Opps, I forgot to address these:
Quote:
Originally Posted by vas621
. . .Does the car handle ice OK? I'm mostly concerned with getting up my driveway though. Would winter driving be a good time to use the "B" on the stick? I would think so because you lesson the tailspin you get with friction brakes, right? The gear shift "B" just slows the engine? . . .
Anyway, can anyone tell me about their winter drives with their Prius? How do they handle?
Also, what do you inflate your tires to? I filled mine as per the inflation psi in my manual. I drive a 2006 Prius.
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Really, "B" is used for descending long, steep hills. It lets the engine provide some the braking force to prevent overheating. I'll use it on steep hills only because I don't like to put my foot on the brake unless it is really necessary (steep as in if you slipped on an icy day, you would be at the bottom before you stopped.)
I live in N. Alabama and other than one patch of ice, didn't see much last year. The anti-lock brakes are great but there have been some reports of traction control 'doing what it supposed to do' but inhibiting rapid acceleration in poor traction conditions. I've not experienced it and it may be specific to your NHW20 model Prius.
In my case, I'm running 50/48 psi on tires with a maximum, cold temperature rating of 51 psi. My understanding is having the front tires at +2 psi improves the anti-skid and traction control. However, I've not really studied it. (Testing this could be . . . 'exciting.')
GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson