Driving in snow and ice?

welcome to priuschat! no prolemo with a good set of snow's. and you won't find the crv or rav4 chat rooms nearly as entertaining. all the best!

 

Not as well as our Real-Time 4WD CR-V, but remarkably well, and better than I had thought it would.

We just fit the v with the same format Dunlop M3 Wintersport tires as the v (lowercase v).

 

Anyone have issues with the permanent traction control leaving you stuck? This will be our first winter with our Prius v as well so it'll be interesting to see how it does.

 

Nope.

 

If you've got good snow tires you'll be in good shape. Still, it's best to limit travel, reduce speeds and avoid deep snow. The latter is the great leveller, you can get stuck, no matter what tires you have.

Anytime temps are below 7c, even on bare roads, the snow tires are grippier, due to rubber that stays softer at lower temp's.

 

I had a 4WD CRV with very aggressive all weather tires with great tread (loud). Tires plus clearance said no worries. I'd go play in 4-6 inches of snow. In fact I was in charge of inspecting roads and reporting their condition.

My v has 16" all season tires, a lower ride height and 2wd.

Is one equal to the other in snow? No.

But have reasonable expectations, drive moderately, install 4 good snow tires and you'll be no worse off than any other 2 wheel drive front wheel drive car. Which is fine except for the times when you really shouldn't be out there anyway.

Remember it can get hung up on drifts or plowed snow banks. Watch where you position your front wheels when stopping/parking. Get 2 front wheels spinning and you don't have the other 2 to help you.

You simply have to remember you can't do what a higher 4WD can do.

 

I am a bit nervous about winter and my new Prius. I had a special stability control on my beetle.

 

Practice in the first small storm, work up to the median storm.

Then do your qualifying laps... ;-)

 

In my opinion, and I'll probably upset my Prius brethren, but in my opinion The Prius simply isn't the best vehicle in snow or ice.

Low rolling resistance tires, coupled with electric motor starts, tied to an IMO overly aggressive and protective traction control system simply don't make it particularly good in snow or ice.

YES...it can be driven in snow or ice. But with a Prius? I'd DEFINITELY, definitely recommend a good..no great, set of snow tires. Otherwise? I'd simply drive something else on really bad winter days.

I now await the inevitable back-lash, of all those that are going to tell me they drove their Prius through a White Out, while hauling Nitroglycerin, over a dangerous mountain pass.

 

I live out in the boonies about 25 miles from Duluth, MN. I commute those 25 miles each way every day regardless of weather. In the 7 years I've owned my Prius I've never had a day I had to call in due to cold or snow. I park in a garage at night (unheated), but car sits outside for 10-12hrs every day during the day and it's never been a problem to start (never once had to jump even when high temp for day was -20F). The road my house is on is ~1 mile from first paved road and is typically low travel (i.e. plow comes late). As long as there's less than 10" of powdery snow or less than 6" of heavy wet snow, I don't even think twice about going through it for that mile. I've never been stuck (in 7 years), but have got close in about 8" of heavy wet snow. In that same time my wife has got stuck in our grand caravan that rides higher but is heavier (and doesn't use snow tires). If the weather is bad I usually have my wife take the Prius as it handles the snow better. What I love is when the guys who work for me (with their big tough pickup trucks) call in because they can't make it the 5 miles or less to work because they can't get through the snow. Boy do I ever let them know that "The Prius made it in from 25 miles out of town."

Get a good set of snow tires and put them on before the snow shows up and you'll be golden. No worries about the cold at all (as compared to any other car). I wouldn't recommend driving in snow with high performance tires though...that's a white knuckle adventure (if you're ever forced into that situation).

 

One more caveat...
Summer driving I average 53-54mpg
Coldest part of winter w/ the snows on I'm lucky to get 40mpg. Still not bad but wanted to make it clear there is a big hit.

 

^ Still, the Prius is what it is. It is not a high clearance four wheel drive, lol.

 

We put ours away for the worst winter months as there is too much snow, salt, and sand (3/4 crush) on the roads. It seems that everybody has to get a new windshield every year from the rocks and salt highway maintenance puts on the road every year. I think they are too damn cheap to put any form of ice melt other than salt and gravel on the roads. It kills our cars!

 

Salt kills too. ;(

 

I have driven the v during a snow; packed, icy about 4" accumulation and rush hour. The STAR system pulls off all power when the wheels spin, unlike other cars where the ABS brakes pulse - traction control where the vehicle may still power forward.
This makes for more difficulty going thru slippery conditions. Attempts to climb hills are the worst.

 

I'm not sure I picked the right car now

 

I sure you did, we live up in the mountains....so we also have a Sienna AWD for bad weather.

 

I live in rural Iowa. They don't do well at plowing. I drive 28 miles one way to work at 545 am.

 

I run 4 studded nokian tires, when it's snowy and icy I take the prius rather than the '13 f150 4wd, it doesn't have studs, going isn't the problem, even in the prius with summer tires, it's stopping I'm concerned about.
Front wheel drive, stability control, the gen2 was a little adamant about not letting the wheels spin, the gen3 is less so,(v ( lowercase v ) included), the thing's are winter beast's (with studded snows)