Prius Prime in winter

First day driving the new Prime in the snow to work. Fortunately it was only a little snow, and she performed admirably. If it was much more I’d borrow the wife’s SUV to play it safe.

 

I'd really like to see how my Hakkapeliitta's perform in that

Meanwhile, we had a snow-turned-ice storm. This one was bad. After the storm, doors froze even after preheating and clearing the windows the day before. A few sensors are covered in, what I call, mudsickles. This forced the car to alert me to clean the parking sensors (not telling me which one, just gave me a bunch of white fan icons all around the vehicle). I could ignore it, but then the message stays on and I don't get to see the blue arc symbol or battery charge because the message stays there. So, I've turned off the parking sensors. Worse yet, after the ice, everything froze fast, so the whole back of my car is still frozen, and might stay that way for... oh, probably until Spring. (More realistically, until this Tuesday.) And no I don't have a garage, Skylis A stays outside.

 

But you mentioned all seasons are just fine. That’s false in snowy regions.

 

Your right, I straddled a small sugarpine cone, and it made a noise, I was surprised. No discernible damage, but who knows? For every action there is a reaction.

 

Don't get into snow tire discussion with John, it's a tar-baby, lol.

 

It might help to use the preconditioning daily, or more than once in a day. Sorry, I see you have used the preheating.

 

It's the over-generalizations and vague use the word "need". Far too much variation exists from region to region for blanket statements to apply.

In other words, none of the discussion is Prius or even hybrid specific. You treat this situation the same way you always did for your driving circumstances.

 

True, everything and everybody is different. Often it’s difficult to explain various situations.

 

Well, that is a bummer. That is like leaving your pet outside in the winter.

 

Agree, fierce winter weather can be inhumane and miserable.

 

It's an opinion...Collect a bunch and decide for yourself.
For me, in my situation, a prius needs snows.
I've also gone with just all seasons on my 4WD vehicles when the tires are close to new and found that to be OK.

I can see others in New England getting away with all seasons (good ones) if they are closer to the coast where there is often less snow or maybe able to avoid driving in the bad days. There are also plenty of places in New England where hills are poorly plowed/salted and without at least snow tires it could be very dangerous.

No right or wrong...

 

Even the terms used can be misleading. Nokian calls the WRG3 an "all weather" tire, to distance it from the "make believe" snow tires (all season).

If you don't drive in snow much or ever, and you're going to, get good snow tires. You won't know how and it's best to start off with -some- traction.

As I already implied, even the best snow or ice tires will slide. Small throttle applications. Lower speed. If you have "ECO mode" use it, it makes it easier to gently get moving. But switch to "normal mode" if the windows start to fog or you want more heat.

 

i remember one time in Barvaria having a problem getting away from a curbside spot with my Peugeot, rear wheel drive. Then I went into give up mode and let the car idle in 1st gear and straightened out the front wheels and......walked right out. It’s easy to forget to straighten the wheels.

 

At least my pet thawed out just enough. I got my sensors back after work today.

 

Also live in New England near the Massachusetts Connecticut boarder. I have snows on the Prius, not because the roads are treacherous after a snow storm. They are generally well plowed. I need them to get up my 200 foot long driveway.

 

Second-hand story I heard about two Mainers. One asks why his driveway is so long. He says that if it was any shorter, it wouldn't reach the house

 

Gather around, fellow Prime owners! Invite those considering a Prime! I have a story to share concerning the latest snowstorm of 6 inches.

Warming up Skylis A with Charge Mode and defrosters made getting into a warmed car a break from shoveling. Rear window was cleared. Then out I went to the Farmer's Market. With the rear defroster on, there was no need for a wiper. The backup cam lens was quickly fingered for splash-up.

You may recall that the Prime has less than 5 inches of ground clearance.
Fear not, for 6 inches of fresh snow this morning was no match for the Prius Prime with Hakkapeliitta R2 winter tires. No studs necessary. Taking the scenic route, Skylis A even enjoyed plowing (yes, plowing) through an empty parking lot, to discover a closed thrift store. The enjoyment was cut short when the Bobcat showed up. Alas, we were on our way out!

Slushy intersections commenceth! Difficult to acquire traction especially uphill as the slush kept moving out of the way. Wherever the car slipped, everyone else on the road slipped. Didn't matter if it was pick-up truck or Subaru AWD. However, the Prime and Hakkapeliitta R2s prevailed.

Snow and slush continued. After clearing the ice from one of the sensors, Skylis A could see all again.

So, to potential Prime owners, this is your chance.
Thou shall utilize incentives and finance the best Prime that thou can affordeth.


And all shall live by the Ten Commandments of Prime Ownership:

1. Thou shall enjoy driving purely on electric!
2. Thou shall enjoy awesome fuel economy.
3. Thou shall enjoy quad LEDs.
4. Thou shall enjoy the color of thy Prime.
5. Thou shall clean thy camera and require no rear wiper.
6. Thou shall put on winter tires for snow/ice!
7. Thou shalt respect the 4.8" ground clearance - and plow through snow regardless!
8. Thou shall know to utilize Charge Mode efficiently!
9. Thou shall ask thy employer for charging at work and use it!
10. Most importantly, thou shall brag about thy Prime!

 

I like your writing style !