What's this business I read about Prius will not spin its wheels? So says, if it looses traction, it somehow disengages the drive or otherwise does not power the wheels until they stop. Once they stop, the wheels can receive power again. That's sure going to make it hard to do burnouts in the grocery store parking lot. More importantly, it could make it hard to impossible to get unstuck on sand, gravel, mud or snow. It could also be hard to take off on a slippery incline. Sure, this isn't an off road vehicle, but off the road ain't far from on the road and road conditions can get pretty rough. Is this no wheel spin thing true? If so, can it be overridden?
I am no expert and I am probably not even right, I can and have spun my wheels. I have a 2011 third gen. regular Prius. I think the traction control on the second gen. Prius (2003-2009) will not let you spin the wheels. I believe that that traction control can be dissabled (overridden), somewhere here on PC there are more than one thread discussing these matters. Posted from my iPhone via the Tapatalk app.
In most cases it is non-issue. Buy the appropriate tires and you're set. The Prius has no trouble in dirt or gravel, snow or water and it has no business in the deep mud. Fear no logging roads!
Fear no snow (as long as you have studded snow tires). Actually our 2011 Corolla has a more aggressive TC than the Prius, but I can switch it off.
Cool Sometimes a little wheel slipping is unavoidable on steep gravel roads. The foothills of the Rockies in Evergreen, Colorado come to mind. Hey! There's Prius C commercial on TV right now.
The Gen II Prius can spin, and I have rocked it out on numerous occasions. The Gen III is even better in this respect. However, and this is a serious however, Prius have a hard time going uphill in lose gravel or snow. If you can keep moving you are okay, but if you lose momentum you are done. Don't expect your Prius to be a Jeep, or even a Subaru. Tom
I am sorry, but I have to disagree. I live on a dirt road and there is a steep uphill into my area, and two steep uphills leaving. I have lived back here for over 20 years, and had several different vehicles in that time. While it is no Jeep, my Gen III Prius has been the best at getting in and out without a problem on the dry, in the mud and on snow. It is a matter of the tires. I use one set of tires for summer and a snow-rated for winter. Try it some time.
