Winter Driving

Hmmm... my wife took our Prius out yesterday after our first accumulation for the year. She told me I didn't have to worry about her driving in the snow anymore as the Prius handled great.

 

I suppose you discovered the OEM tires and Trac left you helpless? Trac can be perverse, it left me stuck on an icy parking ramp and refused to apply power, so I had to back down.

Also had a weird swaying rhythm driving on snow/ice unless I slowed to 60 km/h. That's a good way to get rear-ended. Some folks claim their Prius on OEM tires is like a tank in winter, and some folks like me would rather park it during winter if forced to drive on all-season tires.

With the proper winter tires, the car really appears to redeem itself. I put on Dunlop Graspic DS-2 on all four wheels, and so far the handling has been great. Plenty of traction too.

If you live in a part of the country with serious winter, better invest in steel rims and good winter tires.

 

We also got some snow. The traction control is a bit disconcerting if you're not used to it. I would like a switch that would disable the system in situations where it really does interfere with a good driver's ability to keep the car's momentum while the tires are just barely spinning.

 

Re: Winter Driving Prius Performed Well

[font=Arial:befa09c40a]Just got in the door after a harrowing 2 hr drive home (usually a 45 min. commute) Businesses let out early due to snowstorm with ice conditions on roads.

I\'m in one piece and so is my one month old Prius. One route home goes over a mountain and that was closed so I stayed off the interstate as well and crept along city streets going 10-20 mph and avoiding hills and abandoned cars.

There were two small inclines and several cars could not make it up but I was able to "make the grade" Whew...it was disconcerting to see a police officer\'s Crown Vic sliding all over, turn mid-hill and give up ...as I cruised past him.
:mrgreen: [/font:befa09c40a]

 

Where are you from? If winter conditions are as nasty as they are here, I would invest in dedicated winter tires on steel rims.

I've had my Dunlop Graspic DS-2's on steel rims since November, and so far am quite pleased with them. Compared to the Goodyear Integrity OEM's and the Michelin Harmony I used to replace them with, the Graspic's are far superior in winter conditions.

Their snow/slush traction is exceptional and the car will happily push through snow with the front bumper. When it briefly warmed up and we had water everywhere, the tires proved very good in the wet too. In the rearview mirror you'd see two clear paths left by the tires.

Unlike all-season tires, at -40 these tires still provide good traction. The only time I wished for more traction was on glare polished ice at intersections. They're still better than all-season but provide around 2/3 the ice traction of the studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2.

http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tires_p...up.cfm?id=1&w=1

Of course, a studless winter tire is easier to live with most of the time.

I prefer using dedicated steel rims on my winter tires as the level of salt used around here will damage alloy wheels. Before I mount them I spray them with WD-40 and that appears to protect them for a month at a time.

 

What do I know about winter? I pray for winter, animals small and large have been sacrificed in burnt offerings nothing. It was 72 degrees per the Prius at work at 2:30 this afternoon. Any of you that are tired of winter join me and send it to the Pacific Northwest. I am willing to slip, slide buy studded snow tires what ever bring it on.

 

Uh ..... ok.

Officials around here are seriously concerned about flooding when the Spring melt happens. Seems how it works, one area has drought and the other has floods.

 

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What package did you get? I have package 4 with VSC. I've never driven a car that seemed as competent in the snow as the Prius.

 

Thanks for this post! I live in Boston and we've had ALOT of snow this winter. I've been nervous about my traction and the traction control has required me to get pushed a couple of times

I agree with another poster that traction control should be off-able.

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