1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

First Panic Stop today - NOT good!!

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Zardoz, Sep 16, 2017.

  1. Zardoz

    Zardoz Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2013
    86
    51
    0
    Location:
    Show Low, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Phoenix rush hour traffic... extreme traffic where two highways merge together.
     
    kithmo, pilotgrrl and RCO like this.
  2. reddogpatch

    reddogpatch Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2017
    37
    17
    0
    Location:
    Savannah, Mo
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    What is considered to be the best brand of tires for (long wear and handling) the Gen 4 with 17" wheels??
     
  3. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2013
    1,534
    581
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I have a Prime. I think the brakes lack good modulation. It's too easy to hit the brakes too hard. I've had a few low speed instances where I had to suddenly hit the brakes and they come on too strong and harsh. They would have locked up if they weren't ABS.
     
    RCO likes this.
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I blame the hyper active Brake Assist. I've noticed it too compared to our Gen 2 or 3 (both have Brake Assist)
     
    RCO likes this.
  5. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,041
    7,580
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    In the "good old days" (I'll agree with the "OLD" it, not necessarily with the "Good") - you had either a foot brake, by the time I started, they were all hydraulic, and a manual handbrake - and engine braking by changing down gears. You generally knew what does what. Then we got ABS which intervened, generally to help.

    Today - we've still got all those still, but in PRIUS, additionally there is Regenerative Braking, Brake Assist as well as DRCC braking - and that isn't taking into account the effects of Hill-Hold or "B" mode.

    I often ponder which system is actually doing the braking at times nowadays.
     
    RCO and kithmo like this.
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Dang @alanclarkeau , that new avatar looks like a candy apple, great angle too.
     
    krmcg and RCO like this.
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    lol. Are you aware that the braking system is electronically controlled? (Don't worry, there is a hydraulic system as backup). Basically everything except the steering is electronically controlled in the Prius.
     
    RCO likes this.
  8. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    My steering is electronically controlled, electrically assisted power steering and the Simple intelligent park assist, where it steers itself.
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Electrically assisted but not electronically controlled. In the U.S., the only vehicle that I know of that has steer-by-wire is the Infiniti Q50 called "Direct Adaptive Steering" INFINITI Direct Adaptive Steering | INFINITI USA (According to that website, the sister Q60 coupé also has it)

    On the Prius, you still turn a rack & pinion gear when you turn the wheel. S-IPA could simply have an ECU that attaches itself to the pinion gear and rotates it.
     
    RCO and kithmo like this.
  10. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,041
    7,580
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I "borrowed" it from TOYOTA - and cut it square for an avatar - from the Japan site - I couldn't read the colour name;).

    It's different from our "Emotional Red" (I think they call "Hypersonic Red" overseas) - has a bit of bronze in the paint.

    But the odd one is the lead photo on the AUSSIE PRIUS website - red, but it looks so like a solid colour, not metallic:

    upload_2017-12-8_10-54-31.png

    Further in the Australian site, the photo of Emotional Red looks like this:

    upload_2017-12-8_10-56-55.png

    This is the USA lead photo on the website - which they label Hypersonic Red:
    upload_2017-12-8_10-55-22.png
     
    RCO and Mendel Leisk like this.
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    michelin.
     
    reddogpatch, RCO, krmcg and 1 other person like this.
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,470
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Yeah I noticed the "Prius" license plate after, lol. Thought then ok it's a stock photo. Looking good though.
     
    RCO and alanclarkeau like this.
  13. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,041
    7,580
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No - I don't understand why people pay good money for a number (license) plate which states the obvious - I saw one the other day "AMG 63" - which was basically repeating what the car was (AMG C63) - which, when they decide to change cars to a BM or LEXUS, the plate isn't relevant any more.

    I've had mine now on 5 cars - the plate was the original on my first car in 1956 which I bought in 1971 (an FJ Holden) - that way I won't ever have to remember another number plate/license number. My brother calls it my Alzheimer's plate - nasty!!!

    upload_2017-12-8_11-52-29.png upload_2017-12-8_11-54-16.png
     
    RCO, Raytheeagle and Mendel Leisk like this.
  14. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    I think I misinterpreted what you meant by electronically controlled, I now see you meant electronically connected as opposed to mechanically connected.
     
    RCO likes this.
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,767
    16,016
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Sorry I wasn't clear. Yes.. I meant "steer-by-wire".

    Sorry again. Toyota uses "electronically controlled brakes [ECB]" in the literature to refer to the "brake-by-wire" system so when I started talking about the steering, I was in a Toyota lingo mindset.
     
    RCO likes this.
  16. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2014
    1,243
    1,044
    1
    Location:
    Keystone State
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Sorry to find out that Toyota hasn't improved the Prius' brakes in the 4th generation.

    The brakes on my Gen 3 are barely sufficient for aggressive stops. Not up to snuff for a vehicle as technologically advanced as it is in many other aspects. The ABS is pathetic. I've actually made them lock up - tires skidding on dry pavement in one scenario.

    I don't know what the engineers were thinking when they designed the Prius' brakes... reduce mass, inertia?
     
  17. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Although I didn't notice, as I didn't actually have any incidents where I had to brake aggressively, SWMBO did comment that my old Gen 3 brakes didn't feel as good as her Gen 2.
    My Gen 4 brakes feel more efficient than the Gen 3 did under normal braking but again I've not been in an aggressive braking situation yet, so I can't comment on that. You have to remember the Prius is not designed to be a sports car where aggressive braking is the norm.
    If you want to see how good the Prius brakes really are, try driving a car from the 60s with drum brakes all round and no servo(power) assistance, like a Morris Minor.
     
    scona likes this.
  18. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    3,709
    5,182
    0
    Location:
    Cornwall
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    If you manage to lock up on a dry pavement, perhaps there's something wrong with your braking system and it needs to be checked. Even when there's no fault light there could be something amiss.
     
  19. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2014
    1,243
    1,044
    1
    Location:
    Keystone State
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    I've been driving for >40 years and currently own several vehicles of varying braking capability. The brakes on my Gen 3 should be up to the task of stopping a 3000+ pound vehicle with more aplomb than I've experienced. I would certainly hope they're at least superior to 50 year old drum brakes.
     
  20. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2014
    1,243
    1,044
    1
    Location:
    Keystone State
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    I mentioned it to my dealer to check them on a following visit, and Toyota gave them a thumbs up.