I have read that this is a very dangerous thing to do. You can easily over rev your electric motors destroying the entire hybrid system in a matter of seconds by turning off the trac control. I would strongly advise NOT doing this...
"Very Dangerous" ? Maybe I'd go as far as to say "possibly dangerous" ... maybe it's kind of like childrens aspirin being self administered by 4 year olds ... they don't have the best judgement, and are apt to do it wrong. Hopefully adults, using caution while over-riding traction control, will use caution. So yes, I'd advise against it, to folks who have poor judgement.
As an owner of a 2007 and a resident of Park City UT I'd like to weigh in on the snow performance of the Prius. Since I haven't been able to drive it within a mile of my house in the last two weeks, I'm definitely giving it a thumbs down. I also almost got T-boned the other day when I couldn't move it out of an intersection. Quite a safety feature... I'm sure it's saving countless lives everyday! It looks like I'll be driving the 4Runner and parking the Prius until about April or so. Oh what a feeling...?
You live in UT and you're don't have snow tyres?? I don't understand the concept of "replace winter tyres with AWD/4WD". My friends are undergoing the same thinking. They all want AWD/4WD for their next car because they keep sliding around with their own FWD car. My Prius with winter tyres will out-accelerate your AWD/4WD car with AS tyres.
I live in Salt Lake. My folks live in Park City. I get around just fine with all season tires. The Prius is crap in blizzards..... But on hardpack or anything else, she gets around just fine. If I was the fellow in Park City, I'd get some aggressive snow tires, and he should be just fine.
I went to the U I had from new a 1990 4Runner and always ran studded tires in winter. If I wanted to venture out to Alta or another slope, it sure beat chaining up. Or don't they have a chain law anymore? Since you're allowed studded tires in winter, put 4 studded snow tires on that Prius and see what it will do. On glare ice, when the light turns green my Prius will absolutely blow the doors off of any awd or 4wd running "all season" tires. Their jaw drops as they watch this "gay hybrid car" sprint far ahead of them
Snow tyres I got. If I have to switch over to studded for 6 months out of the year just to get up the hills through my neighborhood it kind of defeats the whole purpose of driving a hybrid. My only point is that there ought to be a way to override the TRAC system. If the Engineers at Toyota are so smug that they think they can design a control system that will out perform a human in all situations I hope they get sued because they are dead wrong. The other night I got stranded between two hills in a blizzard while scores of cars of every size and shape drove around me. Someone is going to get stranded somewhere remote and die of hypothermia and it will have been preventable. In my 30 + years of winter driving experience the Prius is, hands down, the least capable FWD vehicle I have ever driven. Every night my neighbors with FWD cars and comparable snow tires miraculously manage to park their cars in their garages while my Prius sits proudly at the bottom of the hill. On the plus side, I've been getting plenty of exercise.
I don't understand this, apparently this wasn't resolved by the 2006 model, like I had thought. My 2006 Prius (Pkg 1, OEM tires, traction control, but no VSC) doesn't have any problems in the snow, I would say it's distinctly better than my wife's FWD Accord. I was in the Twin Cities over Christmas, and they had about 6" in the side streets that weren't plowed, just mashed up by traffic, and then we got another 4-5" while we were there, still snowing as we drove home. I deliberately made the tires spin and tried to slide around (as my wife will complain about to anybody listening). (I grew up driving RWD and FWD vehicles in northern MN, so I find that a fun activity). It sounds like I better hang on to my Prius tightly, not even trade it in on a new model.
I don't understand. I have a 2005 with no VSC and traction control. If I get stuck I just mash the gas to the floor and the computer applies small amounts of power and the car slowly moves forward.
It sounds like your Prius behaves the same way mine does once it bogs down. With the studded tires, I'm fine on glare ice and snow under 3 inches. Last winter I managed to get stranded a few times at my hobby farm due to snow drifts that my Dad's 2003 Buick LeSabre had no trouble with I have a 2007 FJ Cruiser and run Toyo Open Country G-02 Plus studless winter tires. I *never* use 4wd on city streets. The FJ traction control works by applying the brake to the spinning rear tire, then it reduces engine torque After driving both vehicles in snow, I take the FJ every time. Last blizzard at the hobby farm, I tried driving in 2wd with the front bumper pushing some of the worst drifts. The Trac was engaging all the time, and the VSC was sometimes chiming, but had no trouble at all It still appears only a handful of Prius cars experience this issue. [Sarcasm Mode ON] Other Prius drivers claim their car will charge through 4 ft of snow on bald summer tires. [Sarcasm Mode OFF] I run very aggressive studded winter tires - Goodyear Nordic - from Canadian Tire. It's the same as the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in Europe. http://eu.goodyear.com/home_en/tires/repository/UltraGrip500/index.jsp?page=benefits Once I'm in fresh drifted snow over 12 inches, or rutted snow over 5 inches, forget about it. Trac is blinking, and the wheels stop turning
Has the traction control problem for sure been fixed in the 08s? I still don't understand. Did Toyota update the TC system beginning with the o7 model?
I really want a Prius, but I am still not sure if the TC system has been updated in the 07s or 08s and the stopping dead in it's tracks problem has been cured. This will be my only car and I need it to be able to go in the snow.
So rent one, or take a few test drives in the snow. Then you can decide for yourself if the TC is too sensitive for you. I find it works great in the snow here in Chicago. Some people who post here at PriusChat have higher expectations for snow behavior, others have lower expectations. Only you can decide if it meets your expectations.
I'm sure the TRAC was upgraded in 2006. I guess that my situation is just particularly bad. The combination of steep grades and snow covered roads basically shuts down the drive train. Once stopped it does try to move again but of course the chances of getting moving again on a snow covered hill are zero. Even if it is just a short patch of snow I can't maintain enough forward momentum, with the TRAC shutting down the power, to get through it. I guess I'll try using chains. But honestly, the thought of chaining up everyday to get through a 20 yard snow drift doesn't hold much appeal.
