There really is no reason to use chains. They will drastically lower your MPG. Don't use studs either. Bridgestone Blizaks are all you need. You will NEVER get stuck with 4 Bridgestone Blizaks. I use them in CT and I am plowing through 1.5-2 feet of wet snow and traveling over icy roads and up and down slick, snow covered icy roads.

 

thanks for info on Bridgestones. I bought 4x new BF Goodrich super sport all-season's 16" because we seldom get snow here. But if we travel somewhere and we get snow, I thought chains might help. Obviously, I can leave them at home. At least my dry run was a failure. There must be sensors somewhere on the tires that sensed the chains and they didn't like it. Once off, all was normal again. I dread trying it again.

 

Ya you probably shouldn't use chains. They are bad for you MPG and by the sounds of it, the Prius doesn't like them anyways. I live in CT, where the winters can get pretty slick and a pair of 4 stud-less Bridgestone Blizaks is all I use and I am able to plow through 1-2 feet of wet, icy snow up hill with out a problem. I just love passing all of these gas guzzlers on the roads and zipping up icy, snow covered hills and passing a bunch of cars that are sliding backwards and stuff. The Toyota Prius has multiple on-board automatically controlled functions that optimize your driving experience in the snow and ice with a Toyota Prius. It's very fun to drive in the Winter. Be careful though. I do not know what I would do without my Toyota Prius. I detail it inside and out at least 2-3 per week. 20,000 Miles, not a single problem (knock on wood) and it still looks brand new and the interior still has the "New Car" scent. I love my 2008 Toyota Prius to death!

 

Try this trick. It works for the Hybrid Camry.

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Disabling TRAC and VSC temporarily on Camry Hybrid
For those of us that want to disable TRAC (Traction Control) and VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) for a while, the following simple procedure will do it for sure on the TCH, unlike the other procedures on the net that I have seen:

Perform procedures within 60 seconds. (lots of time in other words)
(1) Turn the power switch on IG. (This means press the start switch twice to get the dash to light up while NOT pushing the brake pedal).

(2) Now push the brake pedal with your left foot, and fully depress the accelerator pedal with your right foot, twice with the shift P position.

Note: Pushing the brake pedal in these procedure is just to allow the ability to move the shift lever from P to N and back to P

(3) Fully depress the accelerator pedal twice with the shift N position.
(4) Fully depress the accelerator pedal twice with the shift P position.

The message "FWD Maintenance Mode" should be displayed on the multi-information display.

(5) Start the engine by pressing the power switch while depressing the brake pedal.

The multi-information display should alternate between "FWD Maintenance Mode" and "Check VSC" and a couple of other lights will be on.

Next time you shutdown, the system will be back to normal.
This does not shut the ABS system for braking.

This can be useful when you want to go up a hill and TRAC will prevent the car from moving like I know people have experienced including my self, even with good snow tires...

Also, please spare me the safety warnings that have been discussed on other threads. This turns off safety items that have been built into the car, but does not make it worse than a regular vehicle. Use your good judgment.