Prius in the rain

It's not a submarine.

But as a car, it seems as impervious as any other.

 

If you're really concerned about it, you can ask this guy.


[Broken External Image]:http://www.amerphotography.com/eos/10/crazyprius.jpg

 

I'd think it would less likely get stuck than a conventional car. I chose my words carefully, as I was tempted to say 'stall'. Yes, ICE can be prevented from running, and possibly more likely than most cars, since if ICE is shut down while you are in a flood, the tailpipe can fill with water, then ICE can't restart. With other cars, as long as you keep the exhaust pressure up, you can go deep. Did that with my Saturn last year or the year before (I forget).
However, as long as the motors don't get soaked, you can drive out electrically.
If the electric drive were to fail, I'd figure it would be over the control signals getting washed out rather than loss of drive power.

 

Well, I live in Seattle, so I can speak a bit about the Prius in rain. Absolutely no problems -- it seems to run as well or better than any other car I've had in the Pacific Northwest. Also, the windshield wipers are great -- wide and really keep the windshield clear, even in heavy rain.

Though I would note that we rarely have the sort of "intense downpours" that you get on the East Coast and in the midwest. However, the few I've encountered in the Prius (including a couple of hailstorms) have been fine.

The most important thing I can think of, in heavy rain (or snow), is good tires. There are a number of suggested replacements for the OEM tires by PriusChat members on other threads -- the Goodyear ComfortTreds and the Michelen HydroEdges are two of those mentioned most frequently.

 

And if you can keep the air intake from sucking in water, unless you got a snorkel.

 

Ah, forgot about the air intake snorkel. That could be a problem.

 

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I too live in the PNW and we know rain. When I was a Scout Leader we lived by Blue Tarps. Our guys could tarp up a area and get dry in no time. We put our tents under tarps. My car has had no problems even in the rare down pour. None of us in the PNW are walking in the rain. You have nothing to fear.

 

Last night I was driving home from Northern VA and got hit with lots of rain. I could barely see a few feet in front of me and everyone on 66 and 495 was only going about 20 mph. I had no problems and the silver and the black Prius I saw in the next lane didn't seem to be having any problems either. I did appreciate my NAV system as I would have missed my exit to 495 due to not being able to see very far. I felt a lot more confident knowing that the NAV lady would tell me when to exit. The irony of the drive was that I had stayed at my daughter's until after the rush hour so that I would have an easy drive home--I should have opted for the rush hour traffic.

 

DanMan32 can relate, Cental FL. is having a record June rainfall, over 17 inches so far, lots of water on the streets and my Prius has handled all puddles without any problems. The large wipers, and the rear too, keeps your all around vision adequately clear.
Don't let the rain spoil your Prius day.

 

Have you ever seen the Tom Cruise movie Risky Business? When he forgets to set the parking brake on his father's Porsche 928 and it rolls into the lake? That scene at the Porsche dealership when the service advisor finds him is priceless:

"Who's the U Boat commander??"

Seriously, like any car as long as you don't charge through water you should be fine. We've had some record rainfall and flooded streets here as of late, no problems yet:

http://www.canada.com/winnipeg/story.html?...cb-556b8c4eb75a

 

Biggest rain in 125 years in SoCal and it got me through it with flying colors. Good defroster (outside mirrors, too), good wipers; only complaint was overeager Traction Control cutout that left me lurching sometimes. never stranded me.

 

Anybody notice that the Prius feels more stable driving through puddles of water @ freeway speeds [~60-70mph]?

I had to constantly control the steering wheel when I hit a sizeable puddle when driving the Civic to keep it from jerking to the left or right. With the Prius, or its numb steering , it seemed to just brush off any puddle-wiggle and kept going in a straight line.

I don't know if it's because of the extra 800lbs, VSC, or what, but I love driving fast (and safe) in the rain even more now. Of course, I'll trust the Prius more once I get rain-safe performance all-seasons on first.

Too bad not soon since I usually wring ~10K+ out of the tire's rated mileage and Integritys are rated for 50K. So that's in 2 years plus. Or maybe I'll change up sooner, if another whacky rain season hits SoCal again, Or if I can squeal the tires enough on turns enough to wear them out faster.

 

People ask me all the time this question
"What happens when it rains?"
So I say:
"I can't drive it, I will get electrocuted!" in a joking voice then explain to them that its just like any other car.

 

Here's a link that might help:

Handles well in deep water and flooding

 

Tell me about it!

Have you considered Rain-X? If properly applied - and I can't stress "properly" enough - you rarely need the wipers once you get past 35-40 MPH. Bugs are also a lot easier to get off too.

A lot of folks have had problems with smears/streaks or wiper chatter after applying Rain-X. It's really important that you properly clean the glass first and also clean the wiper blades.

Don't just spritz some blue window cleaner on the glass and wipe with a paper towel, though that will help get the bugs and things off. Do yourself a favor and get a can of Stoner Invisible Glass, and a few clean white cotton Terry towels.

Use the Invisible Glass on the inside glass, then the outside, and you will notice the difference. It's amazing how much film the regular glass cleaner and paper towels leave behind.

Once the glass is clean, apply the Rain-X and use another dry Terry towel to polish it. Then spritz on some distilled water, preferably DI (De Ionized water) if you can find it. Wipe with another dry Terry towel and you're done.

Now drive in the rain with confidence.

Thanks to all the record-breaking rainfall here, I've given the Rain-X a good workout and it really proves itself.

 

If you have a detailing finish on the windshield, can you clean, then Rain-X and spritz as you describe?

 

Seriously, you might want to have a heart-to-heart discussion with the dealer about doing a tire swap. Maybe to Michelin Hydro-Edge. I've driven in PA and I know how you can find yourself hydroplaning during a heavy downpour.