Thoughts on Prius C Three tire dilemma

Hi all, first post, so please be patient LOL. I have a 2013 Prius C Three. I'm still running the OEM 175/65R15 tires on two wheels (at 2-3 mm remaining tread) plus replacements on the other two wheels (at 8-9 mm remaining tread). All four wheels are stock. I'm looking to replace all four tires. I've done quite a bit of research on this site as well as Tire Rack, 1010tires, etc., to find the optimal replacements, but I'm paralyzed by the glut of options out there. So, I thought I'd throw this out to the PriusChat community for more knowledgeable analyses. Oh, and I live in Wasilla, Alaska, so good snow and - more importantly - ice performance is a must. Basically, I'm considering two scenarios:

1) Buy new all-season tires that maximize fuel efficiency while still providing good snow and ice performance (if such a tire even exists); or

2) Buy a set of dedicated (probably studded) snow tires as well as a set of dedicated summer tires, along with a new set of wheels. In this scenario, I could run either the studded snow tires or the summer tires on the 15" stock wheels (whichever is more beneficial), and run the other set on the new wheels. I am open to getting 15", 16", or 17" wheels for the second set of tires (again, whichever is most advantageous in terms of fuel efficiency balanced against overall performance/comfort/etc.), but would like to stay as close to Plus Zero as possible unless there are clear advantages in straying from that.

Scenario 2 is obviously more expensive, but I would happily go that route if I could get high performance on snow and ice (balanced against fuel consumption considerations) in the winter and an optimal balance of performance/ride comfort/noise reduction/excellent fuel efficiency during the summer months.

Sorry for the long post, but I want to give you all the information I can. Based on the above, what is the best all-season tire to get (scenario 1) or the best winter tire, summer tire, and wheel combination to get (scenario 2). Recommendations for specific brands/models of tires and (especially) wheels would be greatly appreciated, as I still know just the tip of the iceberg about this subject despite my research.

Sincerest thanks for your insights!

 

NDCowPoke, thanks for the comment. Glad you have a 6-block commute to work. Wish I did! Unfortunately, I'm 45 minutes to an hour each way on Alaskan highway and roads, none of which can be salted because doing so brings the moose out onto the road system. Based on your and Krazysztof's comments, the dedicated winter set is clearly the best option for me, cost notwithstanding. Thanks again for the feedback. Much appreciated.

Thanks for the comments, Krazysztof. Yes, I've seen the Hakkapeliittas up here so I know they're available. So you think I'd be better off putting the winter tires on the new wheels and the summer tires on the stock wheels, huh? Do you have any specific recommendations for wheels? As I said, I know little to nothing about this stuff.

As for summer tires, I think my main focus would be fuel efficiency. Of course, I'd love minimal road noise and tires that would last forever, but I got the Prius specifically to save fuel on my commute so I think that's where I'd like to focus, especially if I'm going to be losing that big-time during the winter months.

Thanks again for the insights. I sincerely appreciate your help.

 

Cyclopathic, thanks very much for the reply. I'd completely forgotten about the TPMS issue, but I guess if I'm going to throw down for new wheels and alternating tires, I might as well pony up for the new TPMS too. Would I have to do the reprogramming with the reprogramming tool myself or is that something a tire installer (or the wheel vendor) could do for me?

I'll check out the steel wheel links you provided. Thank you for those. Do you have any specific recommendations for good wheels? Also, would you put the winter tires on the stock 15" wheels and the summer tires on the new wheels, or vice versa? If you'd put the summer tires on the new wheels, what size wheels world you go with? Are there any advantages to going with a larger wheel than 15"?

Do you agree with the recommendation of Hakkapeliittas for a winter tire or world you go with something else? What summer tire do you recommend to maximize fuel efficiency? Minimizing road noise would be my second most important consideration, but fuel is definitely first.

Sorry for all the follow-up questions, but I'm a novice at this stuff and only have the cash to do this right the very first time.

Thanks,

Gerard

Cyclopathic, thanks very much for the reply. I'd completely forgotten about the TPMS issue, but I guess if I'm going to throw down for new wheels and alternating tires, I might as well pony up for the new TPMS too. Would I have to do the reprogramming with the reprogramming tool myself or is that something a tire installer (or the wheel vendor) could do for me?

I'll check out the steel wheel links you provided. Thank you for those. Do you have any specific recommendations for good wheels? Also, would you put the winter tires on the stock 15" wheels and the summer tires on the new wheels, or vice versa? If you'd put the summer tires on the new wheels, what size wheels world you go with? Are there any advantages to going with a larger wheel than 15"?

Do you agree with the recommendation of Hakkapeliittas for a winter tire or world you go with something else? What summer tire do you recommend to maximize fuel efficiency? Minimizing road noise would be my second most important consideration, but fuel is definitely first.

Sorry for all the follow-up questions, but I'm a novice at this stuff and only have the cash to do this right the very first time.

Thanks,

Gerard

 

Funny you responded, Mendel Liesk, as I was just reading your post about the exact same thing on another thread that Cyclopathic had kindly referenced for me (thinking ahead to winter (wheels and tires) | PriusChat).

I think it's pretty clear at this point that I definitely want to use dedicated snow tires in the winter, but it seems like it might just be less hassle to swap them off on the same wheels twice per year (at $120 - $150/year in total) rather than trying to deal with all the multi-wheel hassle, especially given the TPMS crap. I would probably be willing to go the new wheel + TPMS route if I could actually swap the tires each time myself in my garage and have the car recognize them, but it appears that that isn't the case and I'd have to make a trip to the dealership anyway or mess with software. Not sure it's worth it.

Anyway, I need good fuel efficient tires in the summer, so should I just invest in some Michelin Energy Savers for summer/fall or is there a more efficient option out there?

As winter approaches, I guess I'll bite the bullet and buy some Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8's and get them studded (still legal here and makes a huge difference on our icy roads). Any snow tires you would recommend in lieu of those? I know the Nokians are pricy...

Thanks again to both you and Cyclopathic for your responses. Much appreciated!

 

Thanks Cyclopathic. I did see many positive posts and reviews about the X-Ice 3, but I believe that's a non-studded tire. I may go that route, but haven't fully decided yet. If I do opt for studs, do you have any recommendations for the best studded winter tire? Would it be the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8? I know Nokian's cost a shit-ton of money, but I commute about 50 miles each way to work on highway and road that is not salted and can be very slick and icy - and is that way for probably 7 to 8 months of the year - so I'd consider paying a premium if the additional performance is truly there. (I know wear and tear could be an issue for such a long tour of duty, too, but there's really nothing I can do about that aspect of the situation besides buy new tires as needed.)

Thoughts? Thanks as always for the advice. Truly appreciated.

 

Ah, Mendel...I begrudgingly yield to the validity of your point about the wear and tear on the wheels. Ugh. I dread the thought of dealing with the TPMS issue. That said, if I'm unable to get snow tires on wheels without TPMS ("by hook or by crook" would I be correct in thinking that I could order 4 of these (33000 TPMS Sensor - 315 MHz EZ-sensor, Programmable sensor,Schrader) at $48 apiece for my 2013 Prius C, then take them to the dealer (?) or a local tire shop and have them programmed to replicate the existing code on my Prius C and installed into new steel or aluminum wheels? [I'm not sure about the two options on the order page: "no programming" vs. "EZ Sensor Programming" and rubber vs. aluminum valve stems, but I guess I can figure those out in due course.]

If so, would I then have two truly swappable sets of tires that I could change in the comfort of my garage and have my car recognize whichever set is on without needing any additional coding/visits to the dealership?

Thanks as always for your insights. I am sincerely appreciative.