The Little Prius that could ( transmission fluid & engine oil analysis after towing)

[Betik]

Let's not even get started on 1500-2000lbs of trailer pushing that prius around. That's a whole different topic. Although that looks like one of those really expensive super light aluminum trailers. Unlike the heavy galvanized and painted trailers we own.

oh please do because I do have a very strong opinion about it. Let me walk the talk and get us started though.
Towing that tandem trailer with a jetski trailer on top it was female dog. I am not planing on doing it anytime soon or would recommend anyone doing. Not because of their weight as much as the weight distribution and most of it being 20 feet away from the hitch.

That being said, towing a single jetski is a piece of cake. From Dallas to Florida, or Detroit or recently to Bull Shal lake in north Arkansas I have zero reservation towing with a ski behind me. Towing the ski with the prius it feels no different than towing the 240 with my F150.
As a full disclaimer that was true until I put Electric over Hydrolic brakes on both of my axles for the boat. But prior to that really no difference. My ski & trailer combo are between 1,000 lbs to 1,100lbs and besides the reduction on MPG, it feel fine. This is not just doing 60mph on the interstate, this includes driving on curvy roads of north east Arkansas. At the end of the day the Prius is rated for $1,500lb in Europe and it is the exact same vehicle here.

 

[FireFighterHill]

I own a "First Gen" 2003 Prius with 270,000 miles. If I remember correctly the 2001-2003 had the biggest battery and the highest power of any of the prius's. I believe it as ive had the thing up over 100mph more times than i care to admit. I have beat it to hell. It was my daily driver to keep wear tear and fuel cost down for my Ram 3500. I got it for a few hundred bucks because the battery pack needed rebuilt. I rebuilt it with used modules and I actually need to tear it apart again to replace 2 more that went bad while it sat while I was in Iraq. I can say it has never left me stranded. Using a bluetooth OBD reader and the "Torque Pro" app on my phone i can scan everything the car is doing and reset codes on the fly. After driving around 4 adults all 250 pounds plus id say it could easily pull an empty boat trailer or a jet ski. They will run forever if you know how to take care of them. The problem im running into now is good used batteries modules are drying up and they dont make them anymore.

 

[Ratket]

people must look at you like you are crazy when they see those empty trailers behind your Prius...

 

[swatski]

people must look at you like you are crazy when they see those empty trailers behind your Prius...

LMAO. Just trying to picture that.

He wouldn't raise an eyebrow around these parts, where I live - not even close, lolol.

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[Neutron]

I have seen many prius with class III recievers and electric brake controlers come in here. And we all shake our heads wondering what on earth they are towing

 

[Betik]

people must look at you like you are crazy when they see those empty trailers behind your Prius...

there is true into that LOL

 

[Neutron]

A lot of people knock hybrids, saying they are slow with no power. Buy anyone who has driven one can say, they are not lacking power. I will put up a highlander hybrid against a lot of sports cars. Those absolutely pull hard and keep pulling. Electric motors are all torque and its instant torque.
Amazing machines really. And not much goes wrong. Even brakes last well over 100k before changing because the electric motor does most of the braking .
The brake pedal is not connected to a master cylinder like other cars. The computer applies the brakes for you

 

[Betik]

108K and still on original brake pads. I checked them at 90,000 miles and they were half way (maybe).

not because we I drive, but honestly that little prius has amazed me. Now only if Toyota will bring the TJ crusier, I will be a very very happy camper.

 

[swatski]

A lot of people knock hybrids, saying they are slow with no power. Buy anyone who has driven one can say, they are not lacking power. I will put up a highlander hybrid against a lot of sports cars. Those absolutely pull hard and keep pulling. Electric motors are all torque and its instant torque.
Amazing machines really. And not much goes wrong. Even brakes last well over 100k before changing because the electric motor does most of the braking .
The brake pedal is not connected to a master cylinder like other cars. The computer applies the brakes for you

There is a lot of ignorance, no doubt.
You can't beat maximum torque at zero RPM, that I knew. But I was not quite aware of how much of a longevity advantage these cars get - due to electric engine breaking and lower ICE RPM.

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[Ratket]

A lot of people knock hybrids, saying they are slow with no power. Buy anyone who has driven one can say, they are not lacking power. I will put up a highlander hybrid against a lot of sports cars. Those absolutely pull hard and keep pulling. Electric motors are all torque and its instant torque.
Amazing machines really. And not much goes wrong. Even brakes last well over 100k before changing because the electric motor does most of the braking .
The brake pedal is not connected to a master cylinder like other cars. The computer applies the brakes for you

With out a Doubt they haul ass, and they can pull their share of weight.
Only issue I have is Ignorance while towing, and unfortunately it’s not just people with electric cars.

