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Toyota Prius - Traction Control vs Vehicle Stability Control

54 messages,  Last post on Jul 19, 2009 at 3:17 PM

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#5 of 54 Re: Toyota Prius - Traction Control vs Vehicle Stability Control [pathstar1] by dtener Mar 18, 2007 (2:27 pm)
Replying to: pathstar1 (Mar 12, 2007 2:37 pm) My prius just quit as I attemtped to navigate the hill to my driveway with snow and ice. As I tried to maintain momentum it simply went to zero. Did I do something wrong or is this an issue with this transmission or traction control? Replies to this message: pathstar1 (Mar 19, 2007 7:53 am)
#6 of 54 Re: Toyota Prius - Traction Control vs Vehicle Stability Control [dtener] by pathstar1 Mar 19, 2007 (7:53 am)
Replying to: dtener (Mar 18, 2007 2:27 pm) This is the issue I was alluding to. It seems to be "fixed" or lessened in the 2007. Some say if you keep pressure on the accelerator, it will try again. If not, you may have to shift to "P", then back to "D" and try again.   Toyota had to set the traction control to very high sensitivity to protect MG2 (motor generator 2 - the one that moves the vehicle most of the time). If you spin the wheels on ice you could over-spin MG2 and destroy it, so TC protects it. Perhaps a little too aggressively. So far every posting of problems I've read has been on a low speed hill such as a driveway.   So if you know you will experience snow or slippery conditions on hills, good snow and ice tires are a "really good idea" (tm).   If you're wondering why it over-spins MG2, it's due to the design of the HSD. The rotation speed of the ICE (internal combustion engine), MG2, and wheels depends on the speed of the other two devices. If the engine is off or idling and you spin up the wheels you also spin up MG2 (a lot). This is also why you can't have the engine off above 43 MPH - it will over-spin MG2. There is a good visual example of this on Priuschat you can mess with written in flash, I think.
#7 of 54 Vehicle Stability Control by mcdougals Mar 25, 2007 (3:54 pm)
Does anyone know where I can find a list of small sedans (2007 models) that have optional Vehicle Stability Control. Replies to this message: backy (Mar 25, 2007 4:15 pm)
#8 of 54 Re: Vehicle Stability Control [mcdougals] by backy Mar 25, 2007 (4:15 pm)
Replying to: mcdougals (Mar 25, 2007 3:54 pm) This page shows ALL 2007 vehicles available with ESC in the U.S. There is at least one error on it, however--Elantra doesn't have ESC available at this time.   http://www.safercar.gov/pages/ESC-EquippedVehicles-2007.html
#9 of 54 Prius vs. all wheel drive by lalcott Jun 07, 2007 (2:27 pm)
I'd love to hear more about Prius's performance on snow and ice.Often have to come home from work in snowstorms on a dirt road. I now drive a Subaru (with 4 snow tires in winter). It's a great car but not very fuel-efficient. Thanks for any comments. Replies to this message: stevegold (Jun 07, 2007 3:15 pm) stevedebi (Jun 07, 2007 3:18 pm) dtener (Jun 07, 2007 5:20 pm) stevedebi (Jun 11, 2007 11:58 am)
#10 of 54 Re: Prius vs. all wheel drive [lalcott] by stevegold Jun 07, 2007 (3:15 pm)
Replying to: lalcott (Jun 07, 2007 2:27 pm) It's OK but: We live in Aspen, CO. and used to have two Subaru Outbacks. I do use snow tires on the Prius but not on the Outback. We always used the Outback when it's snowing or if we're going on a trip and snow was forecast. We just replaced the second and last Outback with a Hybrid Highlander and will hens forth use that whenever snow threatens. The rest of the time we use the Prius for short and long trips and the Highlander only around town if the Prius is already being used. (I think the Highlander was a mistake but we need a least one 4WD) Replies to this message: stevedebi (Jun 07, 2007 3:18 pm)
#11 of 54 Re: Prius vs. all wheel drive [stevegold] by stevedebi Jun 07, 2007 (3:18 pm)
Replying to: stevegold (Jun 07, 2007 3:15 pm) "(I think the Highlander was a mistake but we need a least one 4WD)"   I think the HH uses electric motors on the rear wheels, and that will not do for heavy useage (the motors overheat and simply stop working until they cool). However, for basic "occasional" AWD use it will drive those wheels.
#12 of 54 Re: Prius vs. all wheel drive [lalcott] by dtener Jun 07, 2007 (5:20 pm)
Replying to: lalcott (Jun 07, 2007 2:27 pm) My 2006 Prius did fine until I tried a steep hill and the wheels would not spin because of the way the transmission and vehicle stability control limit the wheels from spinning but just driving on the highway in snow was fine. My only problem was on the steep hill in the snow. Replies to this message: stevedebi (Jun 11, 2007 11:58 am)
#13 of 54 Snowy hills by lalcott Jun 08, 2007 (10:31 am)
Thanks for comments. My last 4 miles home are uphill with a few steep grades - anyone else who's driven a Prius up hills in snow, please pass on your experience. Replies to this message: methowvalley (Dec 26, 2007 3:37 pm) andyu (Jan 17, 2008 12:34 pm) wwest (Jan 19, 2008 12:26 pm) 3earnhardt (Feb 04, 2008 5:04 pm) and 3 more... chadx (Feb 14, 2008 10:53 am) and 2 more...
#14 of 54 Re: Prius vs. all wheel drive [dtener] by stevedebi Jun 11, 2007 (11:58 am)
Replying to: dtener (Jun 07, 2007 5:20 pm) "My 2006 Prius did fine until I tried a steep hill and the wheels would not spin because of the way the transmission and vehicle stability control limit the wheels from spinning but just driving on the highway in snow was fine. My only problem was on the steep hill in the snow."   This has been reported as being fixed by a change to the CU software, allowing the wheels to spin a little bit.

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