Driving in cold weather/snow for the first time.

we took the prius up there with the oem tires last winter and they weren't the greatest but they worked. (well, in comparison to my college-beater junk-tires experience, it was awesome.) we drove through a huge rain/sleet/snow/ice system from the time we hit va until we got to wi. windshield washer fluid froze, and i think the rain-x wore off after ~15 hours of continuous wiper use.

i love wisconsin. have fun!

 

As long as you are on the main roads, you should be fine. The salt and brine trucks, and snow plows will take care of most of what should worry you. If its ice, there's nothing you can do but be very careful, or get off the road.

As far a prep, you could pre-cut from strips of insulation for the front grill block. Without an EBH, and I'm assuming you wouldn't have one in Florida, the grill block is an easy install, and could even be done at a roadside rest area when you get to the cold weather.

A tire pressure gague is necessary as well. As I'm sure you know, cold weather will cause a decrease in air pressure in your tires. You'll need to be aware of that and check the pressure, particularly after you arrive at your destination, check them the next morning when they are cold to get an accurate reading.

Also, a "cold weather box" is probably not a bad idea. We pack a box and leave it in the back area containing a blanket, extra gloves, socks, a road side reflector, and cookies!! Its a good "just in case".

Other than that, enjoy the trip, and have a great time!!

p.s. As Galaxee pointed out, some below -32 windshield washer fluid is necessary...

 

cold, snow

I live in Wyoming so cold and snow is the norm for me. As far as the cold goes, your car will have no problems. You didn't say how many miles you have on your set of tires. If they're new, you should be fine. (assuming you have driven on snow before) If they are worn or your inexperienced with winter driving than snow tires would be a good idea. You have to put them on all 4 tires. A front wheel drive car with just snow tires on the front would be a bear to drive.

 

You need all 4 tires to brake and turn. If you just have traction on the front the back of your car will want to swap ends in a turn. Also on slushy roads there are ruts that will send your car to the ditch if you don't have traction on the back.

 

no studs. wisconsin doesn't allow them on regular passenger vehicles.

do you have any snow driving experience?

 

It's an Electric Block Heater (or maybe Engine Block Heater), vital in some climates to keep your engine from freezing and cracking. Prius people use it to increase mileage by shortening warm-up times.

 

i used to drive with all seasons, because i couldn't afford snow tires. it's doable if you're careful. you will have to be even more careful since you're totally new to snow. allow long following distances, long stopping distances, go slow on turns. most of the time, people are tolerant of this. with a florida license plate, they will understand and steer clear of you, trust me. some impatient ones, but those are everywhere.

you should at least read up on snow driving before you go.

 

You don't need to prep the vehicle, you need to prep yourself. My Prius is stock, with OEM tires, and I don't have a problem.

You need to understand some principles of winter driving.

You will be working with drastically reduced coefficients of friction if pavement is snow-covered or icy. This means you have to begin stopping much sooner, and slow much more gradually. You have to drive much slower if conditions are treacherous. You have to "steer into a spin." In other words, if the rear of your car starts to move to the right, you steer gently to the right, to keep the front of your vehicle and rear moving in the same direction, and stop a spin-out from happening. You have to slow, or steer, but never both at the same time.

An example: you want to turn onto a side street. You slow and begin a turn, but you start "mushing" straight ahead. Get off the brakes and let the front wheels turn freely. You should be able to make the turn, assuming you slowed enough. You cannot steer if your front wheels lock up, and they will lock up all too easily on ice. Brakes are not your friend on ice.

These are the principles. Memorize them and even practice them in "pretend mode."

What I see on TV when there is an ice storm down south is people driving 3 times as fast as they should, panicking on ice, locking up their brakes and spinning out and crashing. On a really slippery ice patch, your only option is to glide straight over it, without any inputs.

Good luck,

Harry

 

If you can, find a snow covered empty parking lot and spend twenty minutes flying around in it. Try starting, stopping, sharp turns, skids, etc., and get familiar with how you car handles.

Each morning when I go ou in the snow, I try a couple of short stops to asses what braking is like on that specific day and get a feel for how the vehicle will respond.

 

I wonder if WI is the same as MN and allows any exceptions for visitors who have studded tires? I know that Minnesota allows visitors in with studded tires, provided studded tires are legal in the jurisdiction they are from

I printed out the statute last year before driving down to the Twin Cities, in case the border crossing at Emerson got picky. I guess they didn't care at all, the roads were dry at that point and the studs were quite audible.

Anyway, Minnesota 169.72 Minnesota Statutes 2006, subd 4, applies to me. Hehehehehehe!

http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/getpub.php?pubtype=STAT_CHAP_SEC&year=2006&section=169.72

 

They are very good about plowing and de-icing the highways. HOWEVER, it takes some time. You are very likely to encounter icy patches, especially in town, and during snow storms. If you encounter freezing rain driving will become so nearly impossible that you should get off the road and wait for better conditions.

There are different qualities of ice. And the Prius, with its ABS, handles it as well as the best of them. But when the ice is slippery enough, NOTHING helps, and the car simply will not stop.

My advice is to schedule enough extra time into your trip that you are never in too much of a hurry to stop when road conditions get bad. Mostly the highways will be good, but when they are not good, and since you have no experience in snow, I'd recommend stopping wherever you are and waiting it out.

I have decades of experience driving in the north, and I stay home when the roads are bad.

And do, at the very least, get high-end all-season tires. Snow tires are even better, but might not really be necessary if you are willing to accept your limitations and stay off of bad roads until they are plowed and salted. All-seasons won't be a waste because they're good also in those Florida downpours.

And it bears repeating what has been said above: Get all 4 matching tires!!! Mis-matched tires are extremely dangerous, as cited above, because the back end of the car will swing around.

 

Remember that the farther north you go, the more the localities will be accustomed to dealing with snow and ice. This means the roads are likely to be clearer sooner and plowed more frequently. Also, the more dangerous events are the freezing rain and ice storms that frequent the areas of central-to-southern Illinois and Indiana, as well as the higher elevations you'll drive through in Kentucky, Tennessee and north Georgia.

You've received great advice on carrying blankets and emergency gear with you in the car. Also, carry with you some extra windshield wiper fluid. You can always pick it up at any Target, Wal-Mart or grocery store once you hit Indiana. The car will be fine so long as you are prepared.

If you want to keep MPGs up by blocking your grill, take a look at the Grill Blocking Summary Article in the Knowledge Base area of PC.

Safe travels and enjoy our northern climate!

 

Sand or kitty litter

Here's one more piece of advice:

Carry a covered bucket of sand, or kitty litter, in the back of your Prius. Throw a little under your drive wheels if you can't get traction on an icy surface.


--Joe