I am aware of some of the limitations of traction control in regards to the Prius and I live in Maine. I have had zero issues with snow and ice while traveling except for one situation and I am looking for a solution... My 2007 Prius, when I am at a stop sign and need to enter traffic, simply does not move if there is the slightest slippage under the drive wheels. If I do not quickly remove my foot from the accelerator, the delay is long enough to launch me into oncoming traffic when it is most dangerous. I suspect there is a programming fix or work around for this issue since the delay creates a very dangerous situation. Can someone please direct me in the proper direction? FYI: (edit)... I have fresh set of blizzack snow tires mounted... Thank you.
How else would it work? The car can either: a) Spin the tires and hope to gain some traction. Probably moving at a snails pace until that traction comes, and by then your window will have passed. or b) Don't spin the tires, move at an equally slow speed and by the time you get in position your turn will have passed There really isn't much that can be done about ice. If you allow for just creeping along on the ice and never give it so much accelerator that the TC kicks in, you will actually go faster. So instead of gassing it to the point of the TC kicking in and backing off, just slowly depress it like there is an egg under there. Same method that is used in a manual car when you start in 2nd or 3rd when on ice.
On ice you better have a light foot! It is the same with any car! I think I would find a parking lot covered in ice and practice until you can actually drive in ice condition's. Lots of us should just stay home when it freezes or take the bus. Sorry, Hal
I understand traction (I drag race). What I have a problem with is not knowing when the car will hesitate and when it will not. In standard vehicles I can feel the slip and wait. In the Prius I feel nothing and suddenly it decides to move. For me, that is a viable safety concern. I'm 52 and grew up driving all types of vehicles (family construction business) and have had many successful seasons at the drag strip. This lack of response upon putting my foot on the accelerator is scary because I do not know if the car will move or not, and if not, how long it will be prior to actually taking off. I'm not stomping on the gas (heck I'm focused on decent gas mileage (currently at 48mpg during the winter), and simply getting into traffic with safety and room to spare from a stop).
It's just the way it works. There isn't any software fix or change you can make, other than running studded tires. Tom
I get the "grin" but respectfully disagree with anyone can drag race, if you add "and be successful"...
Indeed. Anyone can do it, or track racing, but to be anything other than horrible it takes a little skill. Similar to ice. People in the southern states get around when there roads get a fraction of a mm of ice on them, but most end up in a ditch with their car on fire or doing 360's on the interstate playing bumper cars. Just depends on how you define "success" I suppose
That is true on ice as well, or in anything for that matter. I believe the studded tire is the best solution? Some have disabled the system by removing the sensor wires on the rear wheels. Hal
This is what I am searching for between the months of December through March... I drive like the proverbial grandma on public roads...
Frankly, I'm surprised by this post. You are not a noob to prius or ice. What is your real question or concern?
I have read all the "stuff" about traction control, hills, improvements and corrections by Toyota, and ways to disable traction control. I am extremely pleased with my 2007 Prius and have diven it for several thousand winter miles with no problem until... Once the weather turned damp as well as cold, the launch from a complete stop into traffic (like a "T" intersection) became a problem as the car would sometimes launch and sometimes not. When the car did not launch it would simply wait for maybe 3-4 tenths of a second and then launch, or it might be 5-8 tenths of a second before launching... That difference, when turning into traffic, with difficult vision due to huge snowbanks, became in my opinion a significant risk. This is the only issue I have with the Prius and I realize in another month or so it will be a non issue until next winter. I am looking for a simple fix for this problem as I am certain it can be corrected in some manner.
I had a corvette that did the same thing on dry pavement. Sometimes I hit the gas and the wheels would just spin, causing all types of smoke. Other times it just drove normally. Hope you get an answer to your issue.
The electric motors give a Prius instant maximum torque at zero RPS, hence they can exceed the static friction limit of the tire from rest much easier than a conventional gas engine, this may be why you perceive the Prius to "slip more" than your other cars--you just have to be aware of this and go easy on the pedal from rest on a slippery surface. The real winter solution, for any car, is to use ice/snow tires--after forty years of winter driving I discovered these a couple of years ago, and the difference is like night and day. Tires like Blizzak (sp?) have a special rubber compound that grips ice like studs without the noise and road destruction--such tires have a snowflake logo on them, which indicates "chain" rating.
