Prius in cold climates

i also live in the Chicago area and when it comes to mpg i can recomend grille blocking. Since i blocked the grille the milage when the temp is between +15 and +35 went up about 6 mpg. And that is great i would much rather get 42 mpg than 37. And as far as snow, the prius works fine in the snow. (But then again ive been driving in chicago winters for more than 35 years

 

My experience has mirrored those who responded before me.
1) The Good Year Integrities are practically useless on snow and/or ice. Michelin X-ice tires are wonderful with those road conditions. (I use Michelin HydroEdges for warmer weather.)
2) No problem starting even below 0 deg. F.
3) You’ll get better mileage and quicker heat if you block the grille slots below 50 deg. F.
4) If you have access to AC where you park, install an Engine Block Heater and put it on a timer so the last three hours before you plan to leave, it is warming. This gives you heat very quickly as well as boosting your mpgs.

 

I've only had my Prius since the end of November--and I've already fallen in love. I would agree with most of the other cold-weather folks who answered your question.

Even though we have just gone through the snowiest December in the history of records here in eastern/central Massachusetts, I've managed to get by without snow tires (I've got a touring model).

I don't have an engine block heater (though I might get one before winter sets in next year). What I have done is block the grill. And the difference is amazing: my mileage has increased (of course it got warmer just about the time I got the pipe insulation jammed into the grill--and my car is getting broken in), and I don't get freezing feet any more.

Don't worry about bringing your Prius north of the Mason-Dixon Line -- or the U.S.-Canadian border for that matter!

--Joe

 

I am a new member and I just picked up my car last month (December 2007). I have a 2008 Touring model and my dealership tells me Toyota don't make steel rims that will fit the touring model.

They only make 15inchers and these wont fit. Does anyone know of aftermarket rims that might fit or do you put your snows on your alloys.

Nigel

 

I am renting a Prius for an 800 mile trip this weekend. The weather is cold and snowy, so I guess this will be the true test!

 

So far no problems in Madison. It has been just fine in snowy conditions and some ice with the OEM tires, but I have driven in Wisconsin winters my whole life. Too many years to count .

 

Another Madisonian felt the need to chime in:

We are now in our 3rd winter (got ours 1/10/06) with a Prius and I've driven it in all kinds of snow and ice conditions. I inflate the tires to 42 front and 40 rear which I suspect makes the handling a little worse than it would otherwise be. However, if one doesn't drive too fast for conditions and maintains safe stopping distances given those conditions, relying on the usual good tips for best mpg's (for instance, anticipating light changes ahead and minimizing the need to rely on brake use), etc. the oem tires work fine.

Now, if you punch the gas (never a good idea) when pulling away from intersections on snow and ice, you will not move out as readily as you might have hoped. It's actually better, to go lightly on the pedal and gradually move out on icy conditions (no less true for non-hybrids). This is important to keep in mind when gauging how much time you have for a turn or pulling out into traffic.

As you've undoubtedly read but with which I greatly concur: blocking the grill and having an engine block heater installed are highly recommended in cold climates. We have a short commute to work (like 5 miles) and without these additions, are mpg's would (and did) suffer significantly. But, with those additions (and not until about a year into ownership), our lifetime mpg's averages is 46.5 - which I think is just great.

All in all, I think the Prius has been a great winter car for us (and I make more road trips in winter conditions than summer to accomodate my x-country ski addiction .<IMG style="; WIDTH: expression(this.width > 800 ? 800: true); max-width: 800px" alt="" src="http://priuschat.com/forums/images/icons/icon7.gif" border=0> This winter (a real one for a change!) has been a true test with close to 40 inches down this season so far.

Happy skiing,

Jim

 

I agree that a few mods will make a big difference, especially in colder climates and, especially, if you're doing shorter drives. I bought my Prius in November and primarily use the car for 15-30 minute drives. Since I added an engine block heater, insulated the grill, added the CT EV mod, changed tire pressure to 42/40, and started experimenting with smarter driving techniques (all thanks to wise advice of Priuschat members) my gas mileage has gone from ~40 to over 45. The fact that the temps were in the high 50's and 60's in November and, now, our daytime temps are in the teens and 20's, I think, says a lot.

I can't thank the members in this forum enough for all the advice and information they've provided. So, here's one more. Thanks guys!

Kevin

 

OK, I yield. It's now "officially" cold! -30C with a nice brisk wind, wind chill at -45C or so (that's colder than -45F ). It snowed all day yesterday with temps below -20C, with nice drifting. I hate it when it's snowing that hard with a wind - opened the door and got in and found the snow had followed me in the car - the dash, seats, console, etc. all had snow on them!

Pearl ran just fine, no traction issues, just had to avoid the morons who think they don't have to follow the lane lines because they can't see them! It took a long time for Pearl to start blowing hot air though. I kept being stopped by red lights so the car didn't warm up quickly. At least I didn't have to worry about overheating with my grill blocking.

 

This is the first winter driving my Prius and it's been positive so far. I have the original stock tires and it has not been an issue with me driving through a couple of snow storms and some icy roads in Toronto Canada. Yes mileage suffers in the colder weather but every tank in the winter has still been in the 50+ MPG (mostly 57-58). Starting is not an issue even in our coldest weather in fact better than any of my previous vehicles. No traction issues (knock on wood) even on side streets that don't get high priority from snow plowing.
Of course condition vary for different regions / drivers and you should exercise best judgement accordingly.

