I'm not sure, but I believe lowering the tire presure is actualy the oposite of what you want to do in snow. Try increasing it.


My car handles okay with the dunlops which I have been known to call "death trap" tires.

I would blame them first and foremost.

 

Based on what I've read, the Continental ContiTouringContact CH95 tires (whew) are very good low-rolling-resistance tires with acceptable snow traction. TireRack review. These are one of the LRR tires GreenSeal recommends; they say it has a RR of 0.0083, the third-lowest of the tires they looked at.

Since snow is not an issue for me, I plan on getting the Sumitomo HTR 200s which seem better in all ways except for slightly higher RR and no snow traction at all.

 

Gotta be the tires (or driver? ) There is nothing inherent about the civic chasis that would cause poor handling on the snow. If your civic is a manual, it helps to shift at much lower rpm's than normal, keeps the tires from breaking loose.

 

There should not be much of a difference between a standard Civic and the HCH in the snow in terms of the car itself. Big difference in the tires however. I just got rid of my Dunlops. They were only good for one thing - mileage. We don't get much snow here so I'm sorry I can't comment on alternatives for you. For what it's worth, my new tires are the Continental ContiTouringContact CV95 (LRR according to Continental). Have not driven them on the snow, but dry weather handling is profoundly different. Cornering, tracking, highway speeds - all better. Sort of exposes how sub-standard the Dunlops really were.

 

Laurie,
I'm considering an "06 HCH. I have a Forester and I live in WNY State. How have you found the front wheel drive compared to the 4 wheel? Do you reccomend the Toyo tires? I've driven Subaru for over 30 yrs & had great luck.
Thanks,
Don

 

i have had a good experience with the Toyos, especially on the CRV. the front wheel drive is not quite as stable as the 4 wheel, but with the good tires, it hasn't been bad at all. actually, going down the dirt road from our place to the 4 lane, the front wheel drive wanders a lot less in the mud and snow than the CRV did....not sure why. i am a pretty cautious driver, but feel pretty secure in the civic.

 

Tire shopping done, looked at some Goodyear and Yokos at the local Discount Tire. Came home with Goodyear Integrities, fitted to an 06 Prius!!!

After tire shopping, I stopped by the local Toyota dealer to see if any 06 Prius info was available. To my surprise they had a demo unit with the VSC. I took it for a test drive in an empty parking lot still covered in snow. In the lot I did some "abrupt maneuvers". (poor sales rep :-)

Between 20-30 mph I was jinking the steering wheel hard left then hard right, the car slid a bit but nothing like the HCH would, and I still noticed a modicum of directional control. Then I started a turn between 10-20 mph and while the wheels were turned I slammed on the brakes. Again the car slid a bit out of the turn, but still carved and arc. Finally I started a large diameter circle, and pressed on the gas, again the car broke traction a bit and drifted out increasing the radius of the turn--but I still had some directional control. VSC with traction control is pretty amazing.

When we got back to the dealership I discovered that there was an 06 available for purchase!!!! It was ordered for another customer who decided not to buy it. It was a color I liked Driftwood Pearl (metallic tan), with option pack #4 (the opt pack I would have chosen). I was offered a good trade for my 05 HCH so I drove the Prius home.

I can't belive the luck I had today. It shows to go, there is a Santa Claus, and Christmas miracles do happen!

Rod

 

LOL, it took me a while to get this. Congratulations! I think the Prius is alot better than the first-gen HCH. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on how the cars compare after you've had time to play with it and drive it a while.

 

Trator!

 

I've over 70,000 miles on my OEM Bridgestones (B381s). With the frontwheel drive, it does amazingly well in the snow. Ice, slush, or hardpacked snow is another matter completely. You DO have to drive slower. Crossing those snowy "strips" in-between lanes on the interstates is a horrible situation. I've spun numerous times on the icy roads, and have learned the limits of this car/tires. Just slow down. Car WILL pull through 4-6" of the white stuff rather well - I currently have that in my driveway, which is about 1 mile long until I get to a plowed road.