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Winter Tires? Better to stick with all-season or buy some winter tires?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by LeadDonovan, Dec 27, 2021.

  1. LeadDonovan

    LeadDonovan Junior Member

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    Howdy. First time posting here and first time Prius owner. Bought a 2014 Prius a few months ago as my first big adult purchase and am working on "investing" in it because I'd like to drive the car until it gives out (Currently 62K miles!) I am wondering if anyone here, especially any midwest folks, use winter tires?

    This is my first winter with my Prius and so far we haven't had too much snowfall yet but I've noticed some sliding issues when there was icy rain. My previous car was a Jeep Compass which handled snow pretty solid so I didn't have to think about driving in the winter like I do now.

    I've never bought new tires before either, does anyone have any brand recommendations?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats and welcome!
    it depends on your driving. but if it's a lot of unplowed/unsanded or icy, yes, get snow tires. for light snow, etc. the all season are fine.
    if you are going to keep the car a long time, start researching maintenance, and start with the egr circuit.
    all the best!
     
  3. StarCaller

    StarCaller Senior Member

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  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Regardless of what brand and model they are..........
    If you think the tires you bought will save you from trouble when the roads are slick, YOU will be the first one in the ditch.
    I vote for "all season", based on about 50 years of living in Illinois and Iowa.

    Most any vehicle ever made will slide around when there is "icy rain" regardless of what tires it has.
     
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  5. PosauneGuy

    PosauneGuy Member

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    Getting through Iowa winters, I prefer to have snow tires on. I've got Michelin X-Ice on one Prius and Bridgestone Blizzak on the other. Both tires perform well in winter weather. My feeling is that All Seasons will work fine as long there's a lot of tread on it; snow tires will work fine for most of their tread life. You might also consider an "All Weather" tire, like the Nokian WRG3. I had that on a Honda Accord, and it performed well all year round and saves the hassle of changing back and forth.
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm using Michelin X-Ice (latest itteration is "X-Ice Snow"", on the car for the eleventh year right now, with these:

    Corolla 15" black steel rims p/n: 42611-02471
    With lug nuts p/n: 90942-01007 (utilitarian, open-ended, galvanized)

    Just regular valves, no TPMS to deal with.
     
  7. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    What tires do you have now, and how much tread is left? Tires are continually wearing down and reducing their grip.

    Tire types and model names are more important that brand name. All brands offer tire models meant for other uses and seasons and quite unsuitable for winter.

    What sort of road conditions do you drive on in winter? Depending very much on location and use, some people travel entirely on well plowed and groomed roads, and get by just fine (for their particular needs) nearly all winter on traditional All-Season tires. Others spend more time and distance on less well groomed or even unplowed roads or iced roads, and have greater need for real snow or winter tires. Driver experience in winter conditions also makes a huge difference. Only you can make the final decision what category you fall in.
     
  8. Merkey

    Merkey Active Member

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    Do you happen to know the weight and offset? And do any dash lights show without the TPMS?
     
  9. abdullah arslan

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  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Not sure of the first questions. They’re Corolla rims and seem to work fine. Dealership installed the first time.

    you will have tpms warning; no big deal.
     
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  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Yes. He is in Canada, where TPMS is not required.

    Your U.S. state might or might not require TPMS to be functioning during any annual inspections. The tire shop is prohibited from disabling your TPMS, which includes putting non-TPMS wheels on an otherwise-TPMS-functioning vehicle. But they can mount tires on rims without TPMS, load them into your trunk, and let you put these non-TPMS wheels onto the car yourself at home.
     
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