1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Tires with Cables Just Spun On BlackTop

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by Plug-in Guy, Feb 16, 2017.

  1. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2011
    2,732
    1,703
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Thanks for returning the favor! That was pretty good. Look at that tiny exhaust and it's plume of smog.
     
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,039
    10,013
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    No, they DON'T have a lower gear than your PIP. Your 'transmission' covers all gear ratios from zero to infinity. Their's don't even come close.
     
  3. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I wonder if the OP has ever considered using studded-tyres? 2 years ago (very bad winter) I was visiting friends who lived at the top of a long, steep hill, and the only way I was able to get to their house was to turn around and reverse the whole way to the top. My tyres at the time were Michelin Energy-Savers, about 60% worn. The next year I bought a set of steel-rims, shod with Blizzak WS-80s and there have been no problems for the past two winters. I'd thought about studs, but had them on my VW Rabbit, and they were v.noisy!!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  4. Plug-in Guy

    Plug-in Guy New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2017
    25
    6
    0
    Location:
    US
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Mmmodem, are we having a bad day young man? Do you think there is a magic way to drive that the OP, me is unaware of? What are you talking about? You point the car and go. Your comment is silly and mean spirited. This should be a safe place for mature adults to discuss issues with their Pip's. You weren't present during the incident. I've tried to be as clear as possible here, looking for high level feedback not your sophomorish childish banter. There is nothing I could have done to get up that hill with those cables. It wasn't my driving. I grew up in snow. It's 2nd nature to drive in it. Been driving for 32 years. "I'm an excellent driver". (That's a little humor for those who will get it). I want to conclude the cause were the cheap cables that were unable to get traction on the steep wet pavement, but I still wonder how the other cars with the same cheap cables got up the hill? I'm guessing when they drove up earlier in the day there was snow on the step part that gave them something to dig into. For future mountain trips I'll be leaving my Pip at home.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  5. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2011
    2,732
    1,703
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I am not having a bad day. There is no magic way of driving in snow. There is a right way and there is a wrong way. I am talking about it being easier to blame the car or the equipment for malfunction rather than baming either the user or the conditions. I apologize for my sophomorish childish banter. If you wish, please feel free to click ignore on my name.

    My point has been made and I'm glad you finally received it. :) I was wondering why you hadn't acknowledged it, yet. Unfortunately, there's no way to receive this kind of critique, positively, as far as I know. Hopefully, when enough people give you the same critique, you might accept it as a possibility instead of as silly or mean spirited. Good luck, sir! (y)
     
  6. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2013
    1,534
    581
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    You might want to go to regular chains instead of cable chains. They have better traction.
     
  7. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    647
    983
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I don't usually have snow at home, but in younger days did LOTS of cross-country skiing, lots of downhill and some snowboarding. I have driven with chains on so much that it is second nature. Even now, I usually chain-up three or four times each winter when I hit the high mountain passes of the State of Washington's Cascade Mountains.

    I suspect, as was mentioned, it is the cheapie cables. If you are just using the "ladder-style," then can do just as you said. I had the same thing happen about 2003 or so with ladder cables (the $20 a pair-type). I was driving on a snow-covered gravel road and then had to make a sharp right turn to transition to a paved, black-top, snow-covered road. I was traveling uphill on the gravel and the transition to pavement continued the uphill climb, albeit at a steep pitch.

    Spun the tires quite a bit, but finally managed to grab traction in spits and spurts and get moving again.

    Don't know if you want to stay with cables, you could try the Z-Cables, they have a bit better traction and are more robust all around.

    Super Z

    But I really would recommend trying the European hoop-style diamond back chains, they have the BEST traction, better than ladder chains and they are dead simple to install.

    DIAMOND STYLE TIRE CHAINS

    Watch this video for a cheeky summary.

