Purchased Prius 2008 and going to Mt.Washington NH

[suri_164]

Hi guys,

I bought a 2008 Prius Gen II and very impressed with the performance and I am very excited every time I drive my prius. I am planning to travel to Mt. Washington Road Show with my Prius. Does any one already Traveled top of Mt.Washington Road Show new hampshire. If yes can some one suggest what all the things do I need to take care

Suresh

[Matt Herring]

I'd suggest contacting "Hobbit" on this site. You can look him up by that username on this here. 100% positive he's been to the top of Mt. Washington more than once with his Prius...he has a bumper sticker on the back of his car that says so!

[fuzzy1]

Does that road have any similarity to the roads on Pikes Peak or Mt. Evans in Colorado?

[suri_164]

I think so. Just now I saw the website of Mt. Evans and it looks similar. Mt. Evans is of 8,700 feet and Mt. Washington is of 6,288 feet.

Originally Posted by fuzzy1

Does that road have any similarity to the roads on Pikes Peak or Mt. Evans in Colorado?

[richard schumacher]

Snow tires, and if the weather is bad don't try it.

On the way up don't be afraid to floor the gas pedal when needed, and on the way down shift to "B" instead of "riding" the brakes (that is, pressing the brake pedal continuously for minutes at a time).

[suri_164]

Thanks Richard. Way down shift to "B" means still we have to use breaks if the down hill is very steep. if down hill is not that steep then can continue with "B" with out giving gas. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[hobbit]

When you get to the gate, the guys will say "hmmm, you have a
very unusual car!" [which is becoming less and less true...]
and hand you a piece of paper that has their own rehash of B-mode
which goes over the basics. The facility director isn't sure if
he wrote it based on my original rundown on it or another
source like something Toyota gave him, but bottom line is yes, you
want to use B, probably all the way down. Once the battery is
topped up [within the first 500 ft of descent, it will be] you're
on engine-braking and the physical brakes the rest of the way, and
the engine's no slouch at dissipating energy in its own right and
doesn't powder off brake lining in the process.
.
If B is holding you back too much, you can pick up a little speed
by just dropping to D for a moment, and then back to B to maintain
control. But it's probably not worth trying to go much faster on
the straights, as they're not that long. We don't want to see any
prius-shaped cairns marking the trails up there.
.
I certainly didn't floor it on the way up. I don't think I topped
2600 RPM the whole way up. That's still a lot of power relative to
speed when you're going 15 - 20 mph, and more than that is not
needed or safe. Your radiator fans will still run, though.
.
And if driving up instead of hiking makes you feel guilty, you
need one of *my* bumper stickers rather than the stock one they
give you! [I've actually got nine more of them, and should
just sell the rest off at cost.]
.
_H*

[fuzzy1]

Originally Posted by hobbit

If B is holding you back too much, you can pick up a little speed
by just dropping to D for a moment, and then back to B to maintain
control.

On the 2010, switching momentarily to D is unnecessary. Just push down slightly on the gas pedal to reduce the holdback. It doesn't actually burn fuel, but just reduces the engine braking. It sounds and feels weird to have the engine slow down by pressing the gas pedal harder, but there is nothing illogical about it, as you are just modulating the engine braking function.

I cannot speak for pre-2010 models.

[hobbit]

Correct, that's an alternate way to do it but possibly easier
to overdo a little, and harder to regulate. Pushing the go-pedal
a little removes *all* the drag and more or less has the same
effect as moving to N, where going to D still applies a little
drag.
.
This also points up how D and B are NO different except in a
complete feet-off-pedals condition!
.
_H*

[richard schumacher]

Originally Posted by suri_164

Thanks Richard. Way down shift to "B" means still we have to use breaks if the down hill is very steep. if down hill is not that steep then can continue with "B" with out giving gas. Please correct me if I am wrong.

You are correct. Start by using the brakes. If you need the brakes for a long time, shift to "B". Continue using the brakes if needed. If you want to speed up a little for a short time you can either shift back to "D" or touch the gas pedal.

After, if you forget to shift back to "D", continuing in "B" will do no damage but it will reduce fuel economy. (But never use "N" while driving! The only time for "N" is when the car is being pulled through an automatic car wash.)