Posted by Reiner Schischke on August 10, 2005, 9:48 pm
RRG schrieb:
> Yet my husband drove his car on a particularly cold day, when many of the
> roads here in MA were coated in black ice. While all the other regular cars
> were slipping and sliding all over the place he was able to travel at a
> reasonable speed, maneuver ably, and had nary a problem up hills or winding
> roads in his 2004 Prius.
Thank you for the info. I have my Prius since 2 month now and never used
under slippery conditions. So therefore I asked myself, how the Prius
would challenge slippery conditions. I am living in the middle of the
Alpes, near the Mont Blanc. And have to cross some precipitous pass roads.
--
Fiat lux!
Reiner
Posted by RRG on August 11, 2005, 2:39 pm
> RRG schrieb:
>> Yet my husband drove his car on a particularly cold day, when many of the
>> roads here in MA were coated in black ice. While all the other regular
>> cars were slipping and sliding all over the place he was able to travel
>> at a reasonable speed, maneuver ably, and had nary a problem up hills or
>> winding roads in his 2004 Prius.
> Thank you for the info. I have my Prius since 2 month now and never used
> under slippery conditions. So therefore I asked myself, how the Prius
> would challenge slippery conditions. I am living in the middle of the
> Alpes, near the Mont Blanc. And have to cross some precipitous pass roads.
> --
> Fiat lux!
> Reiner
We both really like the VSC feature. I admit it took a few times to get used
to how it feels when it 'kicks in' but, as I've said, we've had no problems
over the past 2 New England winters.
Russ
Posted by dbs__usenet on August 13, 2005, 4:58 am
>
>> szaki schrieb:
>>
>>>> According to the instruction manual and to the dealer, there is no way
>>>> to
>>>> "cancel" that anti-slip safety. Is not it a pity?
>>>>
>>>> Any one of you has got that problem? Any solution?
>>
>>> Drive your gas guzzler on those icy days.
>>
>> You ignores, that with a conventional car you are able to use the coupler
>> carefully. But the Prius with its electro engine with 400 nm torque from 0
>> rpm has no chance to reduce skating on slippery ground without assistance
>> of the computer.
>> I hope, I will not be surprised, when I will climb up the hill from
>> Grenoble (where I am living) to Chamrousse (where I am skiing) this
>> winter.
>>
>> --
>> Fiat lux!
>> Reiner
>
> Yet my husband drove his car on a particularly cold day, when many of the
> roads here in MA were coated in black ice. While all the other regular cars
> were slipping and sliding all over the place he was able to travel at a
> reasonable speed, maneuver ably, and had nary a problem up hills or winding
> roads in his 2004 Prius.
>
> Russ
>
Funny, I had the same experience. The extremely smooth power transfer
means zero lurching and 100% traction in minor snow storms. I was able
to travel down the freeway (through minor hills) with an inch or two of
snow and no signs of lost traction at any time. That was with stock
tires and no chains. I was able to visit the ski resort, and climb
the hills in freezing weather with supreme confidence. That's at about
7,000 feet altitude.
Maybe the driver having problems is doing something funny?
Posted by Michael Pardee on August 13, 2005, 2:08 pm
> Funny, I had the same experience. The extremely smooth power transfer
> means zero lurching and 100% traction in minor snow storms. I was able
> to travel down the freeway (through minor hills) with an inch or two of
> snow and no signs of lost traction at any time. That was with stock
> tires and no chains. I was able to visit the ski resort, and climb
> the hills in freezing weather with supreme confidence. That's at about
> 7,000 feet altitude.
> Maybe the driver having problems is doing something funny?
Our Prius also does well, with a few caveats:
Deep snow is a problem, as are berms left by snow plows. About like other
small cars in that respect. Slush that litters the road with stuck cars will
give the Prius trouble, also. Similarly, nothing does well on glare ice and
slick hills.
I definitely agree about the controllability. The lack of shift lurches,
combined with the excellent throttle control at the lower ranges make a real
difference. We have a 2002, which (I hear) reacts differently than the
current model when the wheels slip. Except on difficult slopes we "just
drive it" and press the accelerator like we would on wet streets. The hybrid
system takes care of the rest.
Mike
Posted by onerpm on August 16, 2005, 7:57 pm
In deep snow, I got stuck on two occasions last winter with my Prius in
MN, definitely due to the traction control. We're talking about
unplowed parking lots where the snow has been pushed around a little
bit by other cars, and my car was parked. Had to get out and dig out
by hand. If I hadn't had Trac., I could've rocked it out in both
cases, but instead the car wouldn't move at all. I'll be instalilng
Blizzaks this winter. I believe that would give me enough traction to
be able to handle that type of situation. In all other winter
situations (starting up on an icy road, etc.) the traction control was
a help, not a hindrance.
rpm
> roads here in MA were coated in black ice. While all the other regular cars
> were slipping and sliding all over the place he was able to travel at a
> reasonable speed, maneuver ably, and had nary a problem up hills or winding
> roads in his 2004 Prius.