I have a 2008 Prius. My tires were pretty low on tread, and I had ordered a set but not changed them out yet, and we had a decent bit of snow in Central PA..
I was trying to go up a small hill, and constantly spinning out. The traction control was infuriating! It would start to slip, and then just cut all power. I have successfully gotten my Prius out of some tough spots at our local ski resort before using floor mats and a little pushing, but that wouldn't help at all on this very small hill. If I had a way to disable the traction control, I would have been able to clear out enough snow and make my way up the hill..
To be fair, this was my own fault, I told the wife that we didn't really need X from the grocery store with a blizzard coming in, but she insisted.
I have debated on picking up a second set of rims and throwing snow tires on them. What would be a good brand/price to look for? My very unmustashian Jeep Wrangler has two sets of tires, a set of 32x11.50 on aluminum wheels, and my 'off road' 34x12.50's on steel wheels.
Having them mounted on a second set of rims just makes it easy to swap at home, much less hassle to change a tire then swap tires on a wheel (even if you have all the gear to do it). I am just not sure at what point it pays for itself..