Winter Driving

Right, yes, we all agree that if you punch the go pedal in a Prius, you get maximum torque right away. On dry pavement, that's really cool.

What I'm asking is, why do I keep seeing that fact raised in discussions of winter/snow driving, where I think we can agree that maximum torque just isn't what you want, and punching the go pedal just isn't a promising technique.

When you gently, slightly press the go pedal, you have full control of the torque delivered, from the minimal programmed in "pseudo-auto-transmission creep" level and rising from there as gradually as you can control your right foot. That's as good as you get in a conventional automatic transmission (assuming your engine is well tuned, running smoothly, well warmed up and down off fast idle), and easier than a manual, where you'd have to play games with starting in higher gears and feathering the clutch.

In a situation where instant maximum torque isn't what you want, don't ask the car for instant maximum torque....

-Chap

 

Is there a way to get rid of this? Do the aftermarket throttle controllers make a difference?

Bob

 

No way that I know of. I doubt an aftermarket "throttle controller" would influence that behavior. A custom firmware flash to the power control ECU, perhaps, but I'll leave it to others to faff around with the central firmware in their Prii....

-Chap

 

Maybe a case of "be careful what you wish for"? It's so ingrained, to expect a slight bit of forward momentum. Our daughter borrowed our previous Civic Hybrid once, and remarked it was too prone to roll-back. I guess I'd gotten accustomed to it, adapted.

Taking it away completely will catch the typical driver by surprise; feels like you've hit neutral by mistake.

 

I was thinking that it might feel a little more like driving a golf cart. But then, my Prius does roll back a bit on hills already, so...

 

I'm aware of it, and I love it. It's kept me out of fender-benders at least a dozen times so far.

But I was assuming that the no-throttle forward creep in the Prius transmission was at least part of what keeps me from moving backwards momentarily on hills when I don't use it. Am I wrong? And if I am, what purpose does the creep serve?

I was pretty sure that hills were the reason for forward creep with conventional transmissions...

 

You're correct. Hill hold is just for extreme case stops on hills.

 

It's handy for backing into the garage from the driveway too. I routinely have that need after pulling the Prius out to do stuff in the garage.

 

Yeah up the hill from us there are some insanely steep driveways, do not know how planning departments ok'd them.

 

I'm not sure they were telling you the whole truth - but since the only way to find out would be to successfully program the creep back out of the Prius, and then see how it would handle, I doubt we'll ever know.

 

Something I haven't seen mentioned here yet is the awesome benefit of Toyota hybrids in general on the snow, the lack of a transmission. In a manual you can pick a gear and stick with it throughout an entire hill if you are sure you can make all your power and speed needs with the one gear. In a conventional auto, it is going to shift for you when you're trying to climb a steep gradient, wheels will lose traction briefly and sometimes this is enough to spin you out. With the Prius you get all the power and any speed all the time. I can climb a hill and not worry about a jolt of the transmission knocking me loose.

 

I have found that there's too much torque in standard mode for driving in snow/ice. I always put the car in ECO when there's snow or ice on the pavement.
Got a few inches of wet snow yesterday (rare for Colorado - we usually have dry powder).....car did alright, but I was still wishing I was in our Outback (wifey drives it mostly).

 

That is a dead giveaway for improper foot pedal usage. The car does not limit or increase power or torque based off the ECO or PWR buttons, only the Lexus models with "sport" do that by boosting inverter voltage. No Toyota branded hybrids like the Prius change anything but the pedal mapping. By changing it to ECO, you are essentially just making the low range part of the pedal larger allowing for increased pedal mashing movements to do less harm.

Got that same wet snow as you did yesterday except at 7000ft+ elevation

 

I don't know man - there is DEFINITELY less torque in ECO mode....way less snap

Our house is at 5950'.....needed the moisture