Excited... picked up new snow tires...

I understand the system is designed to shut down the wheels when they start to spin to protect the system from damage. I just wish they would find a way to allow some spin rather than shutting down completely. I don't think you can or should try to override the way the system works. It is a design defect in my humble opinion and I think it is wrong not to disclose it to buyers in mountainous areas with lots of gravel and snow. I fear that some day I may need to accelerate quickly to avoid an accident or to merge into traffic and someone will get hurt.

Oh, I just saw the post above. Maybe it can be disabled. ????

 

Interesting - but I'm a more than a little concerned that we should never use this process to defeat the system and then drive the car. The web site link you gave above contains prominent warnings not to drive the car after defeating trac control, (see below). I'd feel a lot better about doing this if we had someone with a lot more tech knowledge than I have give us some assurance that we aren't going to destroy any major components if we use this to help get unstuck every now and again. Is there anyone out there that can address this?


WARNING: The shop manual apparently states in no uncertain terms that this procedure must NOT be used to drive the car as damage to the transmission could occur due to traction control being defeated.

AND

Unlike EV-Mode this is strictly a diagnostic function and should not be used under normal situations.

 

I'm real nervous about turning off trac control and causing damage. There are some current and old thread around here that throw up red flags about doing that. Sure is tempting though.

 

I'm not planning on it. Unless someone who knows what he is talking about recommends it.

You might want to read this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-t...9-traction-control-post730942.html#post730942

 

Well I am thinking of buying a spare set of rims for my Prius so as to not get stuck during those 2 days per year that I need them. (Ya I wish) Where can I get a good price.

MPG? Don't even get that with my other vehicles in the winter. The geo even drops down 3-4 mpg.

 

Thanks for the info fish antlers. If you ever run across anything authoritative regarding the potential risk of disabling the TC please let us know.

 

There is an entry about disabling traction control here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-t...9-traction-control-post730942.html#post730942

 

About a month ago I bought a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta Rs. I was told by the seller's rep. that I should get about 60,000 miles with these tires. I will swap them out for an alternate set of stock Prius wheels with brand new Integrities in the Spring--I purchased the set stocks from someone who took them off of his brand new Prius and auctioned them on EBay. They really are brand new--about 15 miles on the tires he said--complete with tire pressure monitors, center caps, trim rings and stock lugnuts.

Here in snowy Rochester, NY we had snow BEFORE I was able to get the Hakkapeliitta Rs mounted (at my local Toyota dealer). My 2006 had already experienced excessive wear on the stock Integrities though they did have significant tread left. With the Hakkapeliittas the difference is amazing. We've had several 4-6" snowfalls and I can drive and keep up with the best of them. Handling is wonderful and I have even had excellent traction on very slick, icy roads--EXCELLENT! On dry pavement my mileage hasn't suffered one bit with the Rs...49.9 mpg. On snowy roads, it drops to about 47 mpg, but that's to be expected. I DID expect a mileage hit (and didn't care--I wanted better safety/handling) but there really isn't a mileage hit, afterall they are rated Ultra Low Rolling Resistance. They ARE noisy, but again, who cares? I sure don't. I just turn my music up a little louder.

If you're considering snow tires, these non-studded snow tires are amazing--they give far better control than the Goodyear snows I had on my heavy Bonneville (the car before the Prius). I'm delighted that I bought them. I got a very good deal from Tiresbyweb.com and they were shipped to my door very quickly. I not quite sure, but I think the price INCLUDED the shipping. I do remember that that website had the lowest price for these tires of anywhere I looked, they had the correct size in stock and they shipped FAST, very fast.

Absolutely no need to fear winter driving in a Prius if you purchase these tires. And if you start exploring the technology and materials used to design and manufacture these Finnish tires, you will be amazed.