Power lost on slightest spin of tires

Be careful, very careful what you say here.

So far I've learned that I'm not fit to drive a Prius and should sell it ASAP, I don't know how to drive, I'm unpatriotic since I used the "class action s#$t" word, I'm using the wrong tires, I'm accelerating too slow, I'm accelerating too fast, the Prius is the best car in the world for ice, snow and gravel, and a dozen other negative things that I can't remember.

I've stopped posting about the problem on this thread and I would suggest you do the same.

I wish you all the best.

 

I always thought it was the hubs since I hear them click in... I actually have to roll about 1 yard before they are truly engaged. If I ended up in a ditch without 4X4 engaged and couldn't even turn my tires I would be in a fix since it needs to roll forward about a yard to engage. Then when I take them out, they stay engaged with the axle like you say until I roll backwards a yard while not in 4 wheel, then I hear them disengage.

When I was in the snow.. I don't recall if out of all 4 tires only one would spin or whether it was only one per axle. You said something about

If you were in a similiar situation, it sounds like you would attempt to go to 4 wheel low?.... are you saying that would make a difference? On my rig, I never seemed to get much benifit from low....

Thanks for trying to help me figure it out.. I'm not sure if I have the same rig you think I have since mine appears to have different characteristics.

 

If you really do have a '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and nobody refitted the front axle with unlockable hubs, then your front hubs absolutely do not have any capability of unlocking. The axles and wheel mount are permanently attached and always turn together, just like on the rear axle.

Ford and Toyota are two manufacturers who put manual and auto locking hubs in their 4WD vehicles. But all Grand Cherokees, and Cherokees since '91 have had permanently attached front hubs.

Sometimes the transfer case will bind up when you try to shift out of 4WD, and reversing will help to disengage it. But both Selec-Trac and Command-Trac transfer cases can be shifted in and out of 4WD on-the-fly, without any need to stop and reverse. There's a reason why there is no mention in the owner's manual of needing to reverse to "unlock" your hubs. That's because THERE IS NO LOCKING MECHANISM IN YOUR HUBS.

I have a Selec-Trac transfer case, which locks in 4WD Hi and Lo range. So I would have already been in, or shifted to Part-Time (locked center diff) 4WD Hi.

I've got a Grand Cherokee Limited with Selec-Trac, and a limited-slip rear differential. My transfer case has the following positions:

2WD
Full-Time 4WD (center diff unlocked)
Part-Time 4WD (center diff locked)
Neutral
4WD Lo (center diff locked)

 

I wish mine had what yours has, but when mine came out... it was pretty cool.... but its no wonder they improved it.

When I am on ice it does great!.... since I moved out of the mountains.. I have have 2 really nasty ice storms where everything got 1 inch and another time about 3 inches of ice.... when that turns wet, its quite the fun!....I have never as of yet had to buy studded or even sipped tires and its moderately hilly where I am at near the mouth of the Columbia Gorge...
I only use my regular Mud and snow tires I ran in the mountains... not too aggressive.. I get about 18'ish MPG a I drive petty fast "on dry pavement!".
Traction is not near what it would be with better tires for ice, but my jeep does as "grand" job and controlling and utilizing the tiny bit of traction I do have with my regular tires. I just don't think they expected the Grand to be doing serious 4 wheeling at any time.

Its just when I got in those wierd binding, high centered situations that it gave me trouble.

But thanks for the time you spent trying to teach me more about my 4 wheel... I'm not sure it all connects, but thanks anyway....

 

OK, but...

Toyota apparently firmly believes that what you and I consider dangerous behavior is just what they wanted, so why bother with Toyota-related folks?

NTSB, some other auto-safety body, whatever: demonstrate to them, allow them to have a go at exiting a parking lot, and see where THAT gets you.

I don't disagree with the problem. When I got better tires, the problem dropped from at least 75% of the time I pulled into traffic to maybe 2%. I just disagree with the value of telling Toyota stuff they apparently don't want to hear...

 

Your argument has inconsistent elements.

While there can be situations where it is nearly impossible to maintain traction with both tires... driver technique can definately affect the cars ability to maintin traction. If you command the car to provide too much torque... traction could be lost.

/Jim

 

cknight; thank you for taking time to explain your personal situation on the ice. we all around this huge confused country have a bit of a different dialect that permits our explainations to be perceived somewhat differently.

for the record, we owned a '93 civic ex for 6 years and it was not our car of choice for snow or ice. But, if you employ logical ice-driving skills like torque and slow speed it worked okay,... yes just okay.

we rely on our '97 4Runner for any snowy ot ice driving and now plan to combine our commute with our yet-to-be-received '06 NL and a Vespa GTS. The 4Runner will remain silent more often and be used for how it is designed.

thanks again for your time.

 

I had a problem once when trying to get over a small hill of snow at the end of the driveway from the plow and my 2005 Prius keep coming out of gear. I would put it back in to gear step on the gas the tires would spin and shutdown. My Wife in the Camry, and my Daughter in her 12 year old Civic with low tread tires when over the snow hill right in front of me with just a little effect.

 

Your wife's old Civic didn't have expensive electric motors it needed to protect either. Buy better tires and problem solved. Those oem Integritys were pretty horrible. The Prii after 2005 were much improved with reduced traction control sensitivity.

 

What you are describing is not a traction control problem, but possibly an issue with the shifter. Traction Control does not shift the car "out of gear", but reduces power. The shifter switch can fail over time. Perhaps yours was getting touchy, and the bump at the end of the driveway created enough shock to make it shift to N.

Tom

 

I do a fair bit of snow driving and the traction control has never given me any trouble, even with the Integrities. I have a light foot though. Now, with the Hankook Optimo H727's, the traction control very rarely engages in the snow. I thought it was a fairly decent snow car with the Integrities but now it's an incredible one!

On the '07, it doesn't shut the wheel torque down--it still allows a little wheel spin. Maybe the traction control programming on the '07 really is different than the '05.