37 Degrees F

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

are there any more questions?

 

I just think that it is a warning that the temperature is approaching the freezing level... and it helps you to start looking for signs of black ice... particularly if the ground has already been deeply frozen... and especially in shadows.

I do not buy the argument that 37F is significant going over bridges. The danger of bridges is very real... but that is when the temperature drops below 32F... especially in areas where the ground is not already frozen... resulting in bridges freezing quicker than roads.

I understand that the '04/'05 lights up a snowflake icon on the dash as a persistent warning. The alert in the '06 is easy to miss... does not persist... so therefore is of less value.

My wife's BMW Z4 gives an audio alert at 37F, and then flashes the temperature on her display.

/Jim

 

Different auto makers choose to do different things with a black ice/slick conditions reminder. I have never been bothered by the yellow snowflake, however it seems that Toyota has dispensed with it for the newest model and that means that the drop down notice on the MFD is the only indicator that there is road freeze potential. The weakness in that is that once you get used to the MFD, you don't pay much attention to it (for the purposes of looking at the road) and you don't notice in detail what is being displayed unless you specifically look at the device.

 

0 °C (32 °F) is the temperature that pure water freezes. Any contamination will raise or lower the freezing point.

Many alpine ski areas extend their season into spring and summer by adding ammonium sulfate or other compounds that raise the freezing point. Snow and ice become "tougher" and last longer. Roads and highways are mixing pots of contaminants. You must always expect water to freeze at an ambient air temperature higher than 0 °C. In this sense, Toyota prudent and entirely appropriate.

Consider the mix of particulate matter (2.5 µm) on a roadway: hydrocarbons, micro tire dust and all the other flotsum and jetsum. Water and water vapor will always freeze at a temperature higher than 0 °C along a roadway, especially on bridges with cold air underneath.

Toyota engineers put a lot of critical thinking into the Prius, including the "frost" indicator.

 

But didn't they remove it from the '06?

 

your bitching about that when the owners of the 2k4 and 5's get to stare that the yellow snowflake icon for most of the winter. Feel lucky.

 

On the 06 we have no snowflake in the dash but it seems like we get a vague warning on the screen (a roll-down menu displays 37F for a couple of seconds then goes away)

 

Tony,
I am usually reluctant to give folks like you any encouragement but the truth must come out: You really do make my day -- every day you make a post. In fact, aside from the subject of the Prius, I probably wouldn't even visit Priuschat if it wasn't for your presence here.

 

Here in Ottawa, Canada it's been on steadily since November, except when I park in a heated garage.
Let's say it was freezing rain overnight, but now in the morning the temperature is 37 degrees. The temperature is only rising now, but the ice is still on the roads.
Toyota thinks you should still be concerned for black ice at 37 degrees. I tend to agree.

 

Do you think that Toyota could possibly come up with some warning bells for us warm weather folks.......flames for when we are going to burn our hands on the steering wheels or our B**t on the leather seats???

Sorry northers, ex-Vermonter here. Last winter there (1981) was -45F. Thought I would never warm up.

 

And did they bother to tell us in the owner's manual what is going on and why? Or give us any choice. I want to turn the damn thing off since it stops flashing once I drop further below 37 and have yet to see frozen road conditions when it has actually be reading 37 degrees outside the car. I think the whole thing is bogus but Toyota who DIDN'T put any real engineering into it.

Does this forum have real answers in it or do we just yak?

 

We just yak. oh well there are other forums.
I think the frost indicator is a good idea being a person who lives where there is little road ice but when the temperature is as low as 4 degrees C at the sensor it is possible there will be ice on the cold road. I guess if it bothers you so much a small square of black tape will fix it.

I guess the manufacturers who don't include a frost warning have put more thought into their cars.

 

I feel compelled to weigh in on this. We just moved back north, after buying a 2006 Prius in a climate that never got as cold as 37F degrees.

The temperature here recently hovered around 37F, and the MFD warning banner has been bouncing up and down repeatedly (multiple times within a given drive). It's quite distracting and annoying.

In my professional opinion*, Toyota's implementation of this warning is poor.

(*I've been doing human interface design for cockpits for more than a decade. Having said that, I'll also say that there are a lot of opinions in the human engineering world.)

Why I think this is a poor design choice:

• the display is animated, which distracts the driver,
• the display takes up the full width of the MFD, and the full height of the MFD header area, increasing the chances that it will distract the driver,
• the display looks almost like the area it covers up, which makes it hard for the driver to discern what has changed,
• figuring out what changed causes the driver to spend even longer looking at the display,
• the display is a "caution", not a "warning"; but it's presentation is more like a "warning" (with the implication that there is an immediate threat), followed by a hasty retreat (with the implication that the immediate threat has somehow disappeared).

I've seen this caution implemented far more effectively with the simple idiot lights that show graphics of ice or even the word "ICE", as mentioned by others.

And maybe the worst part is it's not well documented. Since the display isn't self-explanatory, the driver has to turn to the 300-page manual, although some people have said it isn't in there. I turned to PriusChat to figure it out. I love the car, but they screwed this up.

 

My friend's 2007 BMW 328i gives a loud "ding" sound and displays on the dash a large orange triangle with a snowflake in it. It lasts for about 2 seconds and then goes away. I find this more annoying than the Prius, because while driving the temps often bounce above and below 37F constantly, so you have this loud "ding" going off constantly the whole time you're driving due to lots of elevation changes (WA is made up of LOTS of large hills) and micro climates. So you are warned of the temp every 5-10 mins (+/-) as you drive. That's annoying!

I didn't even notice the Prius 37F warning for several weeks, til I just happened to be glancing at my MFD just as it warned that the temp was now 37F. I don't find it distracting at all; if you're eyes are on the road watching where you are going, you won't see the MFD announce the outside temp.

Just be glad you aren't driving a BMW. Especially if you're one of those people who can't stand the Prius back-up beep, seatbelt reminder, or other beeps that I've seen people complain about on these boards.

"DING" 37F

"DING" 37F

"DING" 37F

"DING" 37F


I like my Prius' silent temperature warning.


.

 

I'm glad I'm not driving a BMW for a number of reasons

But citing an implementation that's worse than the Prius doesn't make its bad implementation any better. And the fact that you didn't notice a message on your MFD probably says more about your comfort with the car, driving position, or lack of peripheral vision than it does about the quality of the design decision.

You're entitled to your opinion, and no offense intended, but I stand by my opinion - it isn't a good design, and it could be dangerously distracting, especially to a driver that isn't familiar with the car.

 

No offense taken.

I wonder how other cars handle the same warning? My Acura RSX does not have any built-in thermometer, and so does not warn me when it's 37F outside. I don't recall being notified in a Honda Pilot, either (but it might not have been that cold whenever I was in it). What are other people's experiances with other cars? I am curious now.