Any advice for new Prius driver during monsoon?

[howardbc]

I have been dreading a situation where the road is flooded and I have to decide if I should cross it in my Prius. I would not even consider attempting it unless I see other cars going though. Still, I worry that it could be a problem with the Prius being so low to the ground and having the batteries. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle different monsoon situations? Thanks.

[ZC1]

Does anyone have any advice on how to handle different monsoon situations?

Yes.
Carry paddles.

ZC1

[nerfer]

Originally Posted by howardbc

I have been dreading a situation where the road is flooded and I have to decide if I should cross it in my Prius. I would not even consider attempting it unless I see other cars going though. Still, I worry that it could be a problem with the Prius being so low to the ground and having the batteries. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle different monsoon situations? Thanks.

If it's moving water, the car would be carried away well before the water reaches the batteries. At least made impossible to steer.

But the low clearance does mean you need extra care before the engine, etc. (your feet) gets in water. I'm sure you're aware of the various search and rescue people saying to never cross open water without carefully walking it first, since they get tired of rescuing [strike]idiots[/strike] people from cars washed off the road. I assume the inverter, etc. is protected from water, but I wouldn't stake my car's driveability on that.

[Bill Merchant]

Remember, Howard, that your Prius is in part an electric car. I'm sure you know that electricity and water don't mix. You can read how Scott_R lost his baby when water entered his car.

[miscrms]

There should be very little danger from a safety perspective, as all the HV systems are setup kind of like a ground fault outlet. Any little bit of stray current going anywhere other than where its supposed to and the whole hybrid system shuts down. On the other hand, as mentioned expensive electronics and water are a bad combination. This is becoming increasingly true of most vehicles these days though, not really Prius unique. Ground clearance is a bit on the low side, so you do probably need to be a little more careful. Once you start plowing water with the underside handling gets rough and you are asking for trouble.

I have to laugh, we used to drive a Land Rover Discovery which inline with its offroad abilities could wade almost up to the window line in an emergency. Unfortunately the factory mounted CD changer was located under the passenger seat, one of the first places to get wet :-) You have no idea how many stories of fried CD players used to come across the LR boards...

Rob

[928Quest]

I have been driving here for thirty years. My advice is to be very careful and aware of the areas you are trying to cross. When in doubt, don't do it. There is a reason why Arizona has a "Stupid Motorist Law". We are all just tired of fishing some moron out of a wash, dead or alive.

With a micro burst the water level can rise VERY quickly. But it receeds fairly quickly also, I have seen people boating down a street 5 minutes into a storm, and 45 minutes later the street is dried up.

When in doubt pull into a nice shopping center, or restraunt, have a sandwitch, relax and give it a few minutes to clear up.

[Rokeby]

Originally Posted by 928Quest

I have been driving here for thirty years. My advice is to be very careful
and aware of the areas you are trying to cross. When in doubt, don't do it.
There is a reason why Arizona has a "Stupid Motorist Law".

928Quest,

For the record, in general terms, what are the provisions of your "Stupid
Motorist Law?"

Is there a point where the sheer stupidity changes from a misdemeanor to a
felony?

Is temporary insanity a recognized defense? Is the death sentence available?

[donee]

Hi Howardbc,

Its not a good idea to go through even 3 inch water with a Prius. The air dam acts like a water plow, and the water will ride up very high, and be funneled into the radiators.

The car should not die, but things can get bent from the water pressure.