Hi everyone,
I am driving 2007 Prius, I plan to visit Thredbo in couple of days, I already have snow chains as my car is FWD. I searched around that Prius have no problem when running on snow, but those threads were in US, but wonder is there anyone have their own experience with Prius driving to Thredbo.
I appreciate any shared experience.
Haha, sure, drive with caution of course :)
Chains and caution. Brake well in advance of where you need to and try to make all your accelerator and steering inputs light.
A Prius is no different to any other car going to the snow. If a Corolla can make it, you can. If only Landcruisers can make it, you can't.
Hows the battery on a 2007 prius btw?
It's still good. I just got full service at Toyota centre, they also check the HV battery.
Don’t expect charge to last as long in snow. Extreme cold is a killer for batteries
Yes, I expect that. The engine also kick in to keep the heater on as well. My concern is not about the gas efficiency, it is about can the car go up the icy hill from Jindabyne to Thredbo? As other said, snow is not the problem, but ice is the problem. The Prius 2007 has transaction control so if the wheel is skidding, spinning, it will cut power to the wheels to protect the engine. If this is the case, the wheel will not have enough traction to overcome the icy road.
The Prius 2007 has transaction control
I suspect that is more than can be said for many of us.
How well do RWD cars hold up in snow? Much worse than FWD?
I'd say RWD would be better as most of the weight would be over the rear wheels. I've always preferred RWD over FWD.
Most of the weight would actually be on the front wheel, unless the engine is at the back. Therefore FWD might actually be preferred in snow in comparison to RWD for front-engined cars, as it might provide more traction.
geekcohen obviously drives a 911. Sweet ride dude.
@Muzeeb: Ford Ranger actually, I previously had a VE Commodore. Definitely, more weight in the back of the VE compared to the Ranger.
wrong, unless driving a mid/rear engine car, in a front engine RWD car weight transfer to the rear occurs when accelerating under certain conditions, however generally when things get as slippery as on snow then you can be better off with FWD/AWD, since in such conditions there is such little grip that a RWD has trouble even tranferring weight to the rear, It's part of the reason that FWD cars can do so well in rally.
Not that I’ve driven much in snow, but in slippery conditions I suspect there are advantages and disadvantages to both. E.g. FWD has more weight over the wheels, but you spin wheels you lose steering. RWD oversteer is a problem.
Rwd is heaps more fun IF you know what you are doing.
Otherwise stick to Fwd, they are heaps easier to drive on slippery roads.
Shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve driven Corollas in the snow with chains on. Also a lot of the time there isn’t actually snow on the road when driving to Thredbo (sometimes is, but very often not). More so than snow, ice can be an issue which means slowing down. You can’t always see ice on the road. The roads signs up there tell you if you need to put chains on or not.
https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/journey…
If the vehicle is mechanically sound and well maintained, you'll be fine. Make sure your 12V AGM battery is not too old (Toyota Genuine battery can easily last over 5 years).
Page 279 of your vehicle's owners manual will tell you how to install snow chains. (https://toyotamanuals.com.au/docs/prius-20-series-owners-man…)
Won't be as difficult as leaving Perisher in a blizzard. If the road is icy, use engine braking downhill, slowdown before steering round a curve. Those US reviewers may have had snow tyres (more common there than here).
Don't think it was too demanding of a drive last time we went there. I mean buses go through those road all the time.
Update: Prius turn out handling very well, the weather is good and the road is safe enough to not use the snow chains. Thanks guys!
What did the US threads say? Go with that (but drive on the other side of the road)