Prepping for 2,200 mile winter trip; seeking advice.

Many of us have been doing this for decades now;

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you might consider cleaning the egr circuit/intake manifold. not sure if 60k is too soon.
have a great trip!

 

Remember that even with snow tires, the Prius isn't exactly talented when it comes to traction management. Sometimes you just need to get off the road. Pay attention to local radio/news web etc along your route. If the locals are changing plans (canceling schools etc) maybe you should change your plans that day too.

 

Strange advice. Here in Minnesota, winter is simply called Tuesday. This coming cold season will be my 19th driving a Prius. It's no big deal. My suggestion is to make sure you have tire with good tread (all-seasons are fine) and don't drive like it is nice out.

We take trips in the winter. The most demanding is during the holidays, from the east side of Minnesota through South Dakota to Wyoming. You encounter snow & ice on the highway. Be alert. Slow down. Keep safe distances. That's all we do.

 

Well yeah, there is the basic deal of low-traction winter driving. Decelerate, turn or accelerate. Pick any one and be gentle about it, or else.

 

And try to stay out of really deep snow, especially if it's wet: the Prius' low ground clearance will leave you stuck no matter what the tires.

 

Is this your new advice for the Gen3 forums, supplanting check of the 12 volt ?

Probably premature, and not the earliest we’ve seen.

@Mendel Leisk has that by a long shot.

 

All Season vs real Winter tires depends on both the particular conditions, and on the driver. When it gets cold and stays cold, the roads tend to clear and AS tires work just fine for those who are familiar with winter driving.

But active precipitation with temperatures oscillating around the freezing point makes for more challenge. Combine that with someone unfamiliar with winter driving -- e.g. someone who tries to brake and steer at the same time, at levels similar to ordinary dry roads -- and things get messy. Add in less than the best tires, and things fall apart very fast.

Boise in November will not be the same as Minnesota in the cold dead of winter. It will be late fall or very early winter in a less-cold place than Minnesnowta. Conditions will be more variable.

 

Congrats on your new/used Prius!

You probably don't need to do anything to it, assuming it's got good all-weather tires and antifreeze in the radiator.

If you're planning to stay in the NW for awhile, rubber floor mats are a good idea, especially if you'll be getting in and out of your car often. I have WeatherTech floor mats, because I'm in and out of my car a lot for work, often in deep, fresh snow, and without them my carpets would be sopping wet much of the year. For a single trip on mostly interstate highways, you probably don't need anything you don't already have.

I also use snow tires in the winter, but that's mostly because I use my car so much (25K+ miles per year), and that includes driving over rural unpaved roads and long (ranch) lanes, sometimes with steep slopes. My transportation before the Prius was a 3/4-ton 4x4 pickup, so I have to be a little careful with the Prius, especially in deep snow. As stated above, just stay out of deep snow if possible. Your car has 5.5 inches of ground clearance, so consider that the maximum amount of snow before it starts lifting weight off your tires. The only time I've been stuck was when driving on top of about a foot of crusted snow, and when the tires broke through the crust, it was stuck pretty good -- had to call a towing service.

If you're actually moving to the NW, you might want to consider getting some good snow tires once there.

But honestly, I wouldn't get new snow tires simply for a 2,200 (or 4,400) mile drive on main highways. Keep tabs of the forecast for your route, and if it sounds bad either alter your route or hole-up for a day. You'll be driving into most of the weather, so expect a couple weather systems along your route. Have some warm clothing with you, including boots, gloves, hat and winter coat. Also pack some food and water, just in case you do get stranded. A smallish snow shovel is also a good idea. And fill the gas tank a little more often than normal. Some would say to keep it at least half full, and that's not a bad idea if you're even a little concerned about the weather ahead.

If the satellite radio has any kind of OnStar function, I'm certainly not aware of it. Your cell phone should suffice on most of the major roads. You'll want it for weather checks too.

 

Good points from @fuzzy1.

I don't think the Prius requires any winter preparations that wouldn't also be good in a gasser.

Something I haven't seen mentioned is windshield washer fluid. The crap they sell here in FL will freeze into a solid block of ice in a northern winter. I know that from having to stop every few minutes on I-71 in Ohio, in the dark, to scrape the windshield in a snowstorm and then having to remove the washer fluid tank and thaw it in the house.

Make sure that what you have in there now is winter worthy.

 

Here in the summer the stores tend to stock the washer fluid without freeze protection. For me it makes no sense to ever buy or use that stuff: we rarely if ever use the fluid through summer, so it's still in there in the dead of winter.

Even the good stuff is not that effective: claims aside, I see freeze up as it hits the windshield, due to windchill I guess. Helps to have a blast of warm air on the interior of the glass. And this is just at freezing or slightly below. But yeah, at least the tank doesn't freeze up, lol.

 

I wish the feds would ban that stuff.

 

They sell that here too, especially out of winter season, so one must always read the label.

My spouse once brought some home, and I complained. She insisted it was all the same. So I brought the jug into the house to show her the label: "Protects from freezing down to 32F" Finer print revealed that it was not for winter use.

Various products are formulated for 0F, -20F, and -40F. Read the label!

 

Rubbing alcohol, to quickly defrost windshield, but mix it 1:1 with h2o.

 

I live In the part of Alaska. I got my Prius just when the snow started. Went to Costco and got the Bridgestone BlizX and tire cables. I would have gone for the Ice-X but the BlizX are grippier. Haven’t had to use the cables yet.