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Snow tires in Canada

Discussion in 'Prius c Accessories and Modifications' started by cmstlist, Oct 29, 2014.

  1. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    So this is my third year of the Prius C but my first that will be in Toronto where a real winter happens. Unless I want to hide my car in the garage all winter I will need some snow tires. This is the CDN base model, so 175/65R15.

    Keep in mind I am a car novice. I will not be installing or tweaking anything myself. Everything requires paying someone to do it and every dollar counts.

    Any thoughts in the Toronto area? Winter tires that have worked well for you? I know some people like to go get tires in the States to save money but I have not really found any evidence that would save much compared to the time and hassle.

    I know there is also the question of the TPMS. I was chatting in another thread about this but it was outside of the Prius C forum. The question of whether to 1) pay every season to have the dealer initialize the car to recognize the sensors, 2) forget about sensors and cover the warning light all winter, 3) get my sensors cloned so they can be put into a second set of wheels for the winter tires, or 4) what else?

    USians are welcome to comment but please keep in mind that buying in the US is probably not going to be a viable option for me.
     
  2. kingnba6

    kingnba6 Active Member

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    well, what do you want? snow tires on stock wheels or a whole new set of snow tires and new wheels? i think you want snow tires and spare wheels?

    if you want snow tires and wheels, then i would first start by going to the local junk yard and getting some generic steel wheels. i wouldnt worry about the tpms simply cause its a waste of money to switch them over. just dont be bothered by the indicator.

    i really dont have any insight on tires.
     
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Check here: Top 2014-‘15 Car Winter Tire Recommendations Car News | Auto123

    Most here use Nokian Hakkapeliita R or Michelin X-Ice series with a few using others that are listed in the link above. My experience is with the Nokians and they've saved me twice from collisions over the 5 years in tough winter conditions (temps from +5 to -40, loose dry snow up to 10-15cm deep and hard packed snow on main road surfaces (we don't plow to the asphalt like Toronto does. A hard packed surface of 5cm with sand embedded is grippier than a potentially black ice scenario if the city clears the snow to the asphalt and most nights are clear), and ice sheets with freezing rain and snow all of which doesn't melt til March or April. The current generation is the R2. (2nd generation).

    I got mine from the States but at that time, it was half the cost (~$450 vs. $880 for 195/65R15) but now the cost gap has shrunk as the U.S. prices have come up quite a bit and the Canadian prices dropped very slightly. ($660 vs $850 for Nokian WRG2s in 195/65R15).

    I ran mine winters on steel rims with no tire pressure sensors. I wasn't going to pay for a 2nd set of sensors and have the car reprogrammed twice a year. I can live with the light (just check the pressures regularly. It was easy since I had an underground parkade. You just have to adjust for the outside temperature and not the garage temperature).

    Steel rims will pay for themselves within a year or two (depending on whether you get new or used rims) as it's cheaper to swap from summer to winter tyres (~$30) with rims on vs. putting them on your original rims (~$110).
     
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  4. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    Right I figured they'd go on spare wheels for the reasons of cost of swapping. I have also been told that repeatedly switching tires on a set of wheels is worse for wear and tear.

    I'm cringing at the overall cost as I'm presently unemployed. But it would be very pessimistic of me to plan for the winter as if I don't expect to have a commute the whole time.

    Anyway I thought I'd solicit advice from anyone who has already used snow tires on a C, how well they're working, how much it all cost, etc.

    Nexus 5 ?
     
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I understand. If you can find a set of used steelies, they work just as well as new ones. (I got mine for $100 used).
     
  6. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    Would there be any safety concerns in going with used rims?

    Nexus 5 ?
     
  7. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    Not that I can think of. Rims don't tend to have a significant failure rate.
     
  8. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    Whereas I'm guessing that used snow tires are probably not a good gamble? :)
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm not sure what's available for "c", but with our hatchback I emailed a few dealerships and one suggested these Corolla steel rims. Went with them, they did the install (X-Ice), it worked out fine. The NEW Corolla steel rims were $70 each. They suggested plain lug nuts which I got too. No TPMS.
     
  10. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    Corollas are usually 16" and Prius C takes 15", at least my base model does. 175/65R15.

    Which is unfortunate because my grandmother has winter tires for her Corolla she won't be using anymore now that she can't drive, and they're too big for my C. I'm in fact headed up to her dealership momentarily to pick them up.
     
