Prius in Lake Tahoe winter

If I had to deal with Lake Tahoe snow all winter, I personally would drive an AWD or 4WD vehicle. However if you are comfortable driving a front-wheel drive vehicle in the snow, then a Prius would be OK if you use good winter tires during that season.

You will lose substantial mpg in the winter, but this is no different from other vehicles also being less efficient in below-freezing temps. Good luck with your choice.

 

Word of warning.
I had a 2008 touring that was impossible to drive in snow!!! Traction control would make forward progress very very slow. Or impossible! It may have been a problem with that 2008 but,I traded for a 2010 which has a much more lenient traction control. It is great in snow and ice!!

 

We drive our 2005 all winter in CO (elev. 7,200 ft), except in deep powder. Packed snow/plowed snow is fine. We just keep our M+S all-season tires on. Of course, you need to pay attention to conditions and drive conservatively.

 

I agree with Patrick.

If you decide on a Prius you'll want to avoid 2004-2005 models because of the aggressive traction control. Please use real snow tires in the winter. You'll have a much easier time with them and it is much much safer. Simply buy and extra set of wheels for winter tires. You can also go one size larger to help increase ground clearance.

 

I love My Prius, but if it were me, I would look for a Subaru, can't beat it for snow driving....

 

I put a set of Michelin X-Ice snow tires on my 2007 usually sometime around December, for the Michigan winter. I have never gotten stuck or had a problem. The traction control leaves some to be desired, but all in all with snow tires, the thing is a tank!

 

I visit Tahoe and Reno 2-4 times in the Winter from Sacto. With a 2005 Prius. The only real snow/ice I drove on was at Boreal, I had no traction problems at all. I typically test the ground conditions each winter in a open area. I could never get the car to. Slip, spin or skid. Always had the stock tires on it. The real PIA In that area is the chain control, it is the only geographical area that I am aware of where at the slightest hint of snow, one must install chains if your driving over Castle Peak. Maybe there is good cause and Caltrans knows what it is doing. I have driven many winters in Wisconsin, and Greenland and Europe without snow tires or chains. And never any problem. In Alaska they drive 50 MPH. PLUS on snow and ice impacted ridge highways. And think nothing of it. (Fairbanks) I'm a bit more cautious tho. The main problem is people can't apply common sense in Winter driving when they never had it in Summer driving.

 

Thanks for your real world input, Andy. My 2005 had quite a few issues on snow and ice with the stock and aftermarket tires so I err on the side of caution when giving advice. It would be terrible if someone took u necessary chances and got hurt.

 

As can be seen by my avatar the UK can have it's share of snow. I have also driven in Norway and Sweden in the snow in the Prius and have never been stuck. Although I agree it would be nice to be able to turn the traction control off under certain conditions I can state it has never been a real problem. Having driven a Range Rover in the same countries and conditions the Prius does extremely well against that high benchmark providing you have the right tyres.

John (Britprius)

 

Tires make all the difference! I have the Hankook H727s on. They're all-season, but have excellent snow capabilities. Traction control very rarely activates any more. As long as the snow isn't really deep, I much prefer to drive the Prius than my 4wd truck. The Pri feels more surefooted and the systems (defrosters, etc) work much better.

The starting ability of the Prius in the cold is also impressive. While regular cars slow-crank and complain, the Prius barely seems to notice.

 

I lived in tahoe for several winters with my prius, have all season ecopia tires and spikes spiders for when chain controls are on. the roads get plowed quickly and you learn which roads to drive on, prius + spikes spider is as good as awd. B mode is perfect for descending mountain passes in storms.

 

The tires are 100% of the difference. Obviously if the snow is too deep you can't go. But if the roads are plowed or packed snow it's fine. The traction control does mean you'll have to adapt if your preferred technique when having trouble is the old "spin spin spin" trick (I see people do this up the hill in my alley. There are better ways.). There is a way to disable the traction control so you can spin the tires but it is not recommended and can damage the motors (4-digit repair bill). I'd go with a bucket of sand and a shovel first, but with good winter tires don't expect problems.

 

Prius is our mountain goat that we use to drive into blizzards. If you can drive, the Prius will follow.

 

I say it in every thread re the Prius in snow ...... tyres, tyres, tyres, or tires, tires, tires for the US audience! A decent set of winter tyres coupled with common sense will get you a long way. We have a Honda CRV (with M+S tyres) for when it gets too bad.