Outside the comfort zone - into the snow and ice!

That sounds like a nice family outing in memory of your mom.

 

Sorry for your loss! Parents are always our saftey net and we always feel a deep empty hole when they leave us. I will be thinking of you and will say a prayer for Your mother and for you and your family!

 

Nice pic. I probably would have lost my balance and fallen off the sign right as he snapped the shutter.

 

Did your skid control light ever flashed for TRAC, VSC, or ABS?

I have found my Prius to be very sure footed, despite my effort trying to "test" that VSC, I never could spin it out and engage the VSC.

Then again I have 215mm tires and no such thing as ice or snow in my neck of woods. So salt is only applied to tortilla chips instead of the road.

 

What tires came on yours, OceanEyes?

My '12 came with Yokohama Avid S33's and they terrified me twice last week with just an inch of snow! I've travelled for 23 years in all kinds of weather, ice, deep snow, etc and have never been worried, never wrecked or got stuck, but they all had tires of my choosing. The car did great on the highway going straight but side streets and hills, forget it. I did find after messing around, that the B setting helped avoid using the brake, just like downshifting. Once I mastered the shifting (still used to normal trannies). It became a little better.
I am confident that with better rubber, it will definitely be a champ though.

Glad to hear your doing well with yours.

 

Sorry to hear about your mother.

Your story about the Prius doing well in ice and snow gives me some confidence for our trip later this month.

I grew up in Florida and have never driven on snow. Now my wife and I live in SoCal and we're headed to Big Bear Lake for Valentine's day.

I ordered some $150 Thule "super premium" snow chains.

Was that overkill if my all season tires are good?

I probably won't even get to use them.

 

Thanks for sharing. I can attest that the Prius handles in the ice and snow as well as any other front wheel drive car with similar ground clearance. Being smack dab in the geographic center of Canada has given me many years of experience.

 

Enjoy the winter! I have driven a prius for 8 years in wisconsin, never been stuck, knock on wood. Just use common sense!

 

What kind of tires do you guys have? Are you running all seasons?

I've driven through snow and ice in NJ, PA and the mid Atlantic since 1987, starting in RWD v8 cars and have never had a problem or gotten stuck but I feel like this car refuses to do anything that isn't driving straight! I've been more careful in it but slid though intersections in 1" of snow. Went down a small slope in a parking lot and almost slid into a fence at 5 mph! Sleet and ice, forget it, no way. I do believe the car should be good but cannot figure why it so Not, maybe just need snow tires for the first time ever.

Ugh. I'm sure nobody will believe me but really, I don't think it's me ;-) I once drove a small Saturn from North Jersey to Atlantic City in a snow that just about shut down the state but I can't ride a Prius through a snow shower!

 

Sounds like a wonderful tribute trip.

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I'm glad you had good luck, but there is no way (in my opinion) the LLR all-seasons that come with the Prius are a good winter tire if you are seeing snow and ice regularly for months on end as I do in VT. Mine turned hard as a rock below about 45 degrees and the very shallow grooves make for bad snow biting.

However, with snow tires, I've found the Prius to be every bit as good a winter car as any other front wheel drive car I've ever owned. Ultimately, ground clearance is it's real limitation.

You might know this, but that yellow light is telling you when traction control is intervening. Even with snow tires, I still see it occasionally, usually pulling away from stops when the roads are a mess.Since the Prii's traction control cannot be turned off, it doesn't let you have any "fun" in snowy parking lots either.