Just wondering... I notice that my 2004 Prius spins the ICE at about 42 MPH. From reading Graham's description of the original THS this makes sense to preserve MG1. I thought that THS II allowed higher revs for MG1 than THS. Did they change the gear ratios in the PSD, the gearing of the ring gear to the wheels, or is this just an artifact of the THS software? mostly curious, jim
They did design MG1 to allow more revs, but I believe the intent was to get more generated power. I believe what you're seeing is an artifact. Shouldn't matter much though.
If you get in a situation where you're under 42 mph, ICE-off, on a downhill, you can move to Neutral and actually wind up going considerably faster than 42 mph without the engine spinning at all. Kind of fun, and probably helps mileage a bit. Until you have to slow down, of course; moving back to D spins the engine and enables regen. _ Save the rants about "illegal to coast in neutral". The definition doesn't apply to the prius, because the geartrain is always engaged and Neutral is just an electrical state. The car can coast like a soapbox derby racer anyways, and that's part of the fun. _ _H*
