Driving in Snow

Either buy a pair of good snow tires for the Illinois winter or get a set of 4 Nokian WRg2 all-weather tires that are almost as good in snow/ice. Decent tires make a difference and the original tires that came with my 2004 Prius (Goodyear Integrity) were terrible in the snow.

JeffD

 

It's a front wheel drive car with stability control, clearance isn't really the issue, what's someone doing driving around in 10"+ of snow, just trying to get into an accident?
Put on new snows with studs, the car will be unstoppable. Or in the event of wanting to stop, will stop on a dime. It will also turn when you want it to, unlike having forward momentum and not being able to turn or stop...

 

Or get a set of chains and keep them in the back - if you do this be sure to practice getting them on and off on a nice day.

 

I'm considering Bridgestone, no studs, for our NH winters. What do you think?

 

I've been using Blizzaks on both my Prii (2004 and now 2010). I have not had any problems commuting from Nashua to Bow.

Don

 

I've heard the second gen's traction control is set overly sensitive, ie: it will refuse to turn the wheels once you get a slight loss of traction.

Also: "plenty" of tread is one thing, but snow tires have a much more aggresive tread, coupled with more siping (lateral slits). Their rubber is also a different formulation: that stays pliant when temperatures drop, compared to all-seasons.

You are right about ground clearance, and the Prius is just so-so (better than our last Honda Civic Hybrid, anyway): it doesn't matter what sort of tires you have, if you hit deep enough snow you will get stuck.

 

I'm not sure how serious your issue is. The Prius had a problem with traction control kicking in too early, but I'm pretty sure that was resolved in 2006 and you shouldn't see a problem on your car. Is this noticeably worse than other FWD cars you've had (sedans, hatchbacks)?

There's plenty of us in the Chicago area, and most of us have had little to no difficulty getting around, even in 10" of light snow. The only time I had a problem was when I had 40K miles on the original Integrity tires, I had stopped on an uphill at a light unknowingly on ice and then had trouble getting going again. (This was at a point where I saw a policeman earlier directing traffic to the center lane, so I assume the icy patch was a problem for others as well). That's about when I decided I should probably get new tires before the next winter.

Tame picture from a few years back. I should put up a real snow picture, but this is the best I could find at the moment.

 

It's not just the tread that matters, it's the rubber compound. Summer and 'all-season' tires get too hard in low temperatures to provide useful traction. Snow tires are made of softer rubber that stays pliable in Winter. If you live in an area that gets real Winter - and Illinois would probably qualify - then you need Winter tires. Yes, it's a bigger cash outlay, but it means your Summer tires will last that much longer, and you'll be far safer when the roads are slippery. From that point of view, two sets of tires are probably LESS expensive in the long run, especially if they keep you out of an accident.

 

Maxing out clearance is an issue with any vehicle. Ground clearance on the Prius is pretty typical for front wheel drive cars, so there isn't anything special in that department. Certainly Toyota gave some thought to this area, and as a result decided to make the Prius about the same as any other car. If you require more ground clearance you should be driving a truck.

Tom

 

Mendel and HYO,

The Nokian WRg2 tires have "soft in cold" rubber compound, extra siping and aggressive tread (on one half) to allow good bad weather traction that compares well against true snow tires (at least until the tread depth is down to 4/32). They do have a somewhat short tread life (about 50k miles).

JeffD

 

That really depends on where you land on the paranoid to over-confident spectrum. I'm probably on the OC side (having grown up with 'real' winters in northern MN where it gets to -40' (F or C).

But you can certainly drive all year long with all-season tires in Illinois, or Minnesota. If you're in very hilly terrain, or you get a lot of wet snow (like nor'easters in Boston area), then snow tires may be necessary. Dry snow, like we get in the middle of winter, is easier to drive on, so in the upper midwest there's really only a couple days a year where you have to be extra careful. And you can still get where you're going, providing a snow plow has been able to make it somewhat recently. If you're a plow-truck dispatcher or 911 operator or something and absolutely need to drive to work regardless of whether the plows have been out yet or not, then you might want to invest in snow tires. Or a Subaru.

People tend to get all bent out of shape about things, when just driving at a moderate speed, keeping momentum when they need it, and slowing before curves or stops, will do the job just as well or better than some extra bit of technology or specialized tire.

 

Last winter was my 5th on some Michelin x-ice without studs and it's do-able but new snows with studs will eliminate the not able to move on ice and or not able to stop on ice syndrome. They only stud when the tire is new, with stability and traction control the prius won't move in 3" of snow, won't go uphill on ice from a stop, etc... with studs that's eliminated, it's you personal call, I like the idea.

 

I've gotten stuck in the snow in my '08. And I'm proud to say that yes, I
was able to spin the tires -- to no avail in the particular circumstances.
I was was stopped dead, with the car bottomed out on a ridge of snow
under the center of the car. All in all, it wasn't the car's "fault." The
tires did spin, but wheel RPMs appeared to be limited. I couldn't "gun"
the engine and really get the wheels whining. It really frustrated the
young men who eventually got me out. Much to my surprise, I was able
to do a weakish rocking motion between forward and reverse.

Oh yeah, be sure to tell anyone pushing not to touch, never mind push
on, the rear spoiler.

I would certainly second the idea of keeping up momentum, what with
the reduced power application that the Gen II have.

Since that time I've gotten real snow tires on rims. And they worked like
a champ... as a snow deterrent; last winter we had very little snow.

This year I intend to buy a snow blower with the hope it too will deter
heavy snow again this year.

 

You cannot get extra ground clearance with winter tires. I say this because you implied you might gain some. The Prius wheel/tire combo runs with only one size diameter.

I've had no problems with snow and ice except last year, when we had a record snowfall. Even then I would have been ok except our city doesn't -remove- snow, they just push it around. I came home to a 6" step in compacted snow/ice to get into my back alley. NOT GOOD!
I've been running the Nokian WR and just replaced them with Nokian WRGII. They work just fine. Take it easy, avoid morons, and you won't have problems.

 

I'm in Chicago and occasionally make trips to very poorly plowed places in Michigan. I have Nokian Hakkapellita R tires mounted to my stock rims and have no problems in the snow. I can do the wheel changeover myself with the spare tire jack in about an hour having invested in a Sears toolset (on 50% off sale) and a torque wrench.