Anita, you would be surprised what it can do with a proper set of winter tires. The Prius we had fared extremely well, even in deep snow. The electric torque is much better as starting from a standstill then the conventional auto. Besides, the RXh turns into a "pumpkin" FWD as soon as it gains some speed.

 

Ok I checked the tires, they are pumped up to 40psi!! I was running on 33psi. But hey, it feels tight! They also did an alignment as the car had its wheels taken off and tyres rotated and all sorts. A free hybrid healthcheck was also included, the car passed everything in flying colours!

Another weird thing - at 10k miles last year, my brake wear was at 10% on all 4 brakes. This year, at 20k miles, the brake wear is still at 10%!

oh and as promised, pictures of the wheel!

Before Side profile -


Before Front Driver's wheel -


Before Rear Driver's wheel -



After Side profile -


After Front Driver's Wheel -


It may seem as if there's a difference but thats due to the lighting and the camera. The after pictures were taken with my phone and the before pictures taken with a camera! However, there is NO difference at all that I can see in reality.

 

Looks great! Even your rotors are nice and clean. I can't tell a difference between the wheels in the second to last shot either. A hybrid health check? That's new. Glad your 450h passed the exam. Also great news about the brakes. So I guess the ride was tight for a good reason. Wow, 40 psi. I make sure I check the pressure before I leave the dealer. But when I was there two weeks ago, they were just where I wanted them because I told the tech. Just wait until you change out those Dunlops and you'll really be enjoying the ride. I'm glad it's resolved.

 

They check how the hybrid system is working and then give a detailed report on everything. The RXh passed every test they did so its all working smoothly!

The Dunlops still have 4mm tread left on the front and 5mm at the back! Looks like i could run atleast another 15k on them.

Oh, the interior was absolutely squeeky clean too. They did a very good job!

 

Would be interesting to know what the dealer checked during the hybrid health check. We don't have anything like that here unless it's just part of the regular service intervals. I do those religiously every six months despite the low mileage. You're lucking out with the Dunlops too. They were going fast at 16K for me. I forgot to ask how well the Pirellis are wearing when I was in for service a few weeks ago. They have about 16K on them now. It's a night and day difference over the Dunlops. Maybe I'll stop by my fav local tire guy who installed them to check. Alignment is already done. Glad to hear the RXh was cleaned inside and out after being at the dealer a week. It certainly adds to the pleasure of driving the 450h.

 

Thanks but I'll take the 450h with VDIM any day. And even with snow tires I wouldn't feel comfortable driving the CT on the hills. Some are short and steep, others more gradual. Also throw in a few hairpin turns. The RX hasn't disappointed me yet in almost 16 years. That's without snow mode on too.

 

Although, to be fair, the dunlops are different to what you get over there. I think you guys get the grandtrek? Those arent even available here, we only get an option to choose between dunlop sp sport 270 or the bridgestone dueler h/l

 

Yes, I had the Grandtreks. The other two options were Michelins and Bridgestone. I've had Dunlop/Goodyear on my RXs and none lasted very long. Average has been around 16K miles. Looking at the Dunlop sp sport 270 online, I see quite a few negative reviews on par with my experience with the Grandtreks. The Pirellis are from your side of the pond. I think they're perfect for the sport suspension.

 

Are your pirelli's the all season scorpion verde with 105 load rating? Or do you have the scorpion verde summer tyres with 101 load rating?

 

The all season Scorpion Verdes.