CA to Chicago, winterization tips?

I would have to say, get yer butt back here, you have 45 days at best until it snows and you are doomed!

I used to live in Wisconsin, like Chicago, but worse!!

Learn the tips and tricks of Grill Blocking. That will be the number 1 thing you can do so save some MPGs. You will need snow tires...PIA, and a extra set of rims, another PIA, are you sure you don't want to come back home....

 

Up until the tail end of last winter I've been buying any bargain priced "-35 deg" washer fluid, and been finding it's freezing on the windshield, with the car immobile, just a few degrees below freezing. There's apparently some hyperbole in washer fluid claims, so yes: look for something that's rated a bit better, -40 or lower. And get what you can of the "summer" stuff out before you put in freeze protected stuff, to avoid diluting it.

BTW, we use a blockheater year 'round.

 

And, since it's illegal to sell anything lower than +32 deg in CA (air pollution laws), you're sure to have "summer" stuff in there. After you change the fluid, run the front and back washers for a while to get the old stuff flushed out.

 

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 8: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]6:00 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window, watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow! [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 9: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snow plow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life! [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 12: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll d definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 14: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to *20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 15: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]20 inches forecast. Sold my Prius and bought a 4x4. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 16: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Ice storm this morning. Fell on my nice person on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 17: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 20: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. freakin' snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 22: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the donkey is lying. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 23: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she...nuts??? Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's damn well lying. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 24: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for the freakin' snowplow. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 25: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the @#$%^& slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to kill her. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 26: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 27: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Temperature dropped to -10 and the pipes froze. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 28: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Warmed up to above -5. Still snowed in. THE BITCH is driving me crazy!!! [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 29: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave-in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 30: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]December 31: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling! [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]January 8: [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?



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Instructions for how to install the engine block heater are stickied on the modifications forum. Do it asap as it's harder to do when your hands are freezing and there isn't really enough clearance to do it while wearing warm sleeves, and wearing gloves would make it harder. Or just have it done by a pro but the weather is already cold enough at night that it will improve your morning mpg.

Get a timer from amazon and run the heater for between 1 and 3 hours before you leave for work. You get diminishing returns from longer heating times. Relative to leaving it heating all night you get 80% of the benefit from just one hour, and 95% from three hours. Have a system to remind yourself to unplug it in the morning, some people wrap the extension cord around the driver door handle.

Also do block your grill with pipe insulation. It's a gen II so block the top slats now, but leave at least one slat on the bottom open until the weather stays below freezing during the day. This is because the inverter coolant loop is on the bottom in the genII and needs some air flow above 50 degrees F. Below freezing do a full grill block, just remember to unblock in april. The ebh and grill blocking are the two most important things for winter mpg.

I have always used regular 5w-30 oil, but when temperatures are negative is when a full synthetic like mobil 1might help. I've only had my prius for one winter but under negative outdoor temperatures before I got my engine block heater my engine sounded like it was working a lot harder than normal for the first couple minutes. Now that it's about to get cold again I'm inclined to switch to synthetic come November. The oil change threads are controversial but people have used full synthetic extended drain oils out to 10k miles and done oil analysis showing the oil to be good for that length.

 

Zoot - Before the snow starts flying you may want to get yourself a small shovel and a bag of kitty litter to keep in the car - both will be invaluable if you happen to get stuck. I have found the only times that I have ever been stuck are the times that I am alone and no one is around to give me a push.

If you have never driven in the snow before get yourself some practice - during the first snowfall hit an empty parking lot and put the car into some slides. Also find yourself a deserted hilly area and do the same. Last thing to keep in mind - there is a fairly big difference between driving when it is pure snow and when the temp is right around freezing. Driving on ice is far more treacherous than snow - it is easier to start sliding and you will keep going for a much greater distance.

 

If money is no object, here is a great compact shovel to keep in the rear compartment. I'm sure you could find a cheaper folding shovel at your local army surplus shop.

 

Some carpet scraps might help too: you can push them under the drive wheels on the side you want to go, to help get you up-and-out of a snow drift.

