1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

engine RPM was much higher entering highway during heavy rainstorm

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by priustexasbob, May 27, 2016.

  1. priustexasbob

    priustexasbob Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2010
    356
    86
    0
    Location:
    arrakis
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I went to meet friends for lunch, there was a very heavy downpour, ie: 3 inches per hour rate. I went to enter the highway, and not heavy on the accelerator either, my RPM showed just over 2800 on my scan gauge, I could feel/hear the engine revving, but my speed was not increasing at a rate I thought it should or does in dry weather. I backed off the pedal a bit, to 1700 RPM, and I seemed to be maintaining the acceleration rate I had with the higher RPM.

    I can surmise it might be the weight, or lack thereof, of the C. I run about 36 PSI in the tires.

    for the record, when I left the house it was just a steady rain, then when I made the turn to hit the highway the rain opened up into a torrential downpour. There was no option where I could not stop or pull over. a little down the road it lightened up a lot, then rained even harder, luckily it was at my exit, crossed the highway and it turned to a drizzle. crazy southeast Texas tropical weather.
     
  2. Sean Nelson

    Sean Nelson Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2014
    421
    182
    0
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    If there was even a shallow amount of standing water on the road then it can take quite a lot of power to accelerate through it. And at that kind of rainfall rate it wouldn't even have to be standing, there'd probably be a significant amount even if it was draining off the crown of the road. That would be my guess as to what you experienced.
     
  3. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2015
    1,014
    485
    0
    Location:
    Nh
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Agree with sean and will add, the drive wheels may have been spinning.
     
  4. OLO

    OLO New Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2018
    6
    0
    0
    Location:
    Scarborough,ON Canada
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    N/A
    I agree with the two posters above and similarly in deep snow The prius will work harder and it will show in the mileage figures.