Moving from California to a Freezing Snowy Area, Advice?

My 2¢:
Sure, go for grill blocking. I can recommend using pipe insulation as well; it works well, and it's dirt cheap. A block heater will save you gas, but probably not money, if you park in a cold location near to an outlet. Don't bother waiting for your car to warm up before you drive; actually using the engine to propel you will help it warm up much faster than letting it idle. It's best (for MPG) to avoid any significant acceleration in about the first 50-60 seconds that the engine is on, regardless of the climate - if you have to get out of a parking lot, or can move slowly down a residential road, do so. If you immediately have to accelerate to 45 mph, you may get better mileage if you idle for those 50 seconds until the car is willing to use engine power instead of battery power to do the majority of your propulsion.

I grew up in Wisconsin, and my parents never had snow tires. Nor do any of my friends who still live there. The standard all-season tires are generally enough. This may differ if you live very far north, or far from civilization, and have to be able to get through deep snow before it's plowed (but then a Prius is a bad vehicle for that anyway, regardless of the tire type). Getting snow tires is a hassle, because you either have to register different TPMS sensors with the system (most places will charge for this service), or learn to ignore the TPMS light for a whole season, since the car can only know about one set of wheels at a time.

Finally, re-learn how to drive. Avoid driving when it's snowy and icy, if you can. If you can't, leave yourself at least twice as much time as normal to arrive at your destination. (On a particularly nasty day, my college advisor spent about an hour and a half on an 8-mile commute that normally takes about 25 minutes...) Anticipate stops well in advance, increase your following distance significantly, and drive very slowly (if you're anywhere near the speed limit on a snowy day, you're asking for trouble). You might want to find a nice empty, unplowed parking lot where you can practice driving on snow sometime; see what happens when you stomp on the brake and just glide across the surface. Everybody always forgets how to drive for the first big snow or two of the season, and there are tons of cars in the ditch, and lots of accidents, usually because drivers were going too fast. Don't be one of them.

 

I drove an '84 Civic wagon to work in Fairbanks for a year in Nov '85 and three things made the difference in having the vehcile reliable:

radiator hose heater; not a true block heater, but spliced into lower radiator hose it warmed the coolant enough to prevent freezing.

electric battery blanket; not sure if an issue in Prius since 12v batt is inside.

Good 40+k mile rated steel belted radial snow tires purchased in Seattle before getting on the ferry.

All the good driving tips are also well heeded.

And carry extra clothes, sleeping bag, energy bars in the winter.

 

Lots of good advice here. Beware of the first snowfall because all of the locals seem to forget how to drive over the summer. Head for an unplowed parking lot at a church or school and experiment with your car. See how long it takes to brake and how it behaves on turns. Experiment with takeoffs to maximize your thrust without engaging traction control. Just watch out for light poles and buildings appearing out of nowhere.

The worst conditions we see around here are ice or snow packed into ice. I feel that's where good winter tires make a big difference. We live on the drier side of lower Michigan (less lake effect), so we don't see the big, daily snowfalls.

All that said, some folks just don't / won't get it. One of my former co-workers married a woman from Florida and they moved to Michigan to be near his family. She insisted on driving a Mustang convertible and then refused to drive (or work outside the home) in winter. He eventually relented and moved back to the Tampa area. Granted, he loves deep sea fishing, so he didn't really mind moving back to FL.

 

Snake - I had the Toyota All Weather Mats, and wasn't that thrilled. However, if you'd like, I could probably sell you mine, since they're now sitting in my garage somewhere. They're in good shape, with only a wear spot where my right heel sits when I drive (I pivot my foot).

I really like the weathertech ones, mostly because they're form fitting and cover a larger area with a nice lip around the edges.

 

We use studded snow tires. They work fantastic.

I am new to driving a Prius, however I have never had to block a grill or to use a block heater. We routinely see temps ranging from 5F to -10F, and extreme nighttime lows of -20F.

You DO NOT need any special anti-freeze, a 50/50 mix is ideal. What the dealers puts in is perfect. Anything else can ruin your vehicle.

A garage is nice to have, but honestly you do not need a heated garage.

"glove heaters"? my god, no. I have driven vehicles through the winters here that had no heater at all [I used a 12VDC plug-in to keep the windshield thawed].

Good luck with your move

 

The town featured in this Prius video is Rosemount... during the summer:

Prius - Afternoon Drive 2 - YouTube
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Everybody says that, but what really happens is the first snowfall is usually in the upper 20's or maybe low 30's, so it's going to be a wet slushy snow, and that's always the worst. In the middle of winter, when the snow falls and it's in the teens (Fahrenheit), the snow is much drier (not near the melting point), and it's easier to drive on. So the first snow (and sometimes the spring snows) are the worst for driving.

