Posted by dbs__usenet on March 31, 2005, 6:17 pm
I've put about 30,000 miles on my 2002 Prius, and just recently got caught
in a snow storm while on a trip. The now was not real bad, but we were
watching the altimiter closely to see if we were headed down (out of the
snow) or up (where it might get heavier). We did not put the chains
on the tires, as the snow accumulation was never more than an inch.
The CVT of the Prius performed perfectly and, in retrospect, made the car
feel extremely stable. There was no shifting or jerkyness of any kind.
The power (when applied to climb hills) was applied smoothly and without
any sign of losing traction.
All this was at speeds as low as 25 and as high as 45.
Anyone have a similar experience with a CVT?
Posted by Bill on March 31, 2005, 7:54 pm
> I've put about 30,000 miles on my 2002 Prius, and just recently got caught
> in a snow storm while on a trip. The now was not real bad, but we were
> watching the altimiter closely to see if we were headed down (out of the
> snow) or up (where it might get heavier). We did not put the chains
> on the tires, as the snow accumulation was never more than an inch.
> The CVT of the Prius performed perfectly and, in retrospect, made the car
> feel extremely stable. There was no shifting or jerkyness of any kind.
> The power (when applied to climb hills) was applied smoothly and without
> any sign of losing traction.
> All this was at speeds as low as 25 and as high as 45.
> Anyone have a similar experience with a CVT?
I kept my Ford Explorer so I could get up my steep driveway in winter. My
previous car, a mini-van with front wheel drive, often couldn't make it and
I figured the Prius would have trouble too. Much to my surprise it walked
right up a layer of ice with 5" of heavy snow on top. That same day I
tested stability control system on a sharp curve. It acted like it was
glued to the road in a situation where the Explorer's rear end would have
come around. Anybody want to buy a '95 Explorer with leather seats and
Eddie Bauer kit that has a lifetime average of 18.1 mpg? Only 110,000
miles. :-)
Posted by richard schumacher on April 1, 2005, 2:55 pm
wrote:
> I've put about 30,000 miles on my 2002 Prius, and just recently got caught
> in a snow storm while on a trip. The now was not real bad, but we were
> watching the altimiter closely to see if we were headed down (out of the
> snow) or up (where it might get heavier). We did not put the chains
> on the tires, as the snow accumulation was never more than an inch.
>
> The CVT of the Prius performed perfectly and, in retrospect, made the car
> feel extremely stable. There was no shifting or jerkyness of any kind.
> The power (when applied to climb hills) was applied smoothly and without
> any sign of losing traction.
>
> All this was at speeds as low as 25 and as high as 45.
>
> Anyone have a similar experience with a CVT?
Not in Dallas :_>
Why did you think that a CVT might be problematic in snow or ice?
Posted by dbs__usenet on April 1, 2005, 9:06 pm
> wrote:
>
>> I've put about 30,000 miles on my 2002 Prius, and just recently got caught
>> in a snow storm while on a trip. The now was not real bad, but we were
>> watching the altimiter closely to see if we were headed down (out of the
>> snow) or up (where it might get heavier). We did not put the chains
>> on the tires, as the snow accumulation was never more than an inch.
>>
>> The CVT of the Prius performed perfectly and, in retrospect, made the car
>> feel extremely stable. There was no shifting or jerkyness of any kind.
>> The power (when applied to climb hills) was applied smoothly and without
>> any sign of losing traction.
>>
>> All this was at speeds as low as 25 and as high as 45.
>>
>> Anyone have a similar experience with a CVT?
>
> Not in Dallas :_>
>
> Why did you think that a CVT might be problematic in snow or ice?
It was not an expectation that it would be a problem. It was the suprise
that it felt so much better than my Camry with it's V6 and auto tranny.
I've taken that through the mountains many times, and it was always
white knuckle time when we drove through snow.
Daniel
Posted by richard schumacher on April 2, 2005, 2:34 am
wrote:
> > Why did you think that a CVT might be problematic in snow or ice?
>
>
> It was not an expectation that it would be a problem. It was the suprise
> that it felt so much better than my Camry with it's V6 and auto tranny.
> I've taken that through the mountains many times, and it was always
> white knuckle time when we drove through snow.
It may have been the vehicle stability control system that helped. The
Prius' CVT-equivalent should not matter to traction.
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> in a snow storm while on a trip. The now was not real bad, but we were
> watching the altimiter closely to see if we were headed down (out of the
> snow) or up (where it might get heavier). We did not put the chains
> on the tires, as the snow accumulation was never more than an inch.
> The CVT of the Prius performed perfectly and, in retrospect, made the car
> feel extremely stable. There was no shifting or jerkyness of any kind.
> The power (when applied to climb hills) was applied smoothly and without
> any sign of losing traction.
> All this was at speeds as low as 25 and as high as 45.
> Anyone have a similar experience with a CVT?