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2010 Traction Control Demo

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by bestmapman, Jan 5, 2010.

  1. bestmapman

    bestmapman 04, 07 ,08, 09, 10, 16, 21 Prime

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    I took this vid in my driveway. The conditions were 1/2 inch on snow over very thin ice. The driveway is fairly steep. it may not look it, but it is especially in the turn.

    I started out from a dead stop on the first part of the hill. Initally the car rolled backwards and then the traction control kicked in and it started moving.

    At the steepest part of the hill, the car actually stopped for a second until it continued. I had the accelerator 3/4 of the way down the whole time.
     
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  2. mmichaell

    mmichaell Member

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    Thanks, thats a great video of the TC. I still however am going to buy snow tires next snow season :)
     
  3. toyoyo

    toyoyo New Member

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    Super video! BTW - What tires do you have?
     
  4. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    ... clearly showing that the prius *can* spin the tires just
    fine, but deliberately chooses not to for longer than it makes
    sense. Excellent debunking material for the TC naysayers...
    .
    _H*
     
  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Good Demo...would like to see an '04/'05 And a '06-'09 on the same hill in the same conditions. I don't think you'd have nearly that much success with my '04.
     
  6. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    That's the way to do it!

    Thanks for the demonstration of the precise torque control of the electric motor. I don't think this kind of precision from the traction control can not be done in a non-hybrid.
     
  7. bestmapman

    bestmapman 04, 07 ,08, 09, 10, 16, 21 Prime

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    The stock Ecopia tire.

    My 07 under the same conditions would not make that hill from a stopped start. It would be OK if I had a running start, but it would not make it from a standstill.
     
  8. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Your 07 with Good Year Integrity stock tires? If it had Ecopia, it may make it up.
     
  9. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    That was beautiful.
     
  10. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Nice video, even though I don't expect to see snow, I hope it works this well mud roads I sometimes encounter.

    What indicator lights went on when you were slip sliding? I still wish it had an off switch, but skid and traction control are cool features.

     
  11. zeke

    zeke New Member

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    Thanks for a great video. I have been nervous about posts involving traction control just shutting off power to the drive wheels rather than spinning. We will have snow on the ground until St. Patrick's Day, so this is important. I haven't had problems so far, but I went with studded snow tires. (They were impressive to the locals in Charlotte over Christmas.)
     
  12. hlunde

    hlunde Member

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    I have a 2010 Prius and I too have noticed that the traction control is extremely sophisticated. But, in winter conditions my old Volvo 850 with winter tires and comparatively primitive traction control is still far superior to the the Prius with the OEM Yokohama S33 tires. So, to me, tires make ll the difference. While one would immediately notice the improvement in hill climbing ability with winter tires, the difference in braking is amazing.
     
  13. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    We don't get these tires in EU - are these winter tires?
    If no, then the TC has done an excellent job to get you all the way up - with snow *and* ice. If it was with winter tires, TC did nevertheless a good job in:
    - not stopping the car at all
    - getting you where you wanted in safety
    - no need of chains on your tires to do the job
     
  14. ken1784

    ken1784 SuperMID designer

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    They are Bridgestone ECOPIA EP20 all season tires for NA.
    Bridgestone supplies ECOPIA EP25 summer tires for JP and B250 ECOPIA summer tires for EU.
    Bridgestone to supply ECOPIA for Gen3 Prius (Japanese only)

    Ken@Japan
     
  15. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    you need to update your profile. i was half convinced it was a 2007 you took up the hill.
     
  16. PaJa

    PaJa Senior member

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    There are couple other videos showing TRC in action as well as for Gen II.
    2009:

    2010:



     
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  17. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Some of us have walked that driveway w/o snow and ice. It is a slope that people with large feet in worn sneakers could suddenly rediscover involuntary 'skiing' either via sneakers or butt.

    Bob Wilson
     
  18. ken1784

    ken1784 SuperMID designer

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    Fortunately, I live in warmer climate place, so I've no experience to see how TRC works on the icy road.
    However, I'm curious to see any differences on climbing hills between going forward in D and backward in R.
    Anyone?

    Ken@Japan
     
  19. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Compare the Prius to a Range Rover, second half of the video.
    I tried to reverse my Prius up a very steep dry driveway, not enough torque to get going and too abrupt at the bottom to get a rolling start.
     
  20. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

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    Showing yet again that it is not the car, it is the tyres that are the problem. Traction control is not a problem if the tyres have traction. Spinning the wheels is not effective in getting traction - much like stopping distance is greatly increased if you lock up a wheel and skid. If the tyres aren't gripping, back off.

    Anyone who lives in a location where snow and ice are a regular occurrence in winter should get some winter tyres and fit them as soon as the temperature starts to drop.

    We've been caught out a little by some unexpected cold weather the last few weeks. Someone near my parents' house, a few miles away, built an igloo (of sorts):

    20100107 Lowfield Road igloo 2.jpg

    My car's been buried in a snowdrift since Tuesday night and I've not tried to move it, though some neighbours have now been successful. The OE tyre on my Prius is the Bridgestone Turanza ER30, a summer tyre; winter tyres are hard to come by, and no fitter offers to store your other set of tyres for you when they're not in use. I don't have anywhere to keep a spare set of wheels, so I can't easily install winter tyres.

    Prius in Snow.JPG

    Driving to and from my parents' house on 23 December was mostly OK but I had trouble parallel-parking - just as I wanted to turn the wheels back, to swing the front end in, they slipped and spun, meaning I couldn't get close enough to the kerb. Luckily someone left from a less-iced-up space further up the road and I used that space instead. I did not notice traction control completely preventing the wheels from spinning - I could hear that they were spinning.

    My neighbour's 5.7L Jeep Commander Limited hasn't moved since Tuesday either, it's not just me!

    This is what my road now looks like to drive on:

    SnowyRoad.jpg