A Hybrid Owner’s winter survival guide

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Preparing your Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius for winter driving







W A R N I N G

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The information contained in this article is intended to mitigate the effects of winter driving particularly in sub-freezing temperatures. Using some of the recommendations under any other circumstances is not recommended and can even be dangerous. Please exercise caution and only proceed if you understand the goals and principles of these recommendations.





Front Intake (grille) blocking





Why block the front grille?





How to block the front grille?









Winter Blocking the 2010 3G Prius: Top blocking may require some creative cutting of the foam to ensure a secure and thorough fit. Bottom blocking only requires small vertical cuts on the foam to make it past the vertical fins and allow for a flush and secure fit.







Winter Blocking the 2006-2008 2G HCH: Top blocking requires proper sizing and one vertical cut on the foam to ensure a secure and flush fit. Bottom blocking only requires small cuts on the foam to make it past the vertical fins and allow for a flush and secure fit.

2009-2010 HCH units: Require the use of a flattened out foam tube that is then cut to match the openings and then tied against the grille with nylon tie wraps.

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How much blocking do we apply?







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Front Grille blocking as a function of ambient temperature

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The above table values were matched to these engine temperatures

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The Engine Block Heater





Prius and HCH-2 Block heater



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Testing your Engine Block Heater





When to use a block heater, and how long to leave it on





The Tires

Regular use a good digital tire pressure gauge. Ideally check the tire pressures every 1 or 2 weeks. Install and use a direct type Tpms system.



Recommended scenario for winter tires with a maximum sidewall pressure rating of 44 psi

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Selecting the proper winter tire

Last thought on winter driving tires





Recommended Winter tires





The Engine/Intake Air Filter

Valves and cylinder seals

O2 Sensors

EGR valves

Catalytic converter

Exhaust system





Can you guess which is the "dirty 1 year old" filter with just 10K miles ?

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Oil and viscosity ratings







Honda oil used on my HCH-2's and the Mobil 1 0W20 used by dealer on my Prii

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Windshield washer fluid



Typical winter rated windshield washer fluid

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Re-fueling your vehicle









Washing your car in the winter





Managing window fogging and ICE on the windows

Using the defogger and climate control





Turn on engine. Set climate control to auto and temperature to the lowest possible level Turn on the rear defogger Do not turn on the side mirror heaters. Start moving the car as soon as the forward and some rearward visibility improve and it is enough to allow safe driving. Turn off the rear defogger as soon as possible Lower the fan rate on the climate control and do not raise the temperature beyond its minimum. Believe it not, the minimum temperature is pretty warm in a very cold day.

Other alternatives







Rain-X Rain and ICE repellent, and Rain-X interior Window Fog repellent

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Windshield blanket from No2Snow



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Windshield blanket from Sno-Shield









Windshield blanket from Wagan

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Its too cold out there. Lets just warm up the car before driving off.

Driving your hybrid for fuel economy in cold weather







The Hybrid Specific Operational Stages

HCH-2 Operational Stages



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Strategically blocking your front grille

blocking your front grille Using a block heater

Adding additional insulation to the engine bay

Etc



Prius II operational Stages



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Strategically block of the car's front grille

block of the car's front grille Use a block heater

Add additional insulation to the engine bay

Monitor your throttle input and watch your RPMs with a Scangauge II when the gas engine cannot shutdown.

Etc







Is there anything else that can be done to help improve our fuel economy and lower emissions even more?





Even if just for a few hours a day of sun or a full day of cloudy skies, a solar panel setup will help prevent dramatic and crippling losses of charge on the part of the 12V battery. Please remember that your car is slowly draining the 12V battery after you lock it and walk away from it. Maintains and extends the life of your 12V battery. Keeping a battery topped off is a sure way to ensure its long life and flawless performance for many years. Helps improve fuel economy by reducing the amount of generated energy that gets diverted from propulsion purposes to charge the 12V battery. During the summer months it can also help power an inexpensive cabin cooling setup that can further save even more energy.





So, which car is best in harsh winter operation ?