Four Wheel Drive Prius

[Mike J.]

2 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The consultancy will have evidence of the number of drivers who didn't use the charge cables ….

How, this was not mentioned - fake news perhaps? Actually 39 mpg is OK for a 4WD petrol vehicle, people on speakev.com mention around 30-33 mpg without charging.

[Mike J.]

1 minute ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

How do those people who don't have dedicated parking, and who may be interested in a PHEV, charge their vehicle whilst taking into account the lack of charging infrastructure? 

If they had workplace charging it would work for them, otherwise I suggest a Toyota self charging hybrid - I hear they are quite economic around town ….. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Return to the topic subject. 

[PeteB]

On 11/11/2018 at 1:38 PM, PeteB said:

...It has been said that a 2 wheel drive car with winter tyres is better in bad weather than a 4WD on summer tyres, but a 4WD on winter tyres will be best of all...

On that subject (and nearly back on track) I just came across this on YouTube - a comparison between 2WD on winter tyres and 4WD on summers - not sure how valid but I found it interesting:  

 

[altocumulus]

They have the added advantage of no one coming from the other direction to confuse 😄

 

Enlightening, though.

 

I wonder if tyres have changed over the years, or have I gotten older. I used to drive 1000's of miles in the 70's/80's and early 90's in winter conditions with no change of tyres summer/winter with only one hitch; but I wouldn't do it now....From early 90's we had 4*4s until I retired - and only the Freelander let me down. Or councils are gritting less, which I can verify is definitely one reason.

[Heidfirst]

1 hour ago, altocumulus said:

I wonder if tyres have changed over the years, or have I gotten older. I used to drive 1000's of miles in the 70's/80's and early 90's in winter conditions with no change of tyres summer/winter with only one hitch; but I wouldn't do it now....

modern summer tyres are lower profile & probably have tread patterns that are more optimised for braking/handling in those conditions but have possibly lost some ability in snow because of those changes.

& as you say councils probably have less resource for snow clearance these days (although on average we are getting less snow than we did then).

[altocumulus]

Oh, yes, definitely less snow. When we first moved up here to Scotland we were regularly blocked in by high drifts - thankfully it's been a decade or so since that's happened.

[PeteB]

I agree.  I drove in some quite atrocious conditions in the 1970s and 80s, in the likes of Fiat 127 and original Ford Fiesta.  They coped remarkably well in snow on their ordinary tyres, I think largely helped because the relatively narrow tyres cut through the snow instead of sitting on top and turning it into packed ice.  One memorable journey in the 127 was 160 miles on the M1 without once exceeding 20 mph - it took about 8 hours as you might imagine plus some rest stops at service stations.  Only 1 lane had been cleared by the ploughs.

I think it also helped that with more frequent snow then I learned how to anticipate and do everything gently and slowly, plus some experimenting on snow-covered empty car parks.

All the first three generations of Prius that I drove in snow coped quite well, the smooth application of power helping to get moving and B mode helping to increase engine braking for better control (worrying about the last mpg or two went out the window in those conditions).

This is the 4th winter I've used winter tyres, so I've no experience on the Gen 4 using summer tyres on snow.

I suspect the Gen 3s and 4s on the wider 17" tyres will have a harder time than those on 15" whatever type of tyre.

I would still prefer to have 4WD and winter tyres if there was a suitable vehicle available that appealed to me and met my other criteria - and wasn't outrageously expensive.  But, now I've got the Gen 4, I'm unlikely to change it for some time unless something really remarkable comes along - like a Prius plug-in with 4WD and a spare wheel and a rear wiper and electric memory front seats and decent boot and 5 seats - guess what?  I'm not holding my breath.

[altocumulus]

Looks like you have the same aspirations as I do Pete. I'm not bothered, though, about a 5-seater 😄

 

My local garage is recommending Yokohama 195/65R15 winter tyres; anyone heard/use them?