Just once. Or you can check the antifreeze, they have cheap testers to see what temperature it would freeze at, so you want something that will handle -30'F. You may not need to change it all, or just add a little straight antifreeze (normally they say add half water, half antifreeze when topping it off).

Oh, well that's southern Minnesota! Pretty balmy there

 

Someone stole their sidewalks.

That's a good way to do video, the average drive video done in real time is about like watching paint drying.

 

The best thing you can do is find an empty parking lot with lots of ice/snow covering it. Then push your car to see how the car and abs/vsc reacts to stops, starts, turns, etc. The number 1 problem is stopping (not allowing enough distance), #2 is stability/losing control, and #3 is getting stuck. Somehow, people always focus on #3, which is why a preponderance of vehicles in the ditch during a big storm are awd/4wd SUVs and trucks. I agree with car compulsive, the first couple of snows will be sh*t because it will be warm and slippery. You'll think everyone is nuts and wonder how you'll survive the winter.

 

Technically, there is no way to add straight antifreeze. Super Long Life Coolant (pink) comes as a 50/50 pre-mix. It does protect to -34F. Probably, if you had to get protection below -34F, it would be better to run a 70/30 blend of Toyota Long Life Coolant (red), which comes at full strength.

 

My next video is planned for turn-around in the same area, but the journey there will be throught the suburb part... where there's great paths for biking.
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Yeah, When I drove in Wisconsin, I had a E-100 Econoline Van, I ran 100% engine anti freeze in the truck, and wiper reservoir had about 75%...and then in spring you would flush radiator and put in a 50/50 mix for summer
I was also going to add Grill Blocking, a MUST, Chains and Ice Scrapers.

I had lived in Madison, which is further south than most of Minnesota, and one year I actually went thru -37 below, not wind chill, but real KILL YOU FAST -37 below ZERO! In spite of my block warmer, radiator warmer, interior warmer, the shock absorbers FROZE solid, and the transmission was FROZEN in First Gear for 75% of of my trip to work. GOD I HATED THAT CRAP! I had all the above mentioned heaters, plus I had a space heater that was on a timer that turned on 45 minutes before I had to start the drive to work. I also put in a manual choke, that's a lifesaver right there...What A P.I A.
That was a defining moment in my life!
33 years later, here in the LA foothills, I have NO regrets.
I wish you LUCK....oh yeah, by the way, wait till spring and the hoards of killer Mosquito's come to pay a visit!!!

Other than that it's a Land O Lakes!

 

Let's not be dissing their state bird.

On the bright side, one of my business trip to Minneapolis had me near the Minneapolis campus on the 1st warm sunny day of spring. The U of Mn coeds were all out in the sun exposing as much skin as the could expose without getting arrested.

 

You can get your conceal carry permit when you get up there If you work in the big city, you can hear the target practice that goes on every night. On a serious note,,, once my wife buys me my Prius, I believe we will start having regular Prii meets I believe John has an interest in that also. Since ur brother already resides in the Arctic Region aka Minnesota, I am sure he has educated you on what to expect so your gonna be fine. Just don't trust anyone around you driving in the winter or in summer rain.

Mike

 

During my one experience at -41F, on a Montana ski trip in a car whose antifreeze tested to not quite -30F, a local mechanic claimed that the coolant would turn to slush but not endanger the engine block. Has anyone else heard this?

I blocked the radiator, put a heavy blanket over the engine under the hood, and put a trouble light with a 100W bulb under the oil pan. After starting the next morning -- with difficulty, no cylinders fired the first few cranks -- I thought I heard some slush flowing briefly.

Prior to the -41F episode above, the area Honda dealer had plenty of engine block heaters to sell. But the shop had a long waiting line, and no more installation appointments were available. So my only heat source was that trouble light.

It took about five cranking attempts before any cylinder fired. Several minutes of rough idling before I could let the clutch out, in neutral, without stalling. And when the clutch was finally released, still in neutral as it been all night, the car moved. The first several shifts were extremely stiff, and the flat spot on the tires took about a mile to return to round.

The -25F of the previous night was much less stressful.

 

The hose heater I got at a Honda dealer in Sheridan, WY was made specificallty for Honda.
I found this at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Kats-14400-Lower-Radiator-Heater/dp/B000I8TQ0O

And oh yeah, I remember going to a 5w20 oil and a lower viscosity oil in manual trans.

 

Note that none of those heat-related suggestions are necessary. They're just a benefit with respect to minimizing the impact of the cold. Prius is way better off than traditional vehicles when it comes to starting, since its motor & battery are dramatically bigger.

The only thing I've ever done... which wasn't even until year 7... was block the grille.
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