no weight + no power = going no where really fast I have two prii at work as well as my own private prius. I've only had my prius 2 months so I cannot comment on my specific prius but the work ones are 2008 and 2010. Both suck horribly in snow above a coating. On the other hand my 4000lb subaru AWD beast has no problem plowing through 10in of the nice white fluffy stuff doing 50mph+
I have a 2010 and drove through as much as 8 inches of snow for several days and then the ice on top as it melted during the day and refroze. Never a problem on the OEM Yokohama's. I would think someone in NY would be able to drive in snow better than someone in NC
Since we are talking about bad weather tires we might as well link to older threads with a lot of great info. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ooting/84162-winter-tire-recommendations.html http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/40049-snow-tires-prius.html http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/83561-aggressive-all-season-tire-winter.html http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ype-winter-tires-do-you-use-gen-ii-prius.html http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...tires-really-needed-prius-winter-driving.html
Yes, I have generally concluded that LRR tires are not the best choice for me, but I also accept that they may or may not be for others. I have checked. For example, per Tire Rack, my tire of choice, Michelin Harmony, has a tread depth of 11/32, treadwear rating of 740 and an 80,000 mile warranty vs. the very popular and backordered Michelin Energy Saver LRR which has a tread depth of 9.5/32, treadwear rating of 480 and a 55,000 to 65,000 mile warranty. Those are major differences and are representative of the two classes of tires. The Hankook Optimo 727 is a tire I have considered, with a tread depth of 11/32 and treadwear rating of 700, but according to Tire Rack, it is NOT a LRR tire. In Finland, they would tend to use snow/ice tires in their arctic winter which is not comparable to the mid-atlantic. I respect your enthusiasm for optimizing MPG. I just think LRR tires are overhyped and oversold when they are touted as the answer for every driving condition, instead of just another chioce to be considered. If I lived in the Sacramento valley, I would be influenced by the mild climate and higher gas prices to consider LRRs, but those are not my current circumstances.
Den, you cherry picked the worst possible combination so of course you'll see the results you did. I could do the same by posting the specs on these tires compared to the Harmony. Michelin HydroEdge w/ GreenX UTQG=800 A B, 44PSI, 11/32, 856, $103 (90,000mile warranty) Kumho eco Solus HM KR22 UTQG=800 A B, 44psi, 11/32, 19lbs, 855 $68 (100,000mile warranty) Nokian eNTYRE UTQG=720, 16.8LBS, 11/32, 851, $113 (TiresbyWeb.com) Continenatal ProContact w/Eco Plus UTQG= 600 A B, 44PSI, 10/32, 848, $77 (80,000mile warranty) You're right. I could have sworn they were rated as such but they only received a "good" rating by consumer reports. http://priuschat.com/forums/attachm...e-consumer_reports_nov._2009_tire_tests-1.doc Again, I understand your position but I don't agree with them being overhyped. They are simply a choice and for Prius owners who freak out when they drop 2mpg or even 4+mpg by choosing the wrong tire, they are a great choice. For owners like yourself they may not be an option but as I have outlined above, there are very good winter tire options that are LRR. As proven by other Priuschatters, some of these tires can tackle the harshest northern winters without a hitch even with the Prius traction control issues. Anyway, I'm not trying to change your mind so much as show that there are great options without drawbacks with all the new LRR tires coming out.
How many miles per year you drive? at 15,000 a year the 80K tire will last 5.5 years and 65K tire 4 years. Old tires don't grip well 5yo tire is a rolling accident waiting to happen. I drive 30K/year and the diff btw 2 would be 2 vs 2.6 years. 2.6 years would mean that you still changing tires after 2 years, b/c the last thing you wanna have in winter is an old worn tire. Energy Saver does fine in MD, and there is no traction loss when comparing to OEM fit Yoko S33. here is Tirerack test results: Advancements in Tire Design Make Their Way Into Standard Touring All-Season Tires When Round and Black Becomes Lean and Green With respect to MPG mine went from 53-56 to 58-61, this is after fitting 2 front tires only.