 

Don't get overwhelmed by all this. People are making it sound like you're moving to Prudhoe Bay! You might want to check the antifreeze in the radiator, remember to dress warmer in the car (it takes a little while to warm up), and expect lower mileage in the winter. Make sure you have all-season tires at least. Practice turning and braking in an empty parking lot if you haven't driven on snow. Basically you need twice the distance to stop, and turning has to be carefully done on slippery snow (the kind that comes down in warmer weather, like the first snowfall of the season). The snow in the middle of the winter is drier stuff and easier to drive on generally.

IF AND ONLY IF you're a hypermiler, then look into grill blocking (cheap, but a little dorky looking) and engine block heaters (somewhat expensive, won't recover your money).

Kitty litter, shovels, snow tires, pads of carpeting, etc. all neat ideas if you're driving in a drifted area far removed from civilization. Otherwise, if it's that bad just wait a bit for the plows to come by, it won't take that long. If somebody from work asks why you're late on a snowy day, just say you're from California, that'll be enough explanation.

The big snowstorms only happen maybe 6 days out of the year. Don't sweat it. Last year we had a big blizzard on Groundhog's Day eve. Everybody will still be talking about it, it was the biggest storm in several years (3rd biggest of all time I think), and the winds coming off Lake Michigan along with a stuck bus left a group of people stranded overnight along one stretch of road by the lake. Big story, hit the news of course, but nothing we just talked about would've made a difference in your ability to get home.

People will tell you snow stories for as long as you're being polite. And maybe longer. But it's not that big a deal, anybody can learn to handle it.

 

Try some non-freezing wiper fluid). Oil is the same. Grill blocking (lips) work nicely when it gets below 50 degrees. Just throw a snow brush in the hatch and drive slowly in snow and ice. Some people buy ugly rubber floor mats that create puddles of water -- I think that is goofy.

 

"Meh" on most of the ^^^^^ Prius alterations, except DO get good floor mats. That, and just use your snow brush (buy a good one) and knock the snow off your shoes before you enter your car. I live in Chi town and I have done nothing special to my car for winter driving. You can get all fanatical about it if you want, but to save several gallons for a few months just isn't worth all the effort some are suggesting. Your mileage will drop in the colder weather; a fact -- but so will everyone else's. All relative. Gas prices, while still high in Chicago, are usually lower in the winter and helps to make up for the lousier mileage.

The thing to really remember is one out of about five drivers just don't know how to drive in snow. You need to watch out for yourself and avoid close driving situations when it gets icy.

 

@ Tideland : Thanks they are useful!!!!

 

Toyota Prius C have no temperature/heat gauge? Not that I am worried about over heating, but would be nice to know when it is ok to turn the heat on. I usually just freeze/drive for 15 minutes then turn it on.



Also, if I turn the car on and let it idle/warm up it shuts off because it thinks it is at a stop light. I usually have to put the fan on low to keep the car from turning off. Is there a way around this? How does remote starts get around this?



Also does anyone know of any Prius C recalls?



Does the owners manual talk about either of the above? I am sure that one of the above have been discussed in a previous forum. Can someone point me in that direction?



Thanks.

 

I would stick to posting in one forum. Preferably Prius c, but hey.

Searching for the term "winterization", then posted identical messages in the two results? Just confuses the heck out of Alzheimer's victims, lol.

 

Lifelong Chicagoan (and ski instructor) here.
The secret to driving on ice/snow is: SLOW DOWN to a crawl and brake very, VERY softly. Don't make ANY sudden moves (like sudden braking or jerky direction changes or turning corners faster than 2mph). When it snows/ices, practice driving like Grandma in an empty parking lot.

1) Most people just drive the car as normal (plan on a 5mpg loss in mileage due to engine warm up and use of heater).
2) Switch your sun shade for a snow brush/ice scraper (get a long one to do the entire windshield from one side)
3) Use wiper fluid that isn't supposed to freeze (NOTE: it will still freeze in extreme cold)
4) Replace your wipers every six months (but you do that already, doncha?)

Optional:
1) Lips/grill blocking ($5 bucks can't hurt, so I do it)
For extremists:
2) Snow tires (expensive and loud) Just make sure your tires aren't balding.
3) Engine block heater (expensive and VERY difficult to find places to plug in). I have one and stopped using it.
4) Experiment with oil that is out of factory specs (and possibly void warranty?)

 

Glad this thread resurrected that FOTO. post was great,

"I Think there lying" lol