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Axle weights

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by schmuly, Jul 30, 2012.

  1. schmuly

    schmuly Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
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    Location:
    BC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    I drove across a scale this morning on the way to work and we are very front heavy.
    The front axle with myself and my wife was 2205 lbs and the rear was 1585 lbs.
    Our car handles well on dry pavement, but it might not handle as well on ice (frozen water) because it is lighter by over 600 lbs. I think this sets the car up for understeering on slippery surfaces.
    Has anybody driven in snow and ice with there Prius v? How did it handle?
     
  2. Mr Incredible

    Mr Incredible Chance favors the prepared mind.

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2008
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    Location:
    Neb
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    I'm thinking it would be oversteering.

    I have only heard good things about the handling in the winter. That weight on the front would be great for traction. The back end might slip out a bit, but it shouldn't be too bad if your rear tires aren't aired up too much. The usual spread is -2 psi on the rear, compared to the front, but I'm a little paranoid and make that a -3 or -4 spread on the rear. I have some experiences that lead me to that.

    On the CRX I had some VERY grippy snow tires last winter. The rear tires were standard summer tires. When slowing down for a turn, the front gripped and tracked where aimed but the back end didn't grip as much and came around on me. This happened for both left and right turns. It wasn't anything that I wasn't prepared for but for the lesser experienced it could have been extremely exciting.

    The other experience was also in the CRX. I was experimenting with higher tire inflation pressures. I really had 'em stuffed, like maybe 60 psi. Got caught in a light rain on a fast sweeping right turn. Talk about riding on a greasy surface! Holy Cow! With that small of a contact patch I'm amazed that everything turned out ok. Slowed way down and got the rest of the way home.

    The C has the sporty tire and suspension package and handles almost like a slot car, but I've aired down a little bit more to keep the rear traction more of a sure thing.