Best snow tires for Prius Prime

Never tried Blizzak's, just purchased the Xice for the prime but are not running on them yet...All my research said they would be excellent.
Have used Toyo G02 Observes, General Altimax Artic and Firestone Winterforce on past Prii and really haven't had a problem across a lot of New England winter driving. The Toyo's were on my 2004 Prius and it really handled quite well. The Altimax's were on the 2010 Prius and also performed well.

 

Most common recommendations since last year:

Michelin X-ice Xi3
Bridgestone Blizzak WS-80
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2

I have a great deal on the Hakkapeliitta R2, so I'll go with those, only $9 more to upgrade from the Michelin X-ice Xi3.

 

I've been really happy running Blizzak WS80s on steel rims through the winter, whatever you decide to buy, I think it's important to use a second set of rims as (1) less wear on the sealing beads on the tyres, and (2) it's much easier to swap wheels rather than tyres, but as they say, YMMV!

 

The best performing studless snow tires out there are probably the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80, at least according to Tire Rack. However their treadlife is shorter than some other snowtires.
For a very good performer with longer treadlife the Michelin X-Ice Xi3 looks very good. See this: Studless Ice & Snow Ratings

I have the previous generation Blizzaks: WS70, and I can attest that they are very good in the snow, ice, and rain. I got through many situations no problems where I saw guys in AWD vehicles struggling (probably with all season tires). Dry performance is a bit "blobby" but that's expected from a winter tire.

The X-Ice Xi3 look like they are quieter tires as the pattern is varied to reduce resonances, while the Blizzaks are more uniform, which should produce more consistent grip and provide better control. So it's a matter of preferences.

My thoughts are If you regularly have to drive in more than a couple of inches of snow, you'll want all the performance you can get, which would lead me to the Blizzak WS80. My opinion on winter tires is generally performance above all else, and to not worry to much about noise or rolling resistance, as when the conditions get bad, those things won't matter to you; you'll just want to get safely home.

 

None of us knows the best snow tires for YOU.

Do you want the best traction? Or longest tread life? It is entirely about you. Do you want studded or studless? Is deep snow more of a concern or ice (get studded Nokians)?

You can't go wrong with Nokian. Nor Michelin. Nor Bridgestone. I got the Michelin Xice3. Occasional black ice on the roads is my main concern, with snow sometimes. Not enough ice to bother with studs (famous last words...). The Xice3 worked great for us last winter.

 

Hey Molly since you're in Vermont there is also the option (if you really need it) to use studded tires, legal year round in Vermont (and New Hampshire), there is a section "To Stud or Not to Stud" on:
Mark's Blog | Vermont Tire & Service Inc.

Pros: Better ice traction
Cons: Studs wear, can fly out, noisier, higher rolling resistance, longer braking distance on tarmac

Actually I'm curious about people's thoughts on studs again since we've got the thread for it.

 

Here is a link to a post that I started.

Snow Tires Questions | PriusChat

 

Ah, it's that nice avatar again!

 

Glad you like it

 

I can attest to the performance factor of blizzak ws80, as I have these tires on my previous front wheel drive. In situations where a normal tire just spins, blizzak got me out in no time. I am not sure about prime. Although the noise level of blizzak is high, but it gets the job done. Used it for 5 years and thread show little wear. Only use it below 5°C, else they wear fast.

 

I've had all three at one point or another. The X-Ice on my 2005 Prius and PiP, The Blizzaks on my wife's Venza, and the Hakkapeliitta on my PiP. For best traction, noise, and ride the Nokians are the best. The X-Ice weren't far behind though and I think they had better control. The biggest difference though was the X-Ice were good on slush, the Nokians best on ice but the best stopping in all conditions were the Hakkapeliitta. The Blizzaks have a good ride and control, but mileage and noise will suffer. I honestly didn't see any difference between the X-Ice and Hakkapeliitta for mileage. I'm putting the Hakkapeliitta with their wheels on the Prime this year. I just ignore the tire sensor warning.

 

drash, your comments about the Nokia Hakkapeliitta intrigued me so I did some searching and found this, which confirms your personal experience: Winter-Tire Test: Six Top Brands Tested, Compared – Feature – Car and Driver

Car and driver's tests show it be the best performing tire on the market. I guess no one should be too surprised a Finnish company makes the best winter tire

 

So since you're going back to a 2005 model, I wanted to ask: Which Hakkapeliitta did you have: R1, R2, or studded? What do you think about studded?

 

R2 - only had them for the last two winters on my PiP. Have used studded, not Nokians, but never liked the dry pavement wandering they have a tendency to do and of course the noise on dry pavement was nuts. Unless you drive on nothing but ice I wouldn’t even consider studded. I end up driving a lot on slush and snow because we get a lot of snow, so non-studded snows are the better fit for me even though we have a lot of rather steep hills around here.


Unsupervised!

 

I'd cast a vote fore the Michelin X-Ice, for somewhat mundane reasons:

1. They're readily available.
2. While they may not be the nth degree snow tire, they're capable.
3. They're quiet and all-season like, on bare pavement.
4. Rolling resistance seems decent.