Gabe

 

I must be the only person to have gotten a good set of the stock Goodyear Integrities. Me and my wife think they drive great in the snow. I live in the Cleveland Ohio area and I find the winter handling to be very good, in fact everything works great in the snow. ABS is excellent, the traction control works great as well. Today it finally warmed up here first time its been over 25 degrees in at least 2 weeks. The past 10 days or so (my entire last tank) temps stayed between 5 degrees and 15 degrees farenheit and my MPG dropped to 44 MPG. I park outside on the street and do not use a block heater and I removed all of my lower grill block when I went on vacation for christmas and have been too lazy to return it.

Some people who have the drastic drop off's in fuel economy from driving city roads ought to think about driving the highway more in the winter as about 70-80 % of my driving is interstate driving.

 

I concur with almost all that has been said above. I would add a strong second to the ground clearance issue. We live part of the year at the end of a long logging road. Even when the road is freshly graded we have trouble clearing the errant stones on it. When it becomes rutted it is impassable with the Prius as we would be dragging the bottom all the way.

Having said that, if you are trying to drive through more than 4-6" of fallen snow you will begin to plow it. I know of few people who routinly drive through such conditions, but a 6" drift, several hundred feet long and you could high center the car. (I got stuck in a huge drift once with an old landcruiser, the wheels 24" off the gravel, with the weight of the car resting on the snow. Since I hit the drift at ~30 mph, the only way out was to dig for several hundred feet! Erg!)

 

Re: Prius in cold climates (Ethan)

It is nearly impossible to get an accurate MPG with a Prius. This winter, which has been pretty cold here in Chicago, my "bladder" has stiffened up so much that I can only pump in about 8 gallons of gasoline. So the MPG that comes up on the screen says I am only getting 37 miles to the gallon. But that is totally wrong!! What I am getting is 37 miles to the "pip", those squares that function as your gas gage. In the summer when my "bladder" was more pliable and I could pump in 10 1/2 gallons, the MPG said 53!!

And I agree about the tires. The original ones are pretty bad in snow and ice - slippy, sliddy. I understand that if they are replaced with tires more suitable to snow that fuel efficiency will go down, but I think it is worth it!!

 

Re: Prius in cold climates (Ethan)

It's not measuring pips, it's actually measuring the flow of gas to the ICE to calculate mpg. I have the same bladder problems and had the same mileage problems before grille blocking. I only got about 300 miles on a tank, and could only fill 8 gallons when I had the low fuel warning. I can still only fit 8-9 gallons, but can get about 400 miles per tank at 40-50 mpg, even with snow tires.


On a separate question, for those with X-Ice or similar sticky tires: How many miles before the squizzy feeling becomes manageable and how long do they generally last? When I was driving this morning, I couldn't tell in some places if I was slipping or experiencing the squizzy feeling. It was windy and there were many places where snow had melted yesterday and refrozen overnight. When I was going about 60, the car felt like it was going to slip out from under me, especially on overpasses. Everyone else was doing fine at that speed, so I wasn't driving excessively fast; I slowed down anyway. The tires have about 1000 miles on them, so they should be broken in.

 

Re: Prius in cold climates (Ethan)

I hate to disappoint you, but most studless and studded snow tires will have that squizzy feeling until you throw them out. The soft squishy tread blocks, soft squishy tread compound, and very flexible sidewalls all contribute to less than stellar handling qualities

Actually, my directional studded Goodyear Nordic tires aren't bad at all. They track fairly well and the only time I really notice the softer tread compounds is taking a corner at speed.

I noticed a *huge* difference on my FJ Cruiser though. The stock tire size is P265 70 17, and I run Goodyear Fortera TripleTred, which handles very well and tracks nicely

For winter I run P265 75 16 on cheap steel rims, and am using Toyo Open Country G-02 Plus studless truck/SUV tires. The tires work great on snow, and ok on ice. However, the handling is all over the place, at highway speeds I have to make constant but minor corrections

There is one huge advantage to the soft squishy treads, nice soft ride quality, especially on my FJ. There is a badly frost heaved section of highway in Winnipeg - Dugald west of Plessis - and the squishy tires really helps smooth out the ride

Oh, there is an interesting difference in traction comparing the Goodyear Fortera TripleTred and the Toyo Open Country winter tires. Both have the Snowflake symbol, and Goodyear claims the TripleTred "meets" the RMA Severe Winter Service classification. Toyo claims their Open Country and Observe G-02 Plus "exceed" the Severe Winter Service classification

The difference in snow and especially ice traction is quite literally a day and night difference between the two tires. Though on ice my studded Goodyear Nordic tires on the Prius still have the advantage, especially braking

Lifespan of studless tires will vary. The worst thing is to run them in warm temps above +50 F, that will cause rapid wear. A lot of tirespin on non Trac vehicles will also cook them

 

Shiver me timbers !


In sub -10c here in Montreal, I have to use the front defrost first w/o using the rear, or else after 2-3 mins I can't see out due to inside frost.


_

 

Indeed!

Overnight it was -34 C, windchill was rated "dangerous" at -51 C