Winter Driving

here's what I experienced last winter......

ICE comes on anyway | PriusChat

 

5 years of Minnesota driving with the gen-1 plug-in Prius. No trouble whatsoever, great efficiency, but EV was cold without electric heat.

This year with my Prime was brief, the end of Winter. The heat-pump was nice. I look forward to the climate-prep. For most defrost, no engine necessary. Just the window-blow setting works fine.

The curved back window funneled light snow nicely. Not sure what heavy snow will be like.

 

One thing to consider is buying from the northeast instead of ordering. Currently Maine and Massachusetts are discounting Primes (premium and advanced) by 5k. I live in Colorado and instead of paying msrp, bought one from Maine (Berlin City Toyota in Portland) a few weeks ago.

 

Did OK driving on ice with Michelin Xi3 snow tires. Low clearance--won't go though deep snow.

 

I'm curious too. I got my Prime in May so did not have cold weather experience. With the 2009 Prius I sold I got 46 mpg in summer and high 30s in our Minnesota winters.

 

I bought mine January 31. During Feb and March, when the temps were in the 20's and 30's, I was getting between 22 and 28 EV miles per charge. I will look up my mpgs when I get home tonight and post back here.

 

I grew up in South Jersey. I know South Jersey. South Jersey was a friend of mine. South Jersey is not winter.

 

107 degrees heat index here today and you folks are using the "W" word. Just not right.

 

"W"att?

 

Not specific to the Prime, or Prius for that matter, but if you're intending to get snow tires on separate rims, read up on the Tire Pressure Monitor System.

My suggest, if it's possible in your area, for simplicity, just waive TPMS sensors on the snows, which means you live with a little warning light during those months.

If you do get TPMS sensors, expect and upfront additional cost $30~50 per wheel, and likely an initialization charge from the dealership of maybe $50~100 to get them identified by the car's sensors.

This last charge will continue, twice yearly, with each wheel swap. Unless you bone up on TPMS tech and invest in the hardware needed to DIY the initializing procedure.

There's a Corolla steel rim that's compatible, and simple lug nuts. Or aftermarket rims, or rolls royce it: get Toyota rims.

 

Bridgestone Blizzaks on 15" steelies for the winter (sans TPMS, so ignore the NagLight ) (42F/40R), and Antares Ingens A1s (46F/44R) on 16" OEM alloy rims for the summer (with TPMS, and the State Inspection is at the end of June, so all is well as far as being legal for inspection etc. etc. )

 

Oh yeah: some US states require tpms light out, and some don't care?

And federally: tire shops are not allowed to do installs on tpms car without sensors? But there may be loopholes, and/or lax compliance?

It's a can of worms, for sure.

 

jjameson | PriusChat & MNdriver | PriusChat MNdriver that's cool. I know we don't have serious winters like you do, even like we used to when I was a kid. But this is all I can go by with what you are asking. So take it for what it's worth. Her are some charts showing my EV miles using temperatures and my daily mpg's by date. Hope this helps a little.

 

What app do you use to create such cool charts and with temperature and everything? this is not fuelly is it?

 

It's not an app, it's MS EXCEL. I put my trip notes in a spreadsheet. These charts are only from my 72 mile round trip commute. I use fuelly for my total mpg's per tank and also EXCEL. I only have 6 month's of data for my tank mpg's so it wouldn't make much of a chart. When I get a full year of data, I will do one for monthly.