  11. kingnba6

    kingnba6 Active Member

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    the C has 15 on the lower models, but i believe the model 4 prius C has 16s.
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The Corolla rim I got was 15", it's 2008 model year maybe?. Here's the info. Keep in mind this worked with 3rd gen Prius hatchback. Tire size is a bit different, same 15" dia, but not sure about bolt pattern, offset. I'd suggest talk to parts department of Toyota dealership, see what they say.

    My snow tire rims (for hatchback model, 3rd gen):

    Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471 (2008+ model year?)
    steel rim lug nuts: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized)

    FWIW, our OEM tire is 215/45R17, but 15" works fine.
     
  13. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    As far as I can tell the tire size that came with my Prius C is used on some Yaris and Honda Fit models, and some Mini Coopers. All in that subcompact range.
     
  14. kingnba6

    kingnba6 Active Member

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    i dont think the corolla rims are going to work. the corolla and regular prius have 5 bolt lug nuts, the Prius C has only 4.
     
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  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Oh c'mon, that's a minor difference. :ROFLMAO:
     
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  16. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    Hah funny you should mention that right as I bring my grandmother's winter tires out of storage. They are X-ice tires, 185/65R15 which is not all that far off and I wonder if they'd be compatible or too big. Which also means the rims are 15". But if the bolts are different I guess the rims are not comparable!

    However as I was alluding to the Yaris before - it would appear that Yaris and Echo models going back as far as I can find are 4-bolt. So used Yaris rims would work.
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yup, that's the thing: there's a lot of cross-pollination in Toyota's lines. Again, check with dealership parts departments, the more competent ones will be able to direct you. The Prius v for example, can use a Camry steel rim, I believe. And if you don't mind shiney new steel rims, they might only set you back around $70 per, if your experience is sim to mine. One thing tho:

    I started first with our car purchase dealership's parts department, and they were out-to-lunch. Patiently explained to me that only alloy rims would fit the prius, it was a "flagship" vehicle. I blanket emailed all nearby dealership parts departments, and got no-nonsense practical answers from one, worked out for me.

    If you go with someone like Canuck Tire for rims, you might get a one-size-fits-all, needing spacer rings at the hub. Not end of the world, but personally I'd rather have the proper fitting Toyota rim.
     
  18. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    I just called a guy in parts at my Toyota dealer and asked - if I were to have my grandmother's 185/65R15 winter tires installed on a proper set of rims for my Prius C which normally takes 175/65R15, would it work? He told me it would fit and there wouldn't be any operational issues but there would be a 2.14% error in the speedometer. He said normally this is not a problem as long as it's within a 3% tolerance and as long as I know what the error is.

    What do you guys think? It would save me $400+ on the cost of getting the car winter-ready. The family is OK with it as my uncle is the likely beneficiary of the Corolla and he lives in Victoria where nobody gets/uses snow tires unless they're going to be driving up a mountain to ski.
     
    #18 cmstlist, Oct 31, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2014
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Going from our 215/45R17 (OEM on Touring hatchback) to 195/65R15 (OEM on other hatchback levels) I'm increasing revolutions per km (or whatever) by roughly 1.1%. Your case would be a bit more extreme, but like the guy says, not bad. It makes for slightly taller gearing for you in winter, I think, which is beneficial for snow traction a bit. Down the road you could replace by some other snow in stock size, too.


    Still, new X-Ice in proper size would be sweet.... But it's easy shopping with other people's money, I should butt out, lol. Michelins are $70 off on set of 4, thru November something. Costco takes it off at the 'till (normally a mail-in rebate, most other places), but if you and signif other go into the store, there goes that advantage...

    I picked up a set of X-Ice, on loose rims for another vehicle, as soon as the sale started. Best to not leave it too late, and loose rims allows you to buy now, install later.
     
    #19 Mendel Leisk, Oct 31, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2014
  20. cmstlist

    cmstlist Member

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    Yeah in my case it would mean 2.14% more km per revolution, hence when it reads 100 it's actually 102. After installation I could double-check by comparing the speed on my GPS with the speedometer.

    Just took another look at them - they are X-Ice Xi2. They look to be in pretty good condition. I am sure she has had them for several years but she drove pretty sparingly even when she still did drive.