet, snow, freezing rain, snow, rain freezing on top of it, more snow, etc. I now have seen every light go on VSC, anti-lock brakes . . . I went around a corner a big aggressively, and the car even started to beep at me. I can't say for certain it is the tires (I have the stock Integrities at 6k), but I can say I would feel better if I had a bit more grip. I never felt out of control, but I did have times where I wondered at the "fullness" of my contact with the roadway! __________________ Some knowledge may be readily grasped as it is apparent to even the most casual viewer, but most of us learn this only by experience after having ignored what was right before our eyes.

12-15-2007, 12:03 PM	#4
Tideland Prius Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 13,397 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 11	It's the tyres. I just switched to Nokian WRs after 68,000kms on the Integritys. What a world of difference in the snow. I actually can accelerate at my usual pace whereas before I would have to turtle.

12-15-2007, 01:23 PM	#5
hyo silver and awaaay! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 6,316 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 23	Unless you need genuine snow tires, I think either the TripleTred or the HydroEdge would be an excellent choice. The TT would probably have the ...um, edge...in snow, according to the TireRack survey.

12-16-2007, 11:20 PM	#9
Clubford00 Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Buffalo Grove, Ill. Posts: 88 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Jay, we are not allowed studded tires in Illinois, And the little snow refered too at least in Buffalo Grove was 9 1/2 inches My 05 handles great. Keep a full tank of gas for a little added weight. I have new goodyears on mine and i love em. (not the original integras, they suck )