Bad Weather Driving Techniques.

[RunningInPleasePass]

I'm soon to trade in my diesel Auris for an hybrid Auris.

I wondering, on the hottest day this year, if I will have to learn new techniques for driving in bad weather.

With the diesel the technique for flooded roads is:

Avoid if possible, if not, low gear and plenty of revs.

For ice and snow:

Keep in highest gear possible, and low revs.

The hybrid will not allow either of these techniques as far as I can tell, do any seasoned hybrid driving have any good tips?

[MLW2233]

Why not just drive sensibly and within the prevailing margins, given the conditions?

That is what we did 40 years ago.

[Aceshigh84]

The high revs mentality on a flooded road is for when it is so seriously flooded that there is a risk of back flow through the exhaust.

If a road was that flooded, I wouldn't even dream of going anywhere near it in a car with a Battery pack just above the floor pan, let alone worry how get the revs up.

As for snow, use eco mode to dull the throttle response, and take it easy.

[taximerv]

Hi current car toyota prius gen 3 mileage 170,000 fourth Toyota drove though floods, snow ice so on common sense if its that bad stay at home best leave car in the garage or on the drive . Last year I invested in winter tyres wow what a difference when the snow is bad the prius some times struggles to get traction the winter tyres never had a problem . As a taxi driver customers said you must have winter tyres on I said yes they were struggling and I was not I bought set of wheels and tyres worth every Penney to keep working and keep customers moving

[Ethanedwards]

Snow? I leave hybrid at home and borrow wife's X-trail which is shod with All Season Mud n Snow rubber. Runs on LPG so it gives an equivalent of 40mpg. So I'm sorted. If only the VED wasn't so horrendous. Still Yaris HSD is free so that's great.

[cootuk]

Winter tyres would be best as you can use them for several months.

Second best would be a pair of snow socks - these do alright for getting us off side roads onto main (gritted) roads...plus a couple of sheets of old carpet to throw under tyres if they are spinning.

Strange how many cars and vans get stuck simply because they need something under a wheel to grip.

Low throttle so the wheels have less chance of spinning and throwing the traction control (which can't be turned off to protect the drivetrain).

Above all, even if you have the best 4x4 with winter tyres etc etc, it doesn't stop the idiot in front getting stuck and blocking you, or another idiot sliding into you. Sometimes it's best to walk.

[johalareewi]

For a gen3 Prius, snow isn't a problem. Just stick it in ECO and take it easy. Traction control and VSC will help you the best it can. Fitting winter tyres will improve grip. If you have 15inch wheels, there are plenty around and you can get low rolling resistance (aka fuel saver) versions. Your main problem in the snow will be blocked roads (snow drifts and abandoned vehicles) not driving on the snow itself.

Floods (and deep fords) are interesting. The deepest I have done is 12 inches. I wouldn't generally recommend it. ECO mode is great for keeping the speed (and wash) down and up to 8 inches of water is fine. You need to make sure there aren't any underwater hazards (potholes, lumps, etc.) so a pair of wellies and a torch are handy. If it is too deep for your wellies, stay out. To keep the engine running to prevent backflow up the exhaust, you could crank up the heating to force the ICE to run but as has been mentioned, if it is that deep you probably don't want to go in.

Unmade roads can be fun too. There isn't much room under a prius and there is an undertray which can come off if knocked. ECO mode and taking it very slowly works for me plus keeping out of the ruts and potholes. I did mention driving very slowly in a prius was easy?

I am not brave enough to take the prius off road so can't comment on that.

[Cyker]

The HSDs have very good traction control so as long as you don't do anything silly it should be okay in the snow.

With flooded roads, I've not driven any car that I'd be confident in if the water level was higher than the profile of the tyre! Any less than that, and just take it slow so as not to spray water under the car into its innards and it'll be okay.

Basically there isn't anything special to do, just common sense driving as you would in pretty much any other FWD car!

[RunningInPleasePass]

Some good advice, thanks.

Agree about winter tyres, I have used the now for the last two years and will definitely get them again on my next car, by the way my local Toyota Dealer swap them each spring and autumn as well as store the set not being used.

It seems like you just have to use eco mode for adverse conditions and just take it steady.

I have had to go through flooded roads with water up to the floor pan with my current Auris diesel, but it was certainly not through choice, if the same situation arose when I'm driving my new Auris Hybrid I'm not sure what I would do, but I suspect the Battery pack is well protected for just this eventuality, so I would give it a try.

[Cyker]

Oh god, I was thinking of this thread today driving on the way home!

Some seriously heavy rain and it turns out one downside of the tarmac they are using on the lovely smooth newly resurfaced roads is that it drains very poorly so all road surfaces were slick with water!

Yaris and CPC5's did lovely and were well up to the task tho', cleaving through the water nicely and giving me confidence with braking and in the turns, although I did have a Yikes! moment when I went from a 30mph village transition back to national speed limit and my car suddenly thought it was doing 97mph while I was building up speed on the straight! Backed off the accelerator PDQ when the engine revs suddenly shot up like that I tell ya!