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Does PiP coast differently from a Gen III?

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by mainerinexile, Sep 3, 2013.

  1. mainerinexile

    mainerinexile No longer in exile!

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    Just traded a Gen III with 90K miles for a PiP. Nice upgrade, like the improved mpg and overall, it just works better as a hybrid because of the bigger battery. First tank was 69 mpg calculated, 17% electric.

    BUT: the PiP requires power to go down hills that the Gen III used to coast down, picking up speed. Likewise my Tacoma will coast down hills that I have to power down in the PiP. It feels like something is holding it back when coasting, more so that did the Gen III. Has anyone else noticed this, or might I have a break dragging, or could the regen rate be set too high (is it even adjustable?). Another observation: in ICE mode, the PiP has noticeably less power and acceleration that did the Gen III. Even my wife, who is oblivious to vehicle things, has commented on less power.

    Any theories?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats!(y) i don't know about the regen, i came from a gen II and it seems similar. on the power, are you in eco mode? all the best with your new pip!
     
  3. retired4999

    retired4999 Prius driver since 2005

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    Change your center 6" screen so you can see where your energey is going.
    Yes! it will coast, but it is almost impossible to keep it coasting. Really to keep in coasting mode is really hard.
    I just try to keep it as close as I can and call it good. :)

    I came from a 2005 Pruis and find it about the same as that when in ECO mode.
    If you want, try and use the PWR mode and see what you think!
     
  4. mainerinexile

    mainerinexile No longer in exile!

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    Yes, in Eco mode but if the pedal is on the floor in Eco, it will be too in Power mode. Gen III is quite different than Gen II based on engine size and power.
    I used the wrong word, since coasting as a specific meaning in Prius-speak. What I am refering to is taking your foot off the gas entirely on a downhill where my Gen III used to accelerate due to gravity, but in the Pip I have to use EV or HV to keep up my speed. It feels like something is holding th car back much more than in the gen III. Is the PiP regenerating more than the Gen iii did?
     
  5. retired4999

    retired4999 Prius driver since 2005

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    Yes!
     
  6. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    I've owned a regular Gen III too and haven't noticed any difference with coasting.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed about the pedal being on the floor, but 99.9% of driving is not and it takes a lot more pedal in eco mode to get it going making it feel under powered. but as i said, i didn't have a non pip gen III to compare to.
     
  8. CaliforniaBear

    CaliforniaBear Clearwater Blue Metallic

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    I had a 2012 Prius 3 prior to my PiP and haven't noticed a difference.

    "Powering down hill" doesn't make any sense at all. If you maintain the "glide level" there is no braking and the "coasting" of the PiP should be pretty much identical to the Gen III. In fact, being a little heaver it should pick up speed slightly better when gliding down hill.

    If you just take your foot off the accelerator the PiP may indeed not "coast" as well because there could be a little more regeneration due to the larger capacity of the battery. That's a good thing because it means more EV miles and better mpg.
     
  9. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    We need to define coasting vs. gliding. Coasting is taking your foot off of both pedals. Gliding is applying just enough pressure on the gas pedal to keep it out of regen but not use any power.

    Now that we have those defined...
    Gliding should be the exact same in either car (I came from a Gen3).
    Coasting does seem to slow you down just a bit more than a Gen3, thereby providing more regen.

    They have the same amount of power. Just choose normal or power mode instead of eco if you want the "feel" of more power.
     
  10. Gruvin2

    Gruvin2 Junior Member

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    I had a 2010 Gen3 prior to my PiP and one of the 1st things I noticed was the PiP has more grab on downhill regenerative braking then the Gen3. I was concerned since my Gen3 would gain momentum on downhills where the PiP will hold the speed or even decrease depending on the grade%. Even so the PiP regens better overall then Gen3.

    In regard to the power I always drive in ECO mode and only feel a minimal difference when putting the pedal to the floor compared to the Gen3.
     
  11. Jeffrey Jessup

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    The car being heavier because of the bigger battery and with the same horse power perhaps (power to weight ratio)? I'm new to Prius so just getting used to all the terms and how the car functions. Have you asked the shop to check it to make sure everything is ok? I do notice the B selection will slow the car considerably. Maybe it's hitting that mode on the down hills and not telling you.
     
  12. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    It's like 100 pounds heavier I think. Do you really notice the acceleration difference when a 10 year old is sitting in the car?
     
  13. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    I have both 2010 and 2012 PIP. There are very minor differences in the feel, but I find them to be very close to the same.

    Mike
     
  14. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    I noticed the same coming from gen2.
     
  15. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    Going through the Texas hill country I never noticed any significant difference between my former 2010 5 and the PIP. But I was very surprised at how little I needed to use B mode going down lots of mountain passes on my recent vacation. Really does not want to coast freely while in gear. As someone else suggested, the added weight probably makes a difference. Seems unlikely to be a difference in programming. Also had no trouble at all going up hill. Freaked my wife out going 80 uphill to pass some trucks just before heading down something called "deadman's pass" (where I again made very little use of B mode). Kept hearing about that the whole rest of the trip....:)
     
  16. Jeffrey Jessup

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    My bad. I didn't check the specifics but just threw out a thought. Hope if there is an answer it will become known to us since we are obviously curious or we wouldn't be reading this post.
     
  17. CaliforniaBear

    CaliforniaBear Clearwater Blue Metallic

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    "Coast freely while in gear" ? There are no gears in the sense of a transmission. I believe it is correct that if the car thinks you are coasting to fast it will kick in the ICE to slow things down and keep the motors within their RPM range. It does that at 62mph in the PiP and 42mph in the standard Prius. Pretty much the same as what B does.
     
  18. ggood

    ggood Senior Member

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    Yes, I understand about the planetary gears, I was just trying to distinguish from neutral. What you are saying makes sense, and I think 62 may be in the range it tended to slow down to. The times I used B slowed it down even more. Not quite sure what speeds I or my wife were going when we used B, but probably in the 50s - depended on who was driving and what kind of curves we were hitting.
     
  19. mainerinexile

    mainerinexile No longer in exile!

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    It sounds like others are experiencing the same thing I am. When going down a moderate hill, the car slows so much that you have to use the accelerator to maintain speed. Doesn't matter if you are in HV or EV mode. Someone suggested that this is good because there is more regen. I would suggest not, since I have to USE power to get down the hill. I think this must be a programming issue, and indeed the car is trying to do so much regen that it slows down and then fails to regen at all. I love this car, but this is a real nuicance. Free coasting (i.e. as a gravity hybrid) is a better way to get the best MPG. There--that comment will generate some criticism!
     
  20. CaliforniaBear

    CaliforniaBear Clearwater Blue Metallic

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    If you simply step on the accelerator to hit the glide level, no regeneration braking, no power to the motor, you will go downhill faster than you would coasting (a little bit of regeneration) in a standard Prius. There is no need to add power to go downhill at the same speed as a standard Prius coasting because that coasting is actually doing a small amount of regeneration braking. The ICE/motor mechanics of the two vehicles are the same. The slower coasting of the PiP is due to regeneration braking if you allow that to happen, no additional power required.