Winterization???

If you live in the North where it snows you should really consider winter tires. Of course they're better on ice and in the snow, but, they are also better on dry pavement when it is cold. The material winter tires are made of are more pliable in cold weather than all season tires. I have been driving front wheel cars almost exclusively since 1961. During my younger years I participated in ice racing both sanctioned and unsanctioned so I am pretty good at driving on slippery surfaces. During the winter I have 4 good winter tires mounted on my C, plus good windshield solvent as mentioned in a previous post.

 

Michelin-X are what I use. I did a bit of research beforehand, and they seem to be rated well.

 

You should be fine with just snow tires. I used Michelin X-Ice XI3 tires on my c last year, and my liftback this year, and both handled SE Wisconsin weather just fine, so long as the snow wasn't more than 4 inches deep. They also handle cold dry ground fairly well.

With tires, you'll be more concerned with temps rather than snow/ice. All-seasons and summer tires get stiff when it's cold, which is why they handle poorly in winter conditions. That's why you see people driving "sleds" in the winter time when there's snow/ice on the ground. So long as you're driving through areas that aren't going to get much higher than 50ish degrees, the winter tires will be fine.

I don't think you'll need chains unless you're going to drive through a really snowy off-road area. If you're staying on main roads and the interstate, the snow tires should suffice so long as the roads are plowed. And the prius rides really low to the ground, so if there's a lot of snow that hasn't been plowed, you're going to have to find an alternate route if you don't want to risk getting stuck due to the prius's somewhat stubborn traction control.

Tirerack has reviews on many winter tires, so you should check their website out and watch the videos for how said tires handle. I bought the Michelins based on the tests they did, which I'm fairly happy with.

I did block my grill in the c, but haven't bothered to do with my liftback this year. I understand why people do that, and the engine block heating thing does work. But for me, if plugging a car in isn't charging a battery, it's not worth the hassle, especially if I forget to unplug it and drive off. Which I totally will at some point. I'll just eat the lowered mpg, and make up for the average in the summer.

 

If there's anywhere where tire chains are a good idea it's in this area. But I carried a set of tire chains for years, and never used them once. Generally, if the road is bad enough to require chains, it's not worth driving on it in my opinion.

 

I see the base model Prius c comes with steel rims. A set of those for your snows would be least problematic. If your model has alloys, consider getting Toyota's plain nuts too. If you have OEM tires are on steel rims you're set already, can even dress it up with the wheel covers.

 

i would empty most of it, then add, otherwise, you won't know how diluted it is, and it might freeze.

 

I just use freeze protected washer fluid year round, simpler. I've heard on the states you can't buy in summer. Not so here. If it was, I'd just stock up.

 

15F today...mpg was 43 on my short commute. Typically it is 55-60 mpg.

 

Yes. Coolant is the same, regardless of climate. Well, except I think the Canadian spec'd coolant is 5% more anti-freeze, vs water.

 

Show us a picture of how you blocked grill please. Did you use foam pipe insulation? That increase in mpg after blocking is substantial.