Prius Prime in winter

I thought at first you were joking. You're not?

Seriously, I wouldn't put anything in the front grill above 10C.

 

I thought they already have a sensor that would prevent that, if not it seems like it wouldn't be that hard.

But if it's okay to have a foam tube for two months then it shouldn't hurt if the grill shutters are stuck closed during that time, since presumably they will unfreeze long before they are needed again. Except again for some hypothetical situations which may or may not happen.

But yes with the current system I think your method works.

 

Yeah one thing, even well below freezing, if for example I'm coerced into going up Mount Seymour, basically near wide-open throttle for about 5 km's, I'll pull all grill block out.

 

They have a monitored shutter control system to prevent that.
They may not have engineered for your re-engineering of the cooling system.

 

Well they haven't paid me yet for my re-engineering of the cooling system so don't expect to see it anytime soon!

 

IOW follow your advice and possibly void the warranty.

 

Apparently we are talking about something different, I was referring to my ideas for how Toyota could modify their cooling system so that the grill shutters could stay closed even in freezing conditions. If anything I would think blocking the grills with foam voids the warranty, but of course it's unlikely they would ever know someone did that unless they forgot and left them in when they took the car in.

 

Per Owner's manual, the engine comes on at -10C (14F).

Bob Wilson

 

How long have your tires lasted on the Prime? Do you normally stick to the stock all seasons on all your past Prius's. I'm only asking because some have stated that the tires are fine for the first winter year, but then are horrible afterwards. If that's the case winter tires are a must, but even winter tires don't survive long because of the soft rubber.

Moto E (4) ?

 

That's a surprisingly complicated question. First, there is no "stock all season" tire. My Prime came with the Japanese soft-rubber tire, since it was an earlier shipped model. My wife's Prime came with an American hard-rubber tire... which will last much, much longer. So, that's what I'll end up switching to later.

I've always stayed with all-season tires. There simply isn't a need for winter tires where I live here in Minnesota. Replacement timing depends upon when it happens. You don't want them near the wear limit during winter, but would think nothing of continuing to drive with them in the warmer months. That sometimes forces replacement sooner.

 

I'm just idly wondering: if you don't need winter tires in Minnesota, where do you need them?

 

Heavy, wet snow regions with poor plowing service.

Being colder makes the snow more friendly.

 

It's a dry snow ("up to 10% alcohol").

 

Except the only way you can get them here in Virginia is by special order.

 

I thought dry snow would be related to dry ice. We can only dream of no shoveling...

 

John1701a, please, for your safety, for your family’s safety, and for all the other drivers around you, please use snow tires on all your cars. You will not regret it and you will have a little better control in the winter. The winter tires may help you avoid an accident, thereby easily paying for themselves. Not to mention saving people from bodily harm or injuries or worse. I have lived in Buffalo for over 50 years and I am well aware of all different types of snow. I have seen, played in, run in, skied on, and driven on all types. Every type of snow is a hazard to drive on. The rock salt used to melt snow loses its effectiveness when the temperatures get below about 10F so the colder temps make it MUCH WORSE. At that point, only sand on the road will help, and sand on the roads is not nearly as effective as rock salt. The plowing and the plows that the State, the counties, the cities, towns and villages use to plow in the Western NYS area are behemoths and the snow plowing service is probably amongst the best in the world, but when it snows, there are always times where no place can keep up with the falling snow. Get snow tires john1701a. You will not regret it. If you do not get snow tires, I truly hope you never regret that decision. But, what price can you put on increase safety? There is a lot of drivers around Buffalo in horrible winter accidents who may or may not have had winter/snow tires on their cars. The winter/snow tires give you a little more control. Just a little. But it is really noticible, and makes any car with them installed safer, and way better. My Prius C gets out of parking lots where four wheel drive cars are spinning all their wheels, with their all season tires. I go up slopes and hills that other vehicles are sliding off of or truly sliding backwrard. It’s not my driving skills, it’s not the Prius C, it’s the winter/snow tires. I’m tired of helping reckless and not careful and cautious enough drivers get out of parking lots and ditches.

 

But he doesn't live in Buffalo and doesn't get that kind of house-burying, lake-effect snow that you do.

Buffalo snow:
http://pics2.city-data.com/w5q/snwq16729.png

Minneapolis snow:
http://pics2.city-data.com/w5q/snwq12822.png

 

You are located in a snow belt due, primarily to lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario.
Although Toronto Canada, for instance, is further north on the same lake, Buffalo gets much more snow.
You should not assume @john1701a gets as much snow as Buffalo NY.

 

Mine are the Toyo NanoEnergy A29 tires that I thought most of the Prime's came with. Those should be hard rubber.

 

That makes a huge difference. I could imagine winter tires being common practice for those up in Duluth, right next to Lake Superior.

Here in the Twin Cities, most people only user all-season tires. In fact, I don't even know anyone who switches to winters. It simply isn't necessary here.