What is your snow driving experience?

Many if not most of us have driven vehicles in less than optimal conditions, with less than optimal equipment. With experience you can compensate for many sins. My old Jeep CJ5 was a beast to drive, with very eccentric handling characteristics. With a very short wheelbase and no ABS, it wanted to go end for end on nearly every stop. Still, I am here to write about it.

Epic stories aside, we shouldn't recommend marginal or dangerous configurations, and mixing snow tires with summer tires is marginal at best. Sure you can do it, and certainly many do, but it's inviting trouble, especially for inexperienced drivers. Unless you are destitute, spend the money for two more tires. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than insurance deductible, and a whole lot cheaper than human life.

Tom

 

Not with front wheel drive.

Tom

 

Ahh, I see the car with the nice winter rims yet again! Envious.

 

Just photo editorial comment on the above pic:

See what's happening? Either in-camera (then you're hooped), or at the raw file processing stage: software has delivered a picture that's "18 percent grey". Trouble is: most everything in the pic is not 18% grey, it's near brilliant white.

That's the trouble with scenes like this. If possible, you want to over expose by around 2 stops (ie: double your shutter open duration twice, or similar with aperture), to compensate.

 

Sure they have Tom, FWD vehicles have been around since the 70's ... maybe earlier.

The point is moot though .... as I said .... if you don't overdrive your vehicle in poor conditions, I doubt you'll have any issues.

I also agree 4 snows is optimum !

REV

 

Awesome pic MM !!


REV

 

I'm also in the neighborhood (NCC) and got mine only a few weeks earlier. I'm going to be curious to see how it does in the snow on the tires that came with the car.

 

Agreed, but I have to point out that the 1970s occurred less than 50 years ago. I'm old, but not *that* old.

Oldsmobile introduced the Toronado in 1966, so we have had FWD in the U.S. for a long time, but it wasn't common back then. I also remember Subaru getting into the game fairly early. Their 4WD system were FWD normally, and engaged the rear wheels for 4WD - just the opposite of Jeeps and trucks.

Tom

 

I think it's pretty competent in the snow. Traction and stability control are quite helpful.

 

Hey Prius Friends,

I'll be driving a 2011 Prius from Denver to Kanab, Utah between Christmas and New Years. How can we be prepared for whatever the road conditions? The vehicle currently has it's original OEM tires on it. Thanks!

 

1. Brakes stop the wheels, not the vehicle.
2. You will have an accident.

It is a different technique driving on snow and ice. You need to think "center of gravity" as inertia transfers from the middle to the front or rear of the vehicle. STOP signs indicate "Skid Tires On Pavement". You cannot stop the same on snow and ice as you do on dry pavement. In a skid, you steer into the direction of the skid.

All this is counterintuitive to our normal reactions. The Prius has an advantage in that it pulls, rather than pushes, the car. On especially slippery conditions, drive as if you have no brakes. Let the idiots in their 4WD overpowered vehicles go zipping by - you continue along so as to not break traction and keep moving, always in tentative control.