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Prius Prime 2018 - Tire chains for winter ???

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by KarenH, Jan 10, 2019.

  1. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    Warning from who? Toyota Motor Corp., or the local franchised dealership (they are not "Toyota"), or the lessor, or...???

    Tire Sock products seems to work OK on snow. It is said to shred easily when driven on pavement.

    What I've seen for B.C. says, "Winter Tires or Carry Chains." Winter tires have either 3-peaked mountain/snowflake symbol or M+S, including all season tires. I see nothing where chains are sometimes mandatory on all vehicles. Textile tire covers (Tire Sock, etc.) are accepted.

    Alpha Trax look interesting. Their maker, Laclede, has been around a long time. If they don't wear out rapidly during a short drive on pavement, they will be a very good choice.
     
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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Something’s not adding up here. Who was “they”; what was on the letterhead of the document you signed?

    Maybe just the tires with mountain/snowflake symbol are acceptable, meet the designation “winter” tire?

    Snow tire - Wikipedia

    I like that “or” in your quote, infers with proper winter tires you don’t require chains? I’ve never used them, well never been in conditions bad enough anyway. But if a good winter tire is acceptable that’s what I’d prefer.
     
    #22 Mendel Leisk, Mar 2, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
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  3. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe “legal”, but good luck with an all-season with 3.5 mm remaining tread, harder rubber formulation , and what siping it had long gone.
     
    #24 Mendel Leisk, Mar 3, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2021
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  5. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    I rented a car in Denver a few years ago for skiing in Summit County. FWD had been OK before, so I rented another. I didn't notice that it was an Arizona car and had 45,000 miles on the original tires. 45,000 hot Arizona summer miles--hardened rubber tread. The tread depth was OK, but the grip was non existent. I almost got stuck. I should have gone into Walmart to buy some cheapo chains for it, but I realized that after I'd gotten on I-70, eastbound, uphill, with no get-offs. All the way up that long mountain climb with the traction control clicking at me the full time. 7 mph. I made it, but it was a close call. Now I'll refuse a winter rental due to the mileage. All season tires with 3.5 mm or a bit more of tread depth is a death wish.
     
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  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    That is about when I quit using A/S tires in the rainy seasons. Back when still using A/S tires for winter, I re-assigned them to 3-season tires well before that.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    We’ve been on Michelin X-Ice since November something. Rolled on snow maybe twice? They roll easy, actually ahead of our 215/45R17 all seasons.
     
  8. Ds001001

    Ds001001 Member

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    While I don’t have a prime, I live in an area that gets 20 feet of snow a year and use konig easy fit chains which go on in about 30 seconds per wheel.

     
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  9. SeattleBebop1

    SeattleBebop1 Active Member

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    I'm new to learning about tires (I just read ratings & testing on tirerack.com to make a choice). So siping is the most important factor for looking at the wear of the tire and deciding its relative safety in snowy weather? (I know snow tires are the best.)

    I found this article which actually shows my tire brand (General Altimax) and wear on the sipes. Curious: Is asking a tire shop to "re-sipe" tires a thing?
     
  10. m8547

    m8547 Senior Member

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    Some factors are:
    • Initial design of tread pattern, sipes (small grooves or cuts), and rubber compound are done at the factory and makes the difference between a summer, all season, or snow tire.
    • In terms of wear, tread depth is the main factor. In my experience, snow performance of all season tires drops off rapidly once the tread depth is below 6/32". Or in other words at 6/32 you'll be OK, at 5/32 they start getting dangerous, and at 4/32 or less you'll be sliding all over the place.
    • Apparently rubber hardens with age, but I'm not sure how big of a factor it is.
    • As the tread wears down you might wear to the bottom of the sipes, but I haven't seen it on any tires I've owned (I usually replace before 4/32). I don't think there's enough meat left to resipe a worn tire, and I'm not sure how much it would help without sufficient tread depth.
     
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  11. SeattleBebop1

    SeattleBebop1 Active Member

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    Thanks, that's some useful information.

    I don't think the old coin method will be good enough for me to determine tread depth that precisely. What measurement tool (tire depth gauge?) do you use for your tires?
     
  12. m8547

    m8547 Senior Member

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    I use dial calipers with a fractional scale. They are extremely useful for woodworking, but I probably wouldn't buy a set just to measure tires. But if you happen to need calipers, they are great because they show you how close something is relative to the nearest fraction, and there's no battery so they always work (unlike my digital calipers which are always dead).

    Fractional Dial Caliper

    Alternatively you could get basic digital calipers for maybe as low as $5 from Harbor freight or Amazon, and convert the measurement to the nearest fraction.
     
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  13. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    A simple tread depth gauge:
    upload_2021-3-4_18-29-59.png
     
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  14. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I've been using a combination digital tire pressure/tread depth gauge. It is very handy with a backlit display and bold large font. I can easily read it even in dark. Most manual gauges both tire pressure gauge and tread depth gauge are too hard to read for my aging eyes.

    upload_2021-3-4_21-42-38.png
     
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  15. SeattleBebop1

    SeattleBebop1 Active Member

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    Hahah, I'm not hardcore enough for a caliper. I bet you get great readings tho.

    Hmm, not bad. I have a dinky tire pressure gauge (which of course I have to use since my Prime only warns me when I have way too low tire pressures, ya'd think the fancy computer could tell me what the pressure actually is) but why not upgrade with a combo tool. I'm going to buy this Accutire combo on Amazon. I like that I can easily pop the battery out and save it in the case, and note that in the uploaded customer images, someone compared it to their professional calibration tools. Thank you nerdy reviewers.
     
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  16. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    Yes, but...
    Tire siping is a great profit maker for a tire shop. Here's the advertising blurb from one: Performance Tire Siping | What is Tire Siping - Les Schwab

    I'd get tires siped (not re-siped) if they originally had relatively large solid tread blocks and I was driving on a lot of wet or snowy roads. I would not get such tires siped if I mainly drove on rock. Siping weakens the tread blocks. I have had original tires that I had siped when they were about half worn down. It worked OK. Some shops won't do the job then; they don't want their cutters to risk hitting a stone in the tread. The half-worn tread had hardened from hot summer roads.

    I wouldn't get tires siped if they came from the factory well siped. That's one of the things I look for when I buy tires.

    Use of the tread depth gauge is helpful to know if the tire pressures you're running cause even tread wear, or if you might be due for alignment, or which tires to rotate to the front or back. (I want slightly more tread depth on the front, because that's where the tires wear the fastest. I do not want significantly more tread depth on the front. I do not want to brake in an emergency and have the rear break loose while the front tires grip. I want all the tires to grip the road evenly.)
     
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