 

[swatski]

With out a Doubt they haul ass, and they can pull their share of weight.
Only issue I have is Ignorance while towing, and unfortunately it’s not just people with electric cars.

I think that some of those perceptions are better justified then other.
Take something like a model x tesla, where high end models push 6,000lbs curb weight - and most of it is situated 5inches of the ground inside a flat floor! (with air suspension), independently powered and breaking all 4 wheels...
Those things have the stability of a tractor trailer...
I went on a test ride in an x a couple years ago, I was flabbergasted.

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[RedBarron55]

You guys should read up on the Prius Hybrid system.
The engine drives a planetary system and the overall gear ratio is determined by the electric motor driving one of the gearsets.
There is no revere gear by the way. The reverse is the main electric motor only.
The main electric motor/generator will drive the car, but usually the engine drives the car and the motor generator is charging the battery and the secondary electric motor selects the ratio of the drive combination.

 

[biglar155]

I had a Prius as a rental for one of my trips to Ohio for work.

The geek in me loved the technology. I just wasn't thrilled with the comfort level for a 6-hour drive. (I'm a "large vehicle" person. Anything that small needs to be a sports-car in my book.)

Upon my return, when people asked me what I thought, my answer was "I didn't hate it as much as I wanted to."

If I had a serious commute of any kind - especially a lot of city driving - I'd probably own one. As it is, I put most of my miles on my vehicles in situations that I need the towing capacity, cargo space, or room for more passengers - or a combo of all three.

Still, a neat car. It's fun watching the technology improve.

 

[Betik]

You guys should read up on the Prius Hybrid system.
The engine drives a planetary system and the overall gear ratio is determined by the electric motor driving one of the gearsets.
There is no revere gear by the way. The reverse is the main electric motor only.
The main electric motor/generator will drive the car, but usually the engine drives the car and the motor generator is charging the battery and the secondary electric motor selects the ratio of the drive combination.

Please do explain a bit further. So that is all information, but what does it mean in terms of the discussion we are having about say wear and tear due to towing etc.

 

[Betik]

The geek in me loved the technology. I just wasn't thrilled with the comfort level for a 6-hour drive. (I'm a "large vehicle" person. Anything that small needs to be a sports-car in my book.)

I think it kind depends. Let me give you an example.
When I towed from Miami to Dallas, on the F150 ( with the boat behind), my 66 years old mother was tired. So much that the second day my father drove to Shreveport Louisiana to get my mother out of the F150 and into the Prius. This year my mother (now 68) came from Dallas to Orlando and then back to Dallas without having having any back pain while we drove the prius ( towing a jetski behind). On the F150 she usually sits on the back wheres on the prius she sits on the front, but aside from that all other factors are relatively constant.

There is defiantly more room on the F150, but the ride itself feels more comfortable on the prius.

 

[RedBarron55]

The Prius transmission is a planetary system in constant mesh and no shifting of gears, engagement, disengagement, clutches or anything that increases the wear.
Pruis transmissions are cheap on ebay because they outlast most of the rest of the car, like any other junkyard parts.
The only real wear point was the large gear bushing that was used instead of a bearing.
Later productions did use a bearing and even this point became bulletproof.
I can judge to some extend because I had the original Prius I (a 2002) and in 200,000 miles I replaced an inverter water pump and the main battery.
The car would still be running if I had not given it to my son the car killer (two weeks to totaled).
The transmission would not be a limitation in towing.
The limitation would be weight, suspension, and power limitations when drawing power from the battery for long periods of time like up a long incline.

 

[FireFighterHill]

The prius transmission fluid also helps cool and lubricate the electric motors. After I got my 2003 first gen prius I did a complete service which included dropping the transmission pan. I found some bits of what I think was motor winding insulation and fine metal particles on the magnet. The consensus among the prius guru's was that this was normal and nothing to worry about. I did put a powerful rare earth magnet in the pan before putting it back together as it is hypothsized that the fine metal particles could damage the electric motors over time.

 

[Betik]

interesting; have idea about the details. all I know is that it works fine 110,000 as of today

 

[Neutron]

The prius transmission fluid also helps cool and lubricate the electric motors. After I got my 2003 first gen prius I did a complete service which included dropping the transmission pan. I found some bits of what I think was motor winding insulation and fine metal particles on the magnet. The consensus among the prius guru's was that this was normal and nothing to worry about. I did put a powerful rare earth magnet in the pan before putting it back together as it is hypothsized that the fine metal particles could damage the electric motors over time.

From the 2nd gen on they eliminated transmission pans. They just use a drain and fill plug. The drain plug doesn't even have a built in magnet

 

[Betik]

I don’t recall if there is a pan or not, but when I changed the fluid I removed the lower “screw “ and let it drain it. Then I filled it will fluid from the upper “screw”. It sounds a lot like what @Neutron is describing