How does it do in the snow?

The FJ's traction control is a different animal than the one on the Prius. Don't expect the same miracles with the Prius. All it does is cut power to both wheels.

Tom

 

a couple of winters ago we got about 6-7 inches of snow (rare in Indy) and I could not get out of my driveway!! This car is relatively light and sits low.. we were like stuck sled.. Overall, I don't like the traction control at all.. but winters are not usally too bad here and we live in the city, so it does ok. I had a CR-V which was fantastic in the snow, but I remind myself they are two entirely different animals. I wouldn't trade my Prius for anything on the market right now. I just remember to shovel first!

 

What steel wheels did you find in the correct offset / lug pattern? Are they 15"?

Oh and the people saying that wide is wrong are right so long as you are talking about snowy roads - I used to run 155/80-13 snows on my VW Jetta. If you are trying to take your 4X4 off road in the snow, go wide with low PSI to stay afloat.

 

Wide tires are good for floating, but floating is exactly what you don't want to do for normal road driving. Off road is a different story, although I've never seen tires wide enough to float on the snow we get around here - people use tracks for that. We used to run wide tires on our Jeep for beach driving, but they were not as good for winter snow driving. On the road you want tires to cut through the snow and get to the road surface below.

Tom

 

The FJ does that, but it also applies individual brakes to control slippage. The Prius can't do that.

Tom

 

I replaced the OEM Goodyear Integrity tires with Goodyear Comfort Tread all season tires shortly after purchasing my Prius this past March. Therefore, I haven't had the opportunity to test the car in pure winter (snow) conditions yet. I live in central PA and will encounter snow during the winter. Generally, the roads are well plowed and treated when snow hits. But where I live is in a home development that gets plowed on the later side of the plowing schedule and the roads can pile up some snow amounts..

I am interested if anyone has had any or some experience with the GY Comfort Treads during the winter season while driving their Prius?? Interested to hear your comments, thanks..

 

I had same problem w/ my Stealth even though it was all wheel drive. High centred on a bank I misjudged. Car wasn't too bad with all seasons even though they were 245/45ZR17. (Continental Something Contact; rated very high 3 years ago for all season winter performance.)


I've yet to hear of a Prius on studs. Of course the mileage would plummet but has anyone tried studs or chains for really bad stuff ? I've heard of some new type of studs that retract or something...

 

gbee - check out the FJ60 in this article for wide tires in the snow:

OffRoading Three Ice-Caps

I wouldn't want them on roads, but in deep snow, gravel beaches, dry sand, etc. oh yeah!

 

They will spin slowly if you floor the gas. It's kind of a cyclical "woomph, woomph, woomph..." sort of thing, where power is applied and the wheels turn, then power is cut as they slip. While you can make the wheels turn, you can't burn your way down to dry pavement, if that's one of your techniques.

Also, be aware that older Gen II Prius (2005 and earier) have much fussier traction control. With the earlier traction control, the Prius gives up completely at the first sign of wheel slippage.

Tom

 

My suggestion would be to lower tire pressures down to the 35/33 Toyota spec in the winter, to improve traction. The dealer set mine to 37/35 on delivery last week, and I put 38/36 in this morning. I suspect there is a tradeoff of traction vs gas mileage/treadwear with tire pressure. I would not go too close to the 44 psi cold pressure limit--you are probably approaching the strain limit of the cord in the tires. and could affect the adhesion of the steel/polyester cord to the rubber. Anything under 44 should be OK for safety, but traction may suffer over 40.

 

Good, except that I could never get out of my parallel parking spots after the snow plows went by because it's so low. The skid warning was useful.