How is the Prius in the Snow?

I haven't had any problems with it, but then again i got mine last march and there was just a bit of snow left - not much to worry about.

The issue you're referring to is the traction control. When you're stuck in a snow drift, your wheels won't be able to get any traction, and the TC kicks in. the TC's job is to essentially cut power to any wheels that are slipping to help you maintain control and stability. It's not an issue with the motors, its just the way the TC was designed (and TC is pretty much in every car now a days, just designed a bit differently between them)

 

The Prius does about as well in the snow as any good front wheel drive car, and better than some. The stock tires are bad, so you need to replace them or use snow tires. The main limitation for snow is low ground clearance - it's not a truck, so you can't drive over deep snow.

Tom

 

Actually, my experience with the traction control is that it made driving in snow easier. With my over-powered (2 wheel drive because I bought it in the South) Explorer, starting off from a stop light on icy/slushy roads was an exercise in fine control of the gas pedal. I'd press it gently and the wheels would start turning and then spin. I'd let off a bit and try again. Eventually I'd get up to a speed appropriate for the conditions (15 MPH or so).

However, with my Prius, it's just a matter of pressing the gas pedal and the car accelerates without any spinning of the tires. I can floor the gas pedal and I still accelerate at a nice safe rate (for the conditions) without any tire spinning.

Where the traction control causes troubles for me is when the roads are mostly clear, with some ice at the intersections. The mostly dry roads fool you into thinking you can just floor it and get out into traffic from an intersection. But unfortunately, you hit that little 1 foot wide patch of ice at the edge of the intersection and find that the Prius cuts off the acceleration for several seconds while that pickup truck with the snow plow mounted on the front is bearing down on you.

So, don't fear the snow, but be wary of mostly clear roads.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Dec 11 2006, 12:40 PM) [snapback]360352[/snapback]</div>

Didn't have any trouble driving or braking in some 8" snow in the alleys in Chicago recently. But I have to agree the ground clearance is low, and I won't be driving into snowbanks like I did with our former Subaru Outback.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MegansPrius @ Dec 11 2006, 11:47 AM) [snapback]360363[/snapback]</div>

As with any vehicle, the Prius handles in the snow very well if you have a really good all-weather tire. I don't have traction control on mine but it handles very well in bad weather (snow or rain) with my TripleTreds. They really grip the road and make the handling very secure. The original equipment tires weren't that good so I'd ditch them. There are numerous threads on tread B) here.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Dec 11 2006, 11:55 AM) [snapback]360368[/snapback]</div>

Jack,

We all have "Traction Control" to protect the HSD from high RPMs. It is the cause of some consternation when the car seems to hesitate when accelerating into traffic and a wheel slips (a little yellow squiggly symbol appears on the dash). Many also have Stability Control (I don't - but its a good option) which is a different thing.

With good tires (not the OEMs as you and others have noted), the Prius is reasonable in snow (I have Michelin MXV4+ tires, I may try the Nokian WRs next to improve snow traction even more).

JeffD

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jdenenberg @ Dec 11 2006, 12:16 PM) [snapback]360384[/snapback]</div>

Yes, I confused it with stability control which is one option that I don't have.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jdenenberg @ Dec 11 2006, 09:16 AM) [snapback]360384[/snapback]</div>

The shift to W.R.'s is a wise move. The car behaves much better in snow and in the wet. Sadly they don't do much for performance on ice or conditions where one tire is slipping.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FishHawk @ Dec 11 2006, 04:13 AM) [snapback]360298[/snapback]</div>

I've driven in 1-2" of fresh snow and hard pack on steep incline with Michellin X-ice tires, no problems at all.
I imagine there could be trouble when snow depth exceeds car clearance, ~4-5".

 

I never drive in deep snow, but on ice, the Prius is one of the best cars on the road. Between traction control, ABS, and VSC, this car handles on ice amazingly well.

Note: VSC is an option, not included in all packages. I strongly recommend getting one with VSC.

 

With the proper winter tires, the Prius will easily push snow with the front bumper. I don't recommend that, as the car barely has 4.5 inches of ground clearance. Once you get the car deep enough to float on top of hardpack snow, you're SOL.

The factory OEM tires are pretty bad on ice and almost useless in deep slush/snow. After trying various studless snow tires, the condo association where I live has finally allowed us to use studded snow tires in the heated underground parking.

I put on studded Goodyear Nordic snow tires, and they work VERY well on polished ice and deep snow. Last blizzard I played around on some drifted side streets, coming to a stop and then having to force the door open against the snow. Had no trouble pulling away.

They're a directional tire and also worked very well when we had the heavy rain in temps of +8 C. They appeared to do a good job of evacuating the water out from under the tire contact patch.

The Goodyear Nordic is only available at Canadian Tire, and even studded is still a good $30 or more a tire cheaper than a studless snow tire. It's the same as the Goodyear Ultra Grip 500 sold in Europe

http://eu.goodyear.com/home_en/tires/repos...p?page=benefits

I have to warn the Canadians thinking of purchasing this tire that it has a hefty fuel economy hit, and on dry and especially WARM pavement, they howl like an old bias ply truck tire. I wanted maximum snow and ice driving safety, and considering how long our winters can last up here, gladly compromised some fuel economy and quiet ride. No way I'd want to drive around with my Michelin Harmony tires in these conditions.