INFORMATION BEFORE DRIVING YOUR TOYOTA -> Types of tires for Your Toyota Prius 4 Door Second Generation (2004-2009)

Types of tires  
199 kg – 176 kg = 23 kg.  
(444 lb. – 388 lb. = 56 lb.)  
Determine what kind of tires your  
vehicle is originally equipped with.  
CAUTION  
As shown in the above example, if the  
number of occupants increases, the  
cargo and luggage load equaling the  
combined weight of occupants who  
got on later must be reduced. In other  
words, if the increase in the number  
of occupants causes the excess of  
the total load capacity (combined  
weight of occupants plus cargo and  
luggage load), you have to reduce the  
cargo and luggage on your vehicle.  
1. All season tires  
Even if the total load of occu-  
pant’s weight and the cargo load  
is less than the total load capac-  
ity, do not apply the load uneven-  
ly. That may cause not only dam-  
age to the tire but also deteriora-  
tion to the steering ability due to  
unbalance of the vehicle, causing  
an accident.  
All season tires are designed to pro-  
vide better traction in snow and to be  
adequate for driving in most winter  
conditions, as well as for use all year  
round.  
All season tires, however, do not have  
adequate  
traction  
performance  
compared with snow tires in heavy or  
loose snow. Also, all season tires fall  
short in acceleration and handling  
performance compared with summer  
tires in highway driving.  
For details about total load capacity,  
see “Vehicle load limits” on page 342.  
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2. Summer tires  
CAUTION  
Summer tires are highspeed capabil-  
ity tires best suited to highway driving  
under dry conditions.  
Do not mix summer and all sea-  
son tires on your vehicle as  
this can cause dangerous han-  
dling characteristics, resulting  
in loss of control.  
Since summer tires do not have the  
same traction performance as snow  
tires, summer tires are inadequate for  
driving on snowcovered or icy roads.  
For driving on snowcovered or icy  
roads, we recommend using snow  
tires. If installing snow tires, be sure  
to replace all four tires.  
Do not use tire other than the  
manufacturer’s  
designated  
tires, and never mix tires or  
wheels of the sizes different  
from the originally equipped  
tires and wheels.  
The details about how to distinguish  
summer tires from all season tires are  
described on page 332.  
346