Regen Braking adjustment

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Technical Discussion' started by ukr2, Feb 16, 2026 at 12:06 PM.

  1. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    Can the Braking System be adjusted so we get Maximum Regen Braking BEFORE mechanical Braking starts?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Sorry, no. It has to be ready for emergency braking, but you do get a lot of regen first
     
  3. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    Hello Bisco. It's been a while since I asked a question.
     
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  4. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    I just feel the mechanical Braking is grabbing before it fully regen.
     
  5. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    After Full Regen, then add the mechanical
     
  6. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    Also, is the All