Recommendation for Prius 2013 winter tire

I use 'FIRESTONE WINTERFORCE 2'

Locally they are $92 each and $102 with studs installed.

We get a lot of black ice on our road, so going without studs is not an option here.

 

I think Altimax is studdable snow. Is your quote with stud or without? I don't have experience with Blizzak WS80, but if you are dealing with occasional snow and rest of winter mostly on dry pavement, Michelin Xice Xi3 is what I would recommend for comfortable ride with good grip on snow and slush. If you have to deal with iced up roads a lot, then studded maybe better, but be prepared to put up with a LOT OF road noise.

 

+1 Xi3.

 

Michelin Xi2 here, just put them on again, for the eighth winter, still a good 8/32" tread, and no cracking. The car only has 78K kms, so not a lot of miles on them.

Maybe not the absolute winter-traction leader, but well-mannered, and minimal mpg impact. We get the occasional snow dump, but it's mostly icy conditions are the concern, and a lot of rain.

I'm using these rims, fwiw:

Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471 (2003-2008 corolla or matrix, CE, LS, S)
steel rim lug nuts, part no: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized)

 

You can do even better at Discount Tire Direct. $86.99/ea shipping free, and 10% off of that. If you have or apply for their store card and use it you can get additional 10% off making it $69/ea. I got mine earlier with super deal, for ~$50/each with discount and rebates. You just have to find a shop that will install them for you at reasonable price unless there is Discount Tire shops around you.
https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/michelin-x-ice-xi3/p/34527

BTW, if you are thinking of putting snows on separate rims, Discount Tire Direct also sells wheels, and mounting and balancing is free. It will come ready to be installed onto your car with or without TPMS. (TPMS will cost extra and you have to reprogram car's ECU, thus necessitating visit to tire shop which will cost more, so I recommend doing without TPMS, if you choose separate rims)

 

I bought Michelin Xi2 tires in 2008 and ran them for 9 winters (80,000km on Corolla and 70,000 km on Prius). Small cracks started appearing near the base of the tire thread (maybe because I drove them through this entire summer this year to finish them off). Thread wear is down to 4/32 and 5/32. It is about time I get them replaced.

Switching to Michelin Xi3 tires next week. I have to admit, Michelins last quite a long time.

Michelin X-Ice tires are designed for ice. Most others like Bridgestone Blizzaks is designed for snow. The Bridgestone blizzaks seems to be the highest rated based on Consumer Reports from what I remember. I drive mostly on highways, so I bought an ice tire. Although any winter tire will perform well regardless of ice or snow.

I also bought the Michelin's because it had one of the better rolling resistance ratings amongst the winter tires on Consumer reports.

Some winter tires such as the Hankook iPike start at 11/32 thread depth where as most others start at 10/32 thread depth. I wonder if the deeper thread winter tires have better value? The performance will obviously decrease due to thread wear.

 

I've experienced the Altimax Arctics on my older daughter's 2011. They felt and sounded like truck tires in comparison to the Michelins. She's on Xi3s now and raves about them. Not knocking General either, they do great work and we're very happy with RT 43 all-seasons on the younger daughters '07 Prius and my wife's '05 Sienna. The Xi3s feel like a high-end all season, are as quiet as a high-end all-season, have rolling resistance of an LRR and somehow manage to perform like high-end snows. As noted here, they wear forever, too. They're really great, imo. I wouldn't put Altimax Arctics in the same category, honestly, unless strictly looking to run studs.

If you are considering an on-wheel package, we just did this for my wife's '05 Prius. Less $70 mail-in rebate the total was $602 to my door, Tirerack. This is the third set of these I've purchased from them in recent years.

 

A little late in the day for this year, but anyway: a good strategy is to have separate rims, purchased and ready, well in advance, say August. Then maybe in September, when snow tires are starting to come into tire stores but well before the panic, get the snow tires, mounted on the loose rims. Then install them when it's time, mid-November is a good rule-of-thumb.

 

I've run a bunch of different brands of winter tires across multiple cars over the last 30 years and I'll be honest with you, there's not a massive difference between them. Some are a bit quieter, some wear a bit better, but that's about it. It's not like you are driving at 11/10ths in winter anyway. I'm currently on some Town Fair Tire store brand that grip like crazy but got real loud after 2 winters.

If I had to choose brand new right now, I'd get either the Michelin's or the Generals.

And I know others disagree, but I think Studs are overkill on a modern winter/snow tire unless you live on a dirt road. Studs actually hurt braking performance on non-icy roads and that's what you will actually be driving on the most. If you live on pavement, and assuming Iowa is as flat as I imagine it, then I wouldn't put up with the noise and other negatives. That' my opinion.

 

I got Michelin XI3s on Black Friday for $325.72 (paid $485.72 at counter but get $160 back in rebates).

They were supposed to go on today but tire shop called and said they were delivered 3 of 4 tires and the 4th comes in tomorrow...

They have best rating from what I have seen that is why I went with them. And the discount.

 

I haven't bought snow tires for the last 43 years. When I moved from hilly SW Pennsylvania to flat Indiana I never needed them again.
I do find it interesting to see peoples opinions on Prius Chat. Back in Pa back in the 1960's recapped snow tires were popular, does anyone recap tires anymore? One company's claim to fame was what was called their "Saw Dust Tire". I don't remember their name but they actually had sawdust in the tread and it was suppose to give you extra traction. They had a very soft compound in the tire and were only good for one or two seasons.

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/02/sports/about-cars-sawdust-and-machismo.html

This article is about a company called Andy Brothers where my family bought sawdust tires in Washington, Pa.

Canonsburg Friends: Andy Brothers Sawdust Snow Tires

 

It's interesting history, but with modern silica rubber tire compounds, it's simply a matter of technology progressing, like hundreds (thousands?) of other automotive technologies.

 

You don't need studs to "cut" into the surface in order to get traction on ice.

The first studless snow/ice tire was developed in 1929:
> Link

The story of how they came about:
Adirondack Life Article - From the Archive: A Tread Ahead - Adirondack Life

The weak spot was the long term wearability on dry roads. Modern technology has all but eliminated that problem.

 

I was reading up on boot soles with good ice traction. Apparently there's very little on the market that are effective. Aggressive tread helps in snow, but makes little/no difference on ice. What did work, but is really scarce, is a nearly felt-like, brush texture. Can't find the link right now, mostly just thinking aloud.

I think that does translate though, to snow tires with very tight-packed siping: they too feel like a brush when you press-and-drag on the tread.

 

I use this for my regular boot and shoes in winter. Ice Traction Footwear Accessories | Ergodyne
But for really treacherous ice, I use this. Crampons for Mountain and Ice Climbing