Winter Tire advice and tips

Thank you for the advice.

One more question... where did you place your jack under the car?

Thank you again.

 

OK - Our 2010 Gen III Prius is back into the normal commuting schlog with the new Michelin X-Ice2 winter tires. Economy according the the MFD has been running about 53 MPG, which is no different than this time last year running on the OEM Yokohamas. At this point we are convinced that there is essentially no MPG penalty associated with the Michelin X-Ice2. Hopefully our results will predict what you Prius V folks can expect.

 

After learning a lot from lurking, it's time to try to give back. We are running Michelin X-Ice2 tire on Tire Rack sourced rims. The tires are great and are very happy with them. We got the TPMS sensors mounted by Tire Rack and were aware of the changeover issues after a similar experience on a 2008 Honda Odyssey.

I can tentatively report the TPMS light is now off thanks to the ATEQ Quickset tool. There are various references to its usability (or lack thereof) on this forum and elsewhere and if you are not as comfortable with a bit of messing around on the IT side then it probably isn't for you - but - using the new generic Toyota OBDII 2012 profile that ATEQ just released I successfully downloaded the stored 'summer' sensor data from the V and then uploaded the 'winter' sensor numbers supplied by Tire Rack. I've done a 20 min drive with no light so fingers crossed.

I know people deal with the light in different ways but just thought it was worth noting the ATEQ tool now works as well.

 

We recently had a significant snowfall with three to four inches of relatively fluffy snow covering packed snow and ice. The Gen III equipped with Michelin X-Ice2 made it up a hill that our Honda Civic equipped with all season tires generally cannot. Actually it made it up the hill pretty easily at that.

We now have on the order of 4000 miles on the X-Ice2s and the mileage on the MFD has been running in the neighborhood of 53-54 MPG. That is about 2 MPG lower than normal for summer, but some if not all of that has to be attributable to colder weather.

 

Mike, was the mileage hand calculated or is that what the car claims? It's better than I expected honestly. W

 

That isn't bad at all with all things considered. I find our v(s) somewhat optimistic in the mpg being anywhere from 3-5 mpg higher than manual calculations. That is much better than I would have guessed. Thanks! W

 

Hi Mike:

I just purchased a Prius v-FIVE last November. The OEM wheels and tires for that vehicle are 17" with Toyo tires. I must admit that the ride is ROUGH and uncomfortable. I only have 747 miles on the vehicle. What options do I have for a smoother ride? Change to 16" rims or put different tires on the 17?" I live in the Sacramento, CA. area and our January mornings have been really cold requiring "defrosting" while idling. Probably the reason why I'm clocking in at 36.2 mph. I drive with a "light foot."

Thanks for any professional advice. I was totally lost reading all the replies about tire sizes and brands. WOW, you guys are really into tires.

Jack

 

I've heard your formula before (more side wall = better ride). Also, thanks for the first step: to inflate the tires to 32-33 psi (cold). Will check that out. Your said, "How much better is the $800 question." What is that?

Thanks for your time, Mike

Jack

 

Hi Mike. Thanks for responding. You mean I could buy 4-16" wheels and 4-New tires for $1200 and reduce that investment by $400 for trading in the OEM wheels and tires? Net cost = $800? That doesn't sound too bad at all. I'm going to try setting the pressure at 32-33 like you suggested FIRST. If that doesn't cut it, I'll go for the 16" wheels and tires. No problem having them put on because of brake size, whatever? What's a good dealer to go to since I'm not familiar with buying tires separately?

Also, I had OEM Goodyear tires on my 2005 Camry XLE. They were super even though you probably wouldn't buy those. I know the Michelin is super, but I don't know if I want to go that high unless it is really necessary. I guess I would appreciate a dealer recommendation at this point.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge of wheels and tires.

Jack

 

Thanks for the info Mike. I didn't think about the tire pressure sensors at all. Not too knowledgeable these days about vehicles that have tire pressure monitors. All in progress, I guess. Set all 4-17" with Toyo tires to 32 psi. Will see what that yields. If still too rough a ride, will begin the quest for 16" rims and applicable tires.

Thanks again for your help.

Jack