Outside Temperature range -22F min.

[mrderik-work]

Greetings -

I've searched the Forum but can't find any reference to this. Can the actual temperature RANGE of the outside temp display be adjusted or changed? The Prius, along with the Tundra and 4Runner, all bottom out at -22f. It's gets a lot colder than that here....

Thanks,
D.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Originally Posted by mrderik-work

Greetings -

I've searched the Forum but can't find any reference to this. Can the actual temperature RANGE of the outside temp display be adjusted or changed? The Prius, along with the Tundra and 4Runner, all bottom out at -22f. It's gets a lot colder than that here....

Thanks,
D.

DUDE!!!
Priapus puts up a fight when I try to start him at -5ºF. -22?!


That I'm aware, the range is what it is. But think of it this way, once it hits -22º it just can't get any colder.

[alanh]

It's probably reading internally in Celsius, so the lower range is -30C. Sorry, you aren't going to be able to adjust the range.

[Tripod137]

-22F, -40F....What the difference? It's WAY colder than you care to know!!!

Hmm...if it is below -22F, do you do things differently than if it were -20F?

[mrderik-work]

Greetings -

Thanks for the replies. I figured it couldn't be changed but thought I'd try.

I live on a ridge outside of town and it can be considerably warmer at my house. Like this morning is -7f at my house but 'in town' it's -24f. On my way to work there are several areas without cell phone coverage and if something happens I would like to know whether I should walk to the nearest house, or just wait it for someone to stop. Likewise, if some else is broke down, or changing a tire, at -10f it's not a big deal. If it's -40f, it's a BIG deal.

I'm sure it's no different that extreme heat. The colder it gets, the less things work right and the more clothes you better have on. At -20f I know I can walk for an hour with no face protection and should have ear covered but can get away without. At -30f you want to have limited face exposure and ears covered if more than 15 minutes outside. At -40f you better have ears and face covered for anything more than about 10 minutes exposure. Likewise, I know what my gloves can do, and what they can't. If I'm working, they are only good for 45 minutes at -20f, about 20 minutes at -30, and at -40f about 10 minutes is all you're going to get to work on whatever you need to do.

This is my first winter with the Prius and so far it's worked pretty well although the coldest we've seen so far is about -40f. I can tell you though if you're not plugged in, even at -30f, it may not start. I forgot to plug in one day at work and by the end of the day I had to 'start' it 5 or 6 times to get it to go, and it was NOT happy about it. (It was probably -30 all day). I suspect when it gets REALLY cold here I will be parking it and driving my truck. When it's -45f to -50f in the morning, I'm not taking any chances, the Prius is going to stay home.

To it's credit, the heater seems to do o.k. even at -40f outside. You do have to alternate between the 'bi-level' heat and defrost though. But that's common in a lot of cars at that temp. Granted, it's not toasty in the car, you can still see your breath.....

D.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Well, it's a balmy 23ºF here in Chicagoland. Reading your post makes me almost want to remove my shirt and lay out for a tan.

The only problem with that, of course, is that I don't tan. :LOL:

[mrderik-work]

When spring does come, and it warms up to +30 or +40, we'll be out in t-shirts.

D.

[David Beale]

I wanted an inside temp measurement (so I could evaluate the climate control system). So I purchased a "National Geographic" inside/outside temp display. Stuck it on the dash using velcro. Cost a whole $10! I haven't yet routed the outside sensor as finding a hole on the passenger side is a little tricky. Anyway, it would solve your problem, and would be more accurate than the car temp reading, as it's taken just ahead of the rad., depending, of course, on where you put the sensor.

[Betelgeuse]

Originally Posted by mrderik-work

When spring does come, and it warms up to +30 or +40, we'll be out in t-shirts.

D.

Dang. You know you're in trouble when the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales match up.

[jayman]

Originally Posted by mrderik-work

This is my first winter with the Prius and so far it's worked pretty well although the coldest we've seen so far is about -40f. I can tell you though if you're not plugged in, even at -30f, it may not start. I forgot to plug in one day at work and by the end of the day I had to 'start' it 5 or 6 times to get it to go, and it was NOT happy about it. (It was probably -30 all day). I suspect when it gets REALLY cold here I will be parking it and driving my truck. When it's -45f to -50f in the morning, I'm not taking any chances, the Prius is going to stay home.

I have not found the Prius to have any sort of "disadvantage" starting in extremely cold conditions. If anything, it has an advantage due to the fact the large 200 volt NiMH traction battery is what actually turns over the motor. In temps of -40, with conventional cars or trucks barely able to turn over, the Prius should start

That said, what are you using for a motor oil? A conventional 5W-30 only has to be "good" to -30 C or -22 F. Any colder, you had better use a synthetic 5W-30, preferably a synthetic 0W-30 or 0W-20

I've covered the topic of oil quality and viscosity on other threads. The only reason I started using synthetic oils 25 years ago was to ensure the car would actually start at -40