Driving uphill

I believe it is normal
I go into the "red zone" every day going up a steep hill even at 40-45 MPH

PS
Same color here

 

You live in Los Angeles. Where are the hills?

Sounds like you're trying to avoid going into the power/red zone. It's actually beneficial to go into the power zone when accelerating then letting go (the concept behind pulse and gliding). Avoiding the red zone at all costs hurts fuel economy.

Stay in normal mode (rather than ECO mode) so it'll drive more like a normal car.

 

Has nothing to do with going uphill and has everything to do with the fact that when this car is under power (either up hill or when you accelerate swiftly) the motor sounds like it consists of a few lawn mower engines running in series totally tapped out for all they are worth.

Of course it's fine going from LA to vegas.

 

Unlike most normal cars, the Prius has the advantage of being able to run its engine at any speed irrespective of the car's speed. As a result, engine speed on the Prius is directly related to load. The Prius does its level best to always run the engine at the most efficient possible speed. In stop and go driving, this means the engine turns off and only comes on to charge the battery when needed. At high loads, like hill climbing, the Prius opens up the engine to run at an efficient high-power setting. It sounds fast, but it isn't. Even at wide open throttle the Prius engine is turning fairly slowly by modern standards.

Part of the problem is a lack of sound proofing. The Prius tends to be quiet because most of the time it doesn't make much noise. Contrast this with noisy cars that contain a lot of heavy sound insulation. The down side is that you can hear the engine when you step on the gas. Likewise road and tire noise tend to be more prevalent.

As for you concern about extended hill climbing, don't worry. The Prius does just fine. I've driven my Gen II over the Rockies without any trouble. Your Gen III will do even better.

Tom

 

I visited a Provincial park in Ontario yesterday to enjoy the fall colours, but there was maybe about 4 maple trees in full red and orange display...boooo, I want my money back!

But I remember that driving the road leading to the park was like riding a roller coaster. Pretty scary at times with very steep hill climbing. Near the top of the hill climbing you can only see the sky and it feels like you're plunging over a cliff after that.

Right near the end of each steep hill climb, (the most scary part), my Prius groaned SO LOUD, it added like a ten-fold magnitude to the scary factor of the roller coaster ride, like the sound effect of a scary movie!

Now that made the $3 parking/entrance fee of the Provincial park well worth spending in spite of the no show from the trees!

 

My Prius is really quiet, but I agree that the engine noise in the red zone is bothersome. I put household stick-on weatherstripping around the edge of hood area to seal the gaps, and the engine is noticeable quieter at high revs.

 

Yes, it's noisier uphill than other cars. As others have written it's a combination of soundproofing and the different way the Prius engine is run.

My wife has slowed down on the Interstate so the Prius won't scream and bleed uphill.

 

I have found... yet have not tested since i don't have a canview... if you simply tell it more peddle, the car will up the torque and put the ICE in a higher regenerating rpm... not holding it down more.. simply depressing the gas as if you were requesting a gear down change (traditional automatic) let the rpms build.. and "surf the torque".. slowly let off the gas (heading towards a normal gas position) as you feel more power...

if i don't do this.. it feels like a bad game of catch up. ice spinning away.. but no torque... so.. i feed the torque early on, allowing the generator to adjust to the higher load, which supplies more power, and keeps everything at a more equal rpm (or so i would like to think so)

watch your SOC... full throttle does pull more power than this and will slow you down... try to keep two bars up some of the longest grades.