     
    #47 Stevewoods, Mar 12, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2017
  8. Plug-in Guy

    Plug-in Guy New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2017
    25
    6
    0
    Location:
    US
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Agreed. They were very cheap and of a poor design which I will post soon.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  9. Plug-in Guy

    Plug-in Guy New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2017
    25
    6
    0
    Location:
    US
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Dear SteveWoods, THANK YOU. Yes, I was using "ladder cables." You nailed it. Sorry you had the same issue. And glad you eventually made it up the hill. I wish I had. It was very stressful. Great deduction. I Loved the video and funny enough it was a promotion for a local mountain, although not Mt. Baldy where I had the problem. Please see the attached photos. It shows a poorly constructed design of rolled metal segments wrapped around the "steps" of the ladder that actually spin freely. They couldn't possibly have gotten traction on step wet pavement. 1489463073172.jpg 1489463082717.jpg

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  10. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    647
    983
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I grew up in SoCal and know Baldy and Big Bear quite well. Spent most of my summers hiking the more remote trails to places such as Iron Mountain, Bear Creek, etc.

    I can put the diamondbacks on both my tires in just about five minutes (if they aren't tangled, which they usually are NOT).

    Taking them off is slightly fussy as you have to make sure the barrel connector is at the top of the tire. If you have a helper, great. If not, you have to drive back and forth, getting out of the car several times before you have them lined up.

    Also, sometimes the barrel connector is frozen, which means you have to yank, flex and curse to break it loose, but still not that bad.

    For those of you from back in the snowbelt, the high mountain passes of the American West are often restricted to vehicles with chains. When the roads are getting several feet of snow per day, the road crews often don't keep up with the frigid conditions. Try it without chains and you are literally risking your life -- as well as a moving violation on your driving record.
     
    Plug-in Guy likes this.
  11. DadofHedgehog

    DadofHedgehog Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2012
    681
    281
    0
    Location:
    northern Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Hello... long-time Priuschatter here who's moved on to a Ford Energi but just peeked in to see what's up...

    I had German Rud snow chains on every one of my three Priuses as well as on my pre-Prius BMW. I learned about Rud chains while stationed in Germany as an Army guy back in the1990s.

    WIth tbe Ruds on, my Priuses went through Washington DC' Snowmageddon in 2009 and then the more recent Snowzilla in 2016, along with a few lesser East Coast blizzards, absolutely without a problem. BLUF: there is no comparison between snow cables (bleeech), the older style ladder-type snow chains and the diamond-back types like the Ruds.

    Every one of my three Prii was fine in heavy snow, on hills, and on ice until/unless the snow got so deep that the car's underbody high-hung up on a high packed snow ridge, so the tires were in up the air. The Prius's plastic underbody cover can cause that, especially when cars and trucks make deep tire channels on an unplowed street, and the centerline snow ridge hardens and packs down into semi-ice. Then, only a folding shovel helps unless someone pulls you off the centerllne snow ridge with a Jeep or similar light truck + tow strap.

    I found the Prius transmissions as good at snow driving or maybe even better than my old 1990 manual shift BMW 318i, when chained-up.

    BTW - the Ruds come with several hooking / mounting solutions. One set I had did have the aforementioned barrel connector, but it's not my favorite. A much better way is the Rud "red + yellow chain" system to cinch everything down. See the instructions on their website for details.

    FYI - unless you happen to travel through Europe and pick up a set in an auto store, you have to order the Ruds through their U.S. distributor in Nebraska, with a lead time of several weeks. However, if anyone like the O.P. plans to keep visiting the mountains every Winter, that is a reasonable investment of $$$ and tjme.

    My current Rud favorites are the Rudmatic StarTrack models. I had the Rudmatic Classics and the Rudmatic Compact Grips before. All these Ruds can easily live without bother in the trunk all year long, until they're needed.

    I hope this is helpful.
     
  12. Plug-in Guy

    Plug-in Guy New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2017
    25
    6
    0
    Location:
    US
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Thanks for sharing. Would you recommend the Ford Energi?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i miss fawlty towers.:unsure:
     
    Yea Right likes this.
  14. DadofHedgehog

    DadofHedgehog Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2012
    681
    281
    0
    Location:
    northern Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Yes. Less packable space, but overall a much more solid car.
     
    Plug-in Guy likes this.
  15. bhtooefr

    bhtooefr Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    1,396
    1,489
    0
    Location:
    Newark, OH, USA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    A low gear doesn't increase grip, it increases torque to the wheels - that is to say, it actually increases the ability to spin the tires.

    In a conventional transmission, it can also improve smoothness of applying power to the wheels, but that's unnecessary in the Prius - it's far smoother than any conventional transmission in that regard. So, if you can spin the tires, you don't need a lower gear.
     
    Plug-in Guy likes this.