Will I make It up my Driveway?

I have a 70 foot, nowhere near as long as yours, driveway that hase about a 25 degree incline that starts almost immediately at my garage door, so there's no running room to get started up the driveway. I don't have experience with the Prius yet on the driveway, but I had a VW Jetta that had Traction Control and the Accord we have has it. Even though you could shut the traction control off on the Jetta I never did, and I took it up the driveway with about 6 inches of snow with no problems and once I had shoveled off the driveway it was even easier. I don't think you'll have a problem as long as it doesn't get icy...then it won't matter what you have, unless you have studded tires....(little bit of my native Minnesota experience coming out there)

 

Probably not... but here's a sure fire fix...

 

that's too funny!

 

I have a driveway that's ablmost a mile long in the mountains. Completely dirt up to the house. I learned to just punch it all the way up... it's like my own little rally.. although.. i guess you shouldn't do that in snow or ice.

 

I seem to recall that in the days when front-wheel drive cars first started to appear in N. America, the Saab's were renowned as rally cars. Great traction except on steep slippery uphills when the weight shift would take weight off the front wheels. Their solution when the going got really slippery....back up the hill.

Which leads me to another question. Does the traction control work when the car is in reverse?

Bill

 

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Did you try just feathering the gas so power is only being applied very lightly? Traction control will definately cut in if lots of power is being applied, but it should back off if you're only pressing on the gas lightly and creeping up the hill.

Dave.

 

It's probably the same situation as my dirt driveway.. even the lightest power makes it slip.. it's better to try the backwards idea.. or.. get a longer run.. which could be dangerous

 

In 1983 I leased a Plymouth Horizon, which was my first front wheel drive car. I can sympathize with the lack of traction going up steep hills in winter.

I've never believed in all-season tires. At best they're "three season" tires. If you can't use studded tires like the Nokian, invest in very sticky dedicated winter tires.

I've had the best luck with Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 and Dunlop Graspic DS-1. I've ordered the new Dunlop Graspic DS-2 as the tread appears better.

Just make sure you only use the above mentioned tires in winter when you really have to. Their soft sticky tread wears incredibly fast especially if driven on bare roads above freezing. Also, on bare roads the handling will feel sloppy. Life is a tradeoff.

I can't use studded tires at my condo, as the cement floor to the underground parking is sealed, and they have a prominent sign "No studded tires."

 

A quick thought. I have tried the Reverse Gear Up The Hill and for a front wheel drive it DOES work. Unless you start to spin, then the front end goes sideways.

However, the Prius doesn't have a true reverse gear. The electric motor is used to provide reverse. Wouldn't long/hard backing up a steep hill or driveway quickly drain the EV battery and/or overheat the inverter?

 

Wouldn't have thought there'd be any more of a problem overheating the inverter than in normal EV mode usage. As to draining the battery, it can run the ICE to recharge the battery, even while the electric motor is driving you in reverse. Clever buggers.

 

Well, I know what you mean about the car making it halfway up the hill before the traction control cut you off. We've had the first rain/snow mix roll through and the streets are treacherous.

The ABS works as advertised, but taking off again is almost impossible on glare ice. It doesn't matter if you floor it or pretend there is an egg between your foot and the pedal, the VSC icon turns on and the car creeps at less than a walking pace.

I tried parking at a mall yesterday and had to use the second-floor parkade, which is exposed to the elements. You have to make a sharp turn before getting on the ramp so no run is possible.

The ramp was icy and I barely made it 1/3 of the way up before the car just stopped on me. Fortunately, nobody was behind, so I reversed and parked on flat ground what seemed like a mile from the mall entrance.

Geez, I sure hope those Dunlop Graspic DS2 winter tires come in soon!

 

I'm beginning to wonder about selecting a package with the vehicle stability control. Normally I would avoid driving the car in inclement weather but just in case the weather man is wrong, am I in deep trouble? Thinking of some very steep hills to get over to get home. Would a package without this feature be better?

 

For the general good, it needs to be underlined: VSC is a major advance in engineering for safer cars.

There is lots of information around on why VSC (which comes under various labels such as ESC and ESP) is important. See, for example:

http://money.cnn.com/2003/09/25/pf/autos/w...dex.htm?cnn=yes
http://money.cnn.com/2003/09/25/pf/autos/w...s_esc/index.htm

There is no good reason to avoid Priuses with VSC (which is standard in Europe). There are lots of reasons to avoid buying any new car without it.

John Allen

 

John:

I agree, I'd much rather have a vehicle with Trac/VSC than without. That was the main reason I was attracted to the Prius, that and the head airbags.

I would also suggest that the outright misleading advertising of the tire companies has confused several generations of drivers, at least here in North America.

"All Season" tire. Such nonsense. At best, they are a "three season" tire. Admittedly, all tires have come a long way over the past 20-30 years, thanks to radial tires and new tread compound technology.

Some countries have mandatory snow tire laws, and after a spate of accidents in Quebec, the Quebec provincial government is mulling the idea of mandatory snow tires too.

I've been sold on snow tires for +20 years and would never do without them again. Studded tires are best on ice if your local laws allow. The best all-around snow tires are the new studless tires, such as the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 and the Dunlop Graspic DS-1 (My favorite) or DS-2.

I delayed ordering the snow tires for my Prius and thanks to nasty weather in Alberta and Saskatchewan, now I'm stuck waiting for them. The Harmony's are ok as far as all-season tires go, but I'm counting the days before I can slap on the Dunlop Graspic DS-2's.

 

Although having the car very much in control if I should hit a patch of ice is desireable, I am still concerned about being stuck at the bottom of a steep incline with a 18 wheeler bearing down on me! If the car just stops, how do I get out of the way or even better get the car restarted and up the incline?