2022 Prius Prime Limited tires

Can’t say I’ve ever got that message even with 0% charge.
There should be no issue driving it like a normal/non-plug-in Prius.

 

How many miles on it? Hopefully not brand new and you're looking to swap the tires immediately. I wouldn't write off an entire tire company without giving what you've got a chance, well unless you've acquired Walter White's slush fund.

Regarding question #1: In 15" my pick would probably be Michelin Defender T+H (believe that's the current suffix). I'm sure it's deniable, just my pick.

Regarding question #2: The best snow tire might not be the best snow tire. Appreciate that might not make much sense, but hear me out: the "best" snow tire, something that can do slaloms on ice rinks, may have terrible bare pavement manners. Anyway, my pick: Michelin X-Ice Snow, for a decent traction snow tire that that has the sound levels and feel of a competent all-season. For a utilitarian rim, I went with:

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)

 

Q1 - as I'm sure you noticed there are a lot of threads about tires. It really comes down to personal choice. For a softer ride or better traction you'll have to settle for lower gas mileage. What kind of things are important to you? Gas mileage? Road noise? Traction?

Q2 - snow tires have been getting better over the years and a quality set from any of the major manufacturers will do you fine. I've had good experience with both Blizzaks and Michelin's X-Ice. The best advice I've gotten is to buy a set of rims for your snows so you can swap them yourself instead of waiting for an appointment at a tire shop. In 2020 I ruined a set of x ice after only 1 season because I couldn't get into the shop to switch them until mid May.

Q3 - works just fine in hybrid. When I can't plug in I'm still getting better mileage than the 2016 regular Prius it replaced. I wouldn't go out of my way to charge on a road trip mainly because of the time it takes and how few miles it goes in EV. But if there's a free charger (many Chargepoint offer 2 hours free) someplace I'm going to be at for a little bit anyway I'll plug in.

 

I highly recommend the Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S OEM tires that came with my 2021 Limited! They handle much much better than the Toyo NanoEnergy A41 OEM tires that came with my 2020 XLE. The fuel economy is great, too.

 

Depends what you mean by "best". Blizzaks may be "best" for deep snow traction, but if you're running in a mix of conditions, often on clear pavement, the Michelin X-Ice, while they may give up that nth degree of traction, might be quieter/smoother option.

I'd second getting them mounted on separate rims. See the Corolla rim link in my signature for what I'm using.

 

I recently received a promotional e-mail from Michelin. I think they are now moving to Defender2?
MICHELIN Defender2 - Car Tire | MICHELIN USA

EDIT: looking at the Michelin site, Defender2 is not available in 15". Defender T+H is still available in 195/65R15 for a PP.
MICHELIN Defender T + H - Car Tire | MICHELIN USA

 

I would steer away from non-OEM tires. You're probably looking at an mpg loss ~ 5 mpg with a non-OEM tire, as there are very few good LRR tires out there.

As I said, Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S OEM tires handle well and get good fuel economy.

 

I like Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S OEM tires on PP when they are new. But it can get very loud and uncomfortable as they age. I had OEM Dunlop Enasave on my 2017 PP and drove ~30K miles on them. They were all down to 4/32 tread when I sold the car. At that rate, the tires would have hit the legal limit of 2/32" by 45K miles. On top of the shorter tread life, they do not handle ice and snow in my climate. Any savings I may get from fuel, I will blow on the early purchase of the new tires.

With my current mileage, I probably will not need to purchase a set of tires for my PP before I switch. But if I have to buy new tires, it is not going to be Dunlop Enasave or any of PP OEM tires for sure. For much less price, I can get decent tires. If I am going to keep the car for a long time, then longer tread life and comfort and ice/snow tractions are the higher priority than mpg. If trading is imminent, then I will probably buy the cheapest set of tires. I don't have any experience with after-market tires put on my PP. I had Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S OEM on the 2017 PP and the current 2021 PP. The 2020 PP came with Made in Japan version of Ecopia EP422 plus, but I only drove 4K miles before selling it, so I can't say much about the longevity of the tire.

For my previous cars, Gen3 and HCH, I liked Conti True Contact and Yokohama Avid Ascend. There was no mpg loss from the OEM tires I switched. And they were both long-lasting, comfortable, and handled ice/snow well.

 

I believe the message you're seeing just means that the car will charge immediately after you plug it in vs. plugging in now and the car is scheduled to charge later (if you had entered a time you want a charge to start or end).

 

Bootney Lee Farnsworth | PriusChat is correct. That charge immediate message is a button that toggles each time you touch it between immediate and scheduled charging when you attach the charging cable to the charging port.

 

Interesting that you chose the Prime if you can’t plug in. The downsides would have made me choose the regular Prius in that case. I plug mine in from the outside Christmas lights outlet at my house. But if I didn’t have the ability to charge the regular Prius would be a much better option. Bigger cargo area, rear wiper, spare tire, and better fuel economy.

 

That's just a generic message reminding that the car is a plug-in hybrid.

I would at least occasionally charge it. Keeping the battery at a very low SOC all the time is probably not good for it. Ideal SOC for battery life is around 30%.