[Heidfirst]

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-51-Winter-Tyre-Shootout.htm 20th The review is even the right size tyres for you.

The Germans place more emphasis on actual snow performance though than most in the UK would where we tend to be cold & wet & snow is less common.

When my current summers & winters wear out I am probably going to switch to an all season tyre for year round use.

 

[altocumulus]

20th! That's why I couldn't find it....

 

Aye, Germany will get more snow conditions than we do, or at least drier snow conditions whereas most of ours is wetter unless you're across the Grampians...

[PeteB]

Or in British Rail speak, we get the wrong type of snow!  😉

[altocumulus]

Yokohama 195/65R15 not promising in wetter conditions...

[Mike J.]

Toyota show what can be used on you car. Just put in your vin and choose winter. It seems that although my Yaris came with 16 inch alloys, for winter I can go down to 14":

https://www.toyota-tech.eu/euro5search/index?PUBTYPE=TYRE#

[altocumulus]

Thanks Mike - I'm assuming the garage is using a similar, if not the same, database.

[Mike J.]

Three things to consider:

1. screen scrape and save the details if you are going to drop 2 inches in diameter, just in case ….
2. make sure the rolling radius is close - I can choose from 175/70 AND 175/65 ….
3. tell your insurers first - they might not approve, but they usually like winter tyres being fitted.

[altocumulus]

Aye, I have number 3. in mind to sort out.

 

 

Edit:

Will putting winter (snow) tyres on my car affect my car insurance premium?

No, we don't view winter tyres as a change to manufacturer's standard specification (as long as they're the standard size and specification for your car and are in roadworthy condition), fitting them won't affect your premium and you don't need to let us know.

Edited November 22, 2018 by altocumulus
Edit for insurance info....

[PeteB]

When I first started looking at winter tyres, there was a list doing the rounds (can't remember where now) showing which insurance companies wanted to be told about winter tyres - IIRC it was about half and half.  None would alter the premium if the size, speed and load ratings were identical, and some didn't mind a change as long as speed and load were sufficient.

But insurers can be very picky - for example, Co-op Insistence said they couldn't insure my last Gen 3 Prius because I'd had the Toyota rubber strips fitted to protect the doors from careless door opening - they're about ½ an inch thick for goodness sake!  (same is I have on my Gen 4).

Both my current and previous insurers wanted to note on the policy that I sometimes have winter tyres fitted, but on the list I think I recall that some needed to be told every time they were swapped!  That was 4 years ago, so the situation may have changed as there seems to be more encouragement to fit winter tyres than of old.

[Heidfirst]

https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/choosing-the-right-insurance/motor-insurance/winter-tyres/

 

[PeteB]

On 11/22/2018 at 11:16 AM, PeteB said:

...now I've got the Gen 4, I'm unlikely to change it for some time unless something really remarkable comes along - like a Prius plug-in with 4WD and a spare wheel and a rear wiper and electric memory front seats and decent boot and 5 seats - guess what?  I'm not holding my breath.

 

On 11/22/2018 at 12:02 PM, altocumulus said:

Looks like you have the same aspirations as I do Pete. I'm not bothered, though, about a 5-seater ...

And this was only a few days before the 4WD Prius announcement - I'm still not holding my breath on the other spec though.

There's lots of little things that would be on my wish list too, like:

• Climate Control mini display showing fan speed and distribution while in Auto like the Gen 3 Prius did
• EV indicator in the HUD like the Gen 3...
• electric rake and reach adjustment (with memory) of the steering column to go with the electric memory seats
• little wheels to adjust flow from each air vent individually like the first 2 generations of Prius had
• full off option for auto headlights (as opposed to auto dip)
• more rear headroom
• 2nd glovebox
• little brake lights on the Cruise Control screen (as on some Lexus models) to show when the car has put the brake lights on  (useful to know sometimes)
• Cruise Control can have a set speed down to 20 or even 15 mph
• Speed limited settable down to 10 mph