After 3.5 winters of living with the quirky traction control, I have sold my 2004 Prius. I will miss the gas mileage but I will not miss the snowbelt driving. Yes, I replaced the OEM tires with Michelin Hydroedge tires with no improvement. I will also not miss the ECU recalls, worthless gas gauge and dashboard rattle. It was a great gadget but with an expired warranty, it was no longer worth my time. Good luck everyone.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(texvegas @ Feb 11 2007, 03:41 PM) [snapback]388565[/snapback]</div> Sorry to hear that. But there really isn't a car that is perfect for everybody - may for a few of us - but definitely not fol all. Good luck with your alternate wheels. This may be a silly question but, aren't the Hydroedge inappropriate for driving in ice and snow? Cheers; MSantos
Please....! Get yourself some real decent snow tires, drive with care and be happy. Going to the village Sagesund in the south of Norway today was perfectly OK in my 2007 Prius. [attachmentid=6539]
Did you try snow chains? I saw Prius specific chains (Z Chains I think) there and was tempted to pick 'em up for the 30 or so bucks they wanted for 'em.....just in case.
Dangerous on ice and snow? Why didn't someone tell me before I drove on ice and snow on OEM tires every winter since I bought my Prius ? I wondered why I was passing SUV's anf 4WD's in the ditch and didn't know what the problem was. My dangerous car was still going without a problem and the other guys were in the ditch. Go figure!
Hi Sleeper, Being in Norway you may not have heard the news about the area in Upstate New York State. There is an area off to the east of the end of Lake Ontario that gets dramatic lake-effect snows. Oswego County has some towns with 120 inches of snow fallen in the last week. Syracuse, NY is just a little to the south east of Oswego county. Looking at your picture, it seems you have maybe 6 inches of snow on the ground there. That is a little bit different situation. On another topic - have you tried , or know of somebody who has tried the norwegian invention "Autosocks", for winter driving.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sleeper @ Feb 11 2007, 03:25 PM) [snapback]388603[/snapback]</div> nice picture! texvegas, sorry to hear that you're leaving. As msantos said, the Prius is not for everyone. It does have low ground clearance so maybe you're better off with a Subaru.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(texvegas @ Feb 11 2007, 01:41 PM) [snapback]388565[/snapback]</div> I wonder if Toyota reads this board. ??? Seems like this traction issue has some 'traction'. JohnG <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sleeper @ Feb 11 2007, 03:25 PM) [snapback]388603[/snapback]</div> Wonderful image!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(texvegas @ Feb 11 2007, 05:41 PM) [snapback]388565[/snapback]</div> I really do hope that official Toyota reps lurk this board, and begin to get into their heads that this car may have some shortcomings. At the top of my list is the "traction control." Notice the quotation marks. The Prius does NOT have a “real†Traction Control system that brakes the spinning wheel. I’ve driven cars and SUV’s with that feature, know that it works, and know how it feels when the system activates. I finally solved most of my "traction control" issues by running studded Goodyear Nordic tires. I would probably run studded tires in winter anyway, I'm picky that way. I personally believe that a person driving in winter conditions should run winter tires, at the very least for their own safety But my first winter with "all season" tires – the winter tires were backordered until December of 2004 - my Prius was completely helpless at intersections. That would be fine if every other car was helpless too, then I'd say "oh well." But when I was holding up traffic, cars behind honking at me, my response was more like "Wth is going on here?!@!" It's also interesting that only a relative handful of Prius exhibit this "feature." Now that I think of it, only a relative handful had the dreaded "stall" and my Prius was one of them. Notice how Toyota at first did nothing, then had a TSB, then finally a recall. So just because a relative majority of Prius cars may not have a particular issue or problem, doesn't mean it can't happen or is "bad driving" or just a figment of the Prius owner’s imagination.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Feb 11 2007, 09:58 PM) [snapback]388766[/snapback]</div> Traction control can be achieved by cutting throttle. I'd wager that many/most cars also cut throttle. The one on my 350Z seems to cut throttle when there's wheel spin but it can be turned off like on most other cars. It never snows where I live so the "traction control" issues of being stuck in the snow are non-issues for me.
How's the Prius do in really wet conditions? I am waiting on my car, no experience yet. I live in the Seattle area and hydroplaning is a constant concern here. Are Trac control issues on snow/ice pertinent to slippery-when-wet conditions as well? Any experience? Extrapolations? Suggestions? Thanks.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Feb 12 2007, 01:20 AM) [snapback]388628[/snapback]</div> I know that the snow condition in my picture is moderate. During a heavy snowfall I would be very hesistant to drive any kind of car. Better stay at home, or pull over and wait for the road to get cleared. If I do not get stuck, some truck with Eastern-Europe-plates surely will. Baltic truckers are notorious for getting stuck on Norwegian roads in snowy weather, blocking all other traffic... http://www.autosock.us/ Autosocks: I have seen the ad, but not tried them on, either on my Prius or any other car. The design looks promising. Surely very handy for getting loose if you are stuck, or getting across a mountain pass in rough weather conditions. But regular driving, on dry roads or tunnels (there is always one or more on the mountain passes...), I'm afraid would ruin the autosock, just as snow chains will ruin themselves, and eventually your tires, and your driving pleasure - when not driving on snow...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chutney @ Feb 11 2007, 10:44 PM) [snapback]388775[/snapback]</div> 3 1/2 years and no problems here.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chutney @ Feb 12 2007, 01:44 AM) [snapback]388775[/snapback]</div> Just think about replacing the OEM Goodyear Integrity tires immediately as they are not very good in slick conditions (they're not great handling tires in dry either). I like the Michelin MXV4+ "Energy Saving" tires as they have much better handling on dry pavement and reasonable wet traction (not great on snow though) while actually improving MPG a little. The TC system in the Prius is seriously flawed as noted by others. You should consider a separate set of winter (or Nokian WR all weather tires - great tires if you can find them) for that condition. JeffD 79,000 miles on my 2004 Prius 34,000 miles on my MXV4+ tires - still great
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(texvegas @ Feb 11 2007, 01:41 PM) [snapback]388565[/snapback]</div> Some drivers drive; others know how to drive :lol:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jdenenberg @ Feb 12 2007, 09:08 AM) [snapback]388833[/snapback]</div> My vote for a tire as well. We are running them through the Michigan winter, and they aren't too bad. The Prius with MXV4+ tires works as well in the snow as any other fwd car I've driven. VSC is a big plus. Tom
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cwerdna @ Feb 11 2007, 10:23 PM) [snapback]388771[/snapback]</div> Cutting the throttle doesn't transfer torque from the spinning wheel to the stationary wheel. To do that you need to apply the brake, or have a limited slip or locking differential.
