Prius in snow? Anyone?

It's as good as any light front-wheel-drive car, though you should enhance traction with chains or snow tires.

In my seven decades I've learned that it's the driver who's "good in the snow". Or not...

Best of luck!

Bill wrote:

If you liked the Strada you'll love your Prius - but be sure you get traction control. Mine has it, and even without snow tires or chains it grinds on through almost anything - snow, ice, sand, mud, gravel.

Bill wrote:

There have been numerous complaints about the traction control system's behavior in snow, but quite often the problem is either the stock tires or steep inclines, which will give most smaller FWD cars a problem. The traction control system is not an option; it is part of the hybrid system because it is needed to prevent damage to the electric motor from over-revving.

Oddly, we haven't had significant snow in the two winters I've had my Prius, so I can't offer any first-hand experience. I did change to better tires, and I noticed a difference in general handling, cornering and wet traction--but often the mileage suffers a little bit with better tires. I think it is generally accepted that the stock tires (Goodyear Integrity) are not very good.

If you get lots of snow where you live, it's not clear that the Prius would be the best choice. That's strictly my opinion based on what I've read here and on PriusChat.com, not from experience. If you haven't already visited PriusChat, I recommend it for more research on this topic.

- Doug

I've driven in blizzard-like conditions in my Prius. The Prius handles remarkably well in the winter if you drive with safety in mind.

Driving in the snow is our one complaint on the Prius. My conclusion is that the tires suck in the snow. I look forward to wearing them out and getting better tires, and I am sure that I will agonize over the decision on what tire to buy. Tomes

If you are buying "all season" with the intent of keeping the same tire on the car year-round, there is no choice: Nokian WR.

Otherwise, get dedicated winter tires on all four corners and take the time to switch them on and off each winter. You'll be very pleased and surprised at the performance.

This is perfect advice for anyone driving virtually any car in a 4-season environment.

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:

And the way to do it if one is to do it the easy but expensive way is to have 4 other rims so one only needs to just swap out the whole wheel instead of breaking the bead on each tire every time. By expensive I mean the one-time cost of the rims, which would be offset each year by not having to pay for tire swapping on rims and balancing. Tomes

"e" ...

Last Fall, we swapped on four Bridgestone Blizzaks just before winter, which was quite snowy here in New England. The Prius stuck to the road like it was driving on suction cups. We got the Blizzaks, mounted and balanced on nice Rial aluminum wheels, for about $150/each from TireRack.

I don't think it makes sense to do it any other way. Lutwak just posted that he got Blizzaks and wheels, balanced (and presumably installed the first time) for $600. That's a good choice and a good deal. I drove another light FWD car on those tires in the mountains during a very snowy episode, and even on back roads it was fine.

Tomes wrote:

On packed snow and ice, the Prius handles better than most, between VSC, traction control and ABS. I had to work to make it skid on a test drive.

It does not do well in deep snow (greater then 4-6 inches) because it is so low to the ground. On very steep slippery slopes it may have difficulty. The road to my house had a short grade that I had to get a run on (going through a stop sign in the process). If I had snow tires, I would not have had a problem.

Real snow tires make all the difference.

That's certainly NOT the case with Nokian WR. Check it out.