Need recommendations for snow tires for 2013 Prius

Vredestein Quatrac3 is another all season tire. Tire has had some very good reviews and is available in T, H, and V speed ratings.

Vredestein Quatrac 3 | the Vredestein Quatrac 3 reviewed and rated | the online tyre guide

see vulcantire.com for pricing

 

+1 on the Michelin X-Ice. They definitely grip better than OEM Avids in the snow and ice. I have mine mounted on Prius rims that I picked up on the "Private Sales" forum on this site. I paid about $500 for the tires installed, plus the cost of the rims (about $300). I didn't do the TPMS. I wanted the ease of switching the tires myself, without having to pay for another set of sensors and the cost to reset every time I switched tires.

 

In areas that regularly see temps below 45F it is recommended that you run a winter/snow tire during the cold months regardless of the amount of snow on the ground.

 

The Michelin X-ice Xi3 is the tire to get. It is very fuel efficient and grips/stops well. Just don't run them during warmer weather or they will wear out fast.

 

I have a set of Blizzaks on Prius 15" rims that I put on myself when conditions get snowy and messy. With the right tools (floor jack, cordless impact wrench, torque wrench for tightening the lugs), doing the swap can take less than a half-hour. I did get the TPMS sensors for the Blizzaks, but I have to go to Discount Tire to get them re-connected to the vehicle. Discount will do the re-connect for free. The tool costs about $200.

Blizzaks aren't LLR tires, and I take a significant hit (-10%+) on mileage, but they work great.

 

I'll try my question in here, even though there are several snow tire threads going on.

Can anyone speak to the XIce's dry or wet performance? Living where I live, I'm debating what to get, if anything.

My problem is that I leave for the office at 5:15 or so. Forecast for the day will be a high of 45 and low of 29. So when I leave for work, any melted snow (or any source of water) from the previous day is an ice patch, but when I head home, it is relatively "warm". My goal is to be more surefooted on those cold mornings (or obviously a snow event), but still have good performance in dry or a rain event.

I've considered one of these "winter all-season" tires like the Nokian WRG3, but I'd ideally like to get them from a place like Tire Rack and have mounted/balanced rims and tires arrive, ready to bolt on. According to the Nokian site, there are no dealers in the DC area...which is odd. Plus a B&M dealer may insist on TPMS for compliance reasons, which is $250 I don't feel is necessary to spend.

There is also the a "performance winter" option on Tire Rack in the Dunlop Winter Sport SP 3D. Reviews are pretty good, but obviously geared toward the guy with a WRX or BMW who throws a set of winters on their car. I'm thinking they may shred pretty fast in warmer temps due to the higher speed rating? Or maybe I just hopelessly wishing for this "best of both worlds" scenario that doesn't exist.

 

The Xice dry/wet performance will be appropriate for the category. The main issue you have is cold temps and ice. Both conditions are what the Xice are designed to handle. Even all-season tires that excel in the wet will have reduced traction once temps drop below 45F. The Xice is also fuel efficient.