A Question for Prius Drivers from the Frozen North.

Agreed ... even without waiting for the AWD version somewhere down the pike.
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Keep in mind that TC was improved part way through Gen2, and improved again for Gen3. There are several threads and videos somewhere here showing the difference.

Beyond the switch, I don't know if there were further improvements for Gen4. But ignore those old Gen2 stories and look for Gen3 experiences as a minimum baseline.



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My old Gen 2 was the worst, once you ran out of momentum the gas pedal went flat. I have not been in that same situation with the Gen 4 yet.

 

Sound like whatever the problem that existed in Gen2 seems to be gone by now. I certainly do not remember ever struggling on icy road condition with my previous Gen3 and now with PRIME (Gen4). That said, I still think the best universal solution is to have studded winter tires. This should solve most of the traction problem on ice. In addition, as others have suggested, new AWD-e Prius may be a wise investment as well.

 

I'm a member from Wisconsin and I've used my 2011 Prius and more recently my Gen 4, 2016 Prius as a delivery vehicle for 30k miles over the last 15 months in all weather. We have been hammered with snow, freezing rain, sleet, again and again this winter. The key to traction I've found is a proper set of dedicated snow tires, such as Bridgestone Blizzaks or Michelin X Ice3's which I currently run. The key is the low temperature tire compound which enables traction on ice and snow, much more effective than relying solely on traction control.

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Yup. Could not do it from a standing start.
I had unstudded Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2's for 10 months, they were fine on cold weather ice and I got up the hill with those too.
But there is no substitute for studs when on ice, traction control or any other gimmick is totally meaningless IMO.

 

Question about traction control - sorry if I’m ignoramous here I should know this - but what is traction control? Why is there a switch on my Prius? And when will I want to turn it off?

 

Traction control stops the wheels if there's excess spinning, maybe "feathers" it, generally improves things? In some extreme cases though, if you're completely stuck, it might be better to switch off. Fourth gen has provided a switch to do that (previous gen's do not).

I would think still, you want to turn it off as a last resort, and be careful. Might be simpler to just get out a shovel, put some mats in front of the wheels.

 

Traction control uses the wheel speed sensors on each wheel and when it senses one wheel turning more than it should it knows that wheel is spinning and lightly applies the brakes on that wheel and then the opposite wheel starts to gain traction. It goes back and forth trying to stop the spinning wheel from rotating and giving your car more traction.

ABS works just the opposite. If you are braking the speed sensors in each wheel actually takes braking away from that wheel and lets it rotate. By letting the wheels rotate you can still steer the car. When the brakes are locked up you have no control. There is great debate whether ABS shortens or lengthens stopping distance. It is actually more complicated than this but this is basically how it works.

 

Gen 4 owner up in Canada. Traction control is on and I don't think about it much. Depending on snow conditions, it will occasionally engage and I don't spin out. If stuck in snow, you may want to turn off TC so you can grind through the snow and hit pavement. Yes, I have snow tires on. The Prius is a light car which makes it nimble, but it can drift around depending on conditions.

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I've driven through many winters in Minnesota with both a Gen 3 and a Gen 4... there is a huge difference between the traction control operation of these two models. The Gen 3 was much more intrusive and really neutered power. The Gen 3 also did not have a switch to shut the TC off, you "could" turn it off but it was a very strange set of "moves" that accomplished putting it into "maintenance mode".

The Gen 4 is a whole new ballgame - a much better traction balanced operation that I have found to actually be helpful and not a hindrance in most winter conditions - adding in the fact that it can easily be shut off via a button on the dash I have no reservations about a Prius in the winter or being any harder to drive in ice and winter conditions than any other comparable vehicle. We've had some recent winter storm events and I'm one of the few guys that has made it in to the office everyday - many have AWD SUV's and 4-wheel drive trucks. Now keep in mind I've lived in Minnesota all my life and have very refined winter driving skills - yet I really don't think the Prius would pose a significant hindrance to a seasoned winter driver. Of course it's limited by ground clearance, and it's EXTREMELY important that the tires are in good condition. Short of very rural (life risking) long isolated commutes that ONLY using a 4-wheel drive vehicle is reasonable and safe then of course a Prius is not going to be a wise choice - I have some friends that live well off the grid - it's snowmobiles and 4x4 county only. Of course unless I visit them in my Prius

I've used good quality all-season tires with no problems - my 2017 has the OEM tries w/27,000 miles on them and we are doing great in the snowiest February in the history of Minnesota! Of course a set of Blizarks would be a huge help if more traction is routinely required.

 

In Gen 3 they added a Motor Speed Reduction gear to reduce the speed of M/G1.

About 16:30, but watch the whole thing

 

I have not tried these. But this could be a good temp solution. Especially in a pinch.

 

The driveway had layer of ice this morning with a couple inches of snow on top, so I plowed it. The plow removed the snow, but the ice was still there. The truck had trouble getting traction, but afterwards the Prius had no problem with the ice. I really think it has better traction than my 4 wheel drive truck on ice anyway.

 

...been there done that growing up with the real wheel drive cars and even living in the south in the summertime, but right here right now it's 17 Deg F going down to 8 tonight!