New Matrix XR 2WD in snow - slip sliding away

Thanks. I went out and check and mine has the Integrities on it. This is what Tire Rack says about it at

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Integrity radials are Passenger All-Season tires designed for family cars, minivans and light duty trucks. They have become a popular choice among new car manufacturers by providing a smooth, quiet ride and year-round traction, even in light snow.On the outside, Integrity radials feature a symmetric tread design with circumferential tread grooves to evacuate water out from under the tire's footprint to enhance wet traction and resist hydroplaning. Their premium all-season tread rubber compound is molded into a highly siped tread design that features open shoulder grooves and independent tread blocks to enhance foul weather traction while a continuous center rib reduces noise and promotes treadlife. Internally, the Integrity features twin steel belts that stabilize the tread area to provide strength and enhance treadwear, and a polyester cord body to provide a smooth ride.

Now this has me thinking and going to search out some more options (me, with the car less than a month....)

Tomes

Reply to
Tomes
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These are what have come on my Corollas - the Integrities. I *hate* them. They are horrible - I repeat, horrible, in snow! (Really, truly, awful IMO.) And they don't hold the road particularly well in dry weather, either. I get rid of them as fast as I can. Which I hate doing - there goes almost $400 down the drain, right away. But I really can not stand those tires. (Can you tell?? )

Cathy

I get rid of

Reply to
Cathy F.

So what are you gonna get?

Reply to
Tomes

I used to get Aquatreds - for my '90 car. But then my '98 Corolla had a very weird in-between tire size (shared only by Honda's Civic), not available in Aquatreds, so I got... I don't remember. ;-) But whatever they were, were a definite improvement over the Integrities. Then I switched to Regattas - maybe that's what I put on the '98?, then Regatta IIs (which are presently on this car - the '04). One time, I literally stopped at the tire store on the way home from the dealership with my brand-new car - that's how anxious I was to get the Integrities off the wheels. Had lost traction way too many times w/them in the winter - esp. when starting from full stops at intersections - in the distant past.

Cathy

Reply to
Cathy F.

Guessing madly: is it possible that certain tyres "fight" certain vehicles' ways of applying braking, or wheel geometries, &c? Ok, I tend to drive in a way that is liberal with the conservatism so maybe don't "test" the tyres that much but (so far: fingers, toes and eyes crossed) my Prius has behaved, even in sudden-ish stops.

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

Check out the Michelin Energy MXV Plus, which has lower rolling resistance and fairly high ratings in a not-so-recent Consumer Reports survey.

Reply to
Bill Tuthill

Thanks, I will consider this. Tomes

Reply to
Tomes

One would have thought that Toyota might have thought this through....

My wife (who is the one who regularly drives the Prius) says that it is not good on the snow and is telecommuting tomorrow as a result (snowstorm tonight). Tomes

Reply to
Tomes

So tomorrow while she works from home you can go get a set of real snow tires and a second set of rims to mount them on, right?

If you wait till after she gets it sideways and stuffs the car into an immovable object, what's the point?

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

I suspect Toyota intended the Prius mostly for warm-weather markets, especially coastal California. The Goodyear Integrity is an OK tire with average treadwear, good handling, and moderately low rolling resistance.

That's what my mom says, too -- the Prius is not good in the snow. She doesn't know what kind of tires hers has, but I suspect the same.

An (old!) November 2005 rating of winter tires in Consumer Reports top-rated the Michelin X-Ice, which was the only one to have excellent (all-red) ratings for snow traction and ice braking.

In their November 2005 rating of all-season tires, the Kelly Navigator Platinum TE was excellent (all-red circle) for ice braking, but only average (empty circle) for snow traction.

In November 2006, Consumer Reports rated "performance" all-season tires, whatever that means (high priced?). None were any better than the Michelin Energy MXV Plus I'll buy when our Goodyear Integrities wear out. However the Dunlop SP Sport 5000, which I could not find on TireRack.com, is worth mentioning because it was highest rated for dry & wet braking.

Reply to
Bill Tuthill

An excellent perspective there Bruce. It is why we have the TJ. I was already out playing in the snow with that today. Tomes

Reply to
Tomes

"Bill Tuthill" ...

Could be, but I have it here :)

Thanks Bill, much appreciated. I have always been a Michelin guy since I was a kid and my dad used them regularly. Perhaps I might get off of the Michelin X rut (?) I have been in and try these Michelin Energy MXV Pluses. I got a while to wait tho. Tomes (filing this post away for the future)

Reply to
Tomes

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