I have a 2022 Prius LE and am planning a trip to Park City, UT around Thanksgiving. I live in So Cal and the car is currently equipped with the Toyo tires that came with it which have about 17k on them. It appears that Utah requires tires with a three peak mountain snowflake logo on them in case of snow. Due to a recent knee surgery I am not able to squat down to put chains on the car so this is not an option for me. Curious if these tires can be used year round and how they may affect how the car drives compared to the current tires. Also any tips for driving the car in snow are appreciated, thanks.
Your original tires are only 30,000 mile tires. So you are just a bit over half way through their life expectancy. Here in Maine, for six-months of every year, we must drive on snow tires with studs added. Not sure about Utah.
I thought we debunked your stud requirement claim earlier this year. Unless Maine's law changed this year, it merely allows studs during a certain time window, but does not require them. Are tire chains on a Prius Prime okay? | PriusChat Snow traction | Page 3 | PriusChat If you have conflicting or updated information that studs are now required in winter, please post some reference to that fact.
Not that I have ever heard of. Regardless of what Maine state law may require, in my town automobiles can not move safely without chains or studs. I have not seen anyone able to refute this.
I was using Nokian WR G4 tires year round. They're an all weather tire with 3 Peak mountain rating as well. Had no issues. Was getting around 55mpg in the summer (my prius was awd) and they were fantastic in the snow Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Perhaps the best advice is not to drive to aggressively, using a light touch on the accelerator and brake (make use of the B mode for breaking a little more than usual). Have your tires checked for tread depth before leaving (tire life based on mileage is pretty meaningless since driving styles, tire pressure, vehicle loading, etc., all have a greater effect than mileage).
I also recommend Nokian WRg4 tires. Get the H-rated version (do not get their or anyone else's run flats). These tires are all weather (not all season) tires and handle well in all conditions. They are as good as many "snow" tires in snow/ice and last more than 50k miles in year around use. Your MPG will be as good with the Nokians as it was with the Toyo tires (which are terrible in bad weather). JeffD
The value of B mode on slick roads might be a bit debatable. It increases the aggressiveness of the powertrain braking that's done when you back off the go pedal (and powertrain braking, except on AWD models, involves only the front wheels, so it demands twice the tire grip of the four-wheel hydraulic brakes). The overall advice to drive less aggressively is sound, and you probably have a bit more control and finesse in deceleration if you just stay in D than if you shift to B. The brake pedal, of course, will also bring in two-wheel powertrain braking usually before bringing in the four-wheel hydraulic brakes. But it will be ready to bring those in right away if the two-wheel braking loses grip.
