New to Minneapolis-St Paul.. anxious about winter driving

Hey all,

I just moved out to MN this past June with my Prius II with Plus Package to be with my fiance. How does the Prius handle the winter driving conditions? (ground clearance, stock tires, etc) I still have the stock Plus 17 rims with tires and the lower plus springs. Am I gonna run into some trouble driving in the winter? Should I buy snow tires or are the stock all-seasons sufficient? Thanks!

-Mark

Ah what love will do.

Well, I would highly recommend a second set of rims with snow-tires on them. Do want to ruin those pretty package rims.

My prius handles as well as any other FWD car I have owned in the winter... possibly better. But I don't leave home without my studded snows!

Forgot to mention I came from California. lol. I don't think studded snow tires are allowed in the Twin cities. From the last winter I experienced (I realize it wasn't a REAL Minnesota winter) the roads are pretty much well plowed and salted, I didn't have my Prius with me however.

You do make a good point though, I really don't want to ruin my Plus Rims

They don't have to be studded, but perhaps a set of the Michelin x-ice or something.

Funny, I am heading down to your old neck of the woods (SAN) this next week for a nerd fest.

I lived in the Minneapolis area years ago (right out of college), and my VW Rabbit (front wheel drive) did just fine without winter tires.

I've been through 3 winters with my 2010 III, nearly 40K miles. I have not changed my original Yokohamas and the Prius is the BEST front wheel drive car I've driven in snow with one exception-ground clearance. That big lower air intake can really collect snow and bog you down (and of course I block it come fall). Otherwise, ECO mode prevents wheel spin and you'll leave most FWD cars spinning away at the stop light.
Have fun and drive smoothly.
PS I will be replacing the Yokos this winter. I run them at 40/40 and they have plenty of miles on them, but not so much for snow.

12 winters driving a Prius in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area, with all 3 generations...







...without any trouble. Though with an Iconic model (2004-2009), you should upgrade to a decent all-season tire. The newest (2010-2012) works great with the stock tires. Snow tires haven't been necessary. In fact, I've really enjoyed the seasonal changes with the Prius. It handles the cold and the slower traffic very well.

Great pix!

We had very good luck with good all season tires. The stock tires were absolutely awful. Sounds like they have improved though since?
With our 2007-2008 Prii the traction control was pretty bad in specific situations. However it wasn't dangerous, just took some getting used to.

That sounds reassuring! I just hope my ground clearance isn't too much of an issue due to the lowered ride height my Prius has.

Man, you must be crazy (in love) with that girl to move from California to Minneapolis ..

Couldn't persuade her to move out to Cali huh?

Don't mess around. Get some great snow tires, Blizzaks or X-Ices. I use Nokian WG's. The new studless, composite tread snow tires are awesome, safety, security and mobility on snow and ice.

And don't go to the expense of new wheels, have the tire dealer put the snows on your regular rims.

ProximalSuns got me thinking...

I live in Maine and am anticipating with some trepidation my first winter in the Prius. I had intended to put on a set of Blizzaks because we had them in another car once and they were awesome.

Is there a consensus on the board of what works best - Blizzaks, X-Ices, or the aforementioned Nokian WG's?

Thanks!

I don't think you can go wrong with any of those. They are all top rated. I had the Nokian's on my Escape Hybrid. I got them because they were the only winter rated snow tire that had a 40,000 tread warranty at the time, 2009. Blizzaks and the X-ice had lower tread ratings. Nokian WG's were spendy but had some environmental advantages over the Blizzak and X-ice. I go studless. We are allowed to have them but you don't need them and they tear up the roads.

Hahaha we better be, we're getting married this Jan in Maui. And I already tried, but I like the culture and people better here in MSP. Ask me again after winter rolls around though

I agree completely. Winter driving is not just about traction in snow. You must also consider braking distance when it's dry but cold. Below 40F most all-season tires suffer a loss in braking distance due to reduced pliability. So while most they have not had a problem with OE tires in such climates, they are usually referring to forward traction and snow braking. There is a big difference between not having a problem and great performance. I'd play it safe, especially if you are new to harsh winter driving. I also suggest finding a large open parking lot to play around in after a good snow. You need to learn how the car responds to such conditions.

Don't forget Continental Extreme Winter Contact(Studless Ice & Snow)
Continental ExtremeWinterContact

I live in southern PA and the snow isn't as bad as it is up there, I'm able to drive around with good all-season tires. I was born in Moorhead, MN and I remember those super cold winters! I would definitely think about a second set of rims and studless Ice & Snow tires.

Under what circumstances?

That's quite a money, effort, and storage commitment knowing that need hasn't ever come up for me living in that very area driving a 2010 Prius. I'd recommend trying it with what you currently have first. It's not like you wouldn't be able to upgrade during the winter if you chose to anyway.

I would strongly recommend getting snow tires on alternate rims. I got a set of 15" aluminum rims from a G2 off of ebay and I could not be happier. You would think that getting tires only and swap rims 2x a year is cheaper but it's such a pain in the bunghole.

I can do a tire swap anytime I like, and it's much faster than hauling 4 tires to your local shop. I have lived in Winnipeg (8h north of Minne) my whole life and the Prius is as good as any car I have driven in the winter.

Assuming $400 for some good looking new wheels, $200 for the tire pressure monitoring and $100 of mounting, balancing that's $600 you could save simply switching tires. The tires less rims are easy to carry, wrapped in plastic by the tire store and typically you'd end up going to the tire shop anyway for balancing.

Hmm...season ski pass or a 2nd set of wheels that sit around 6 months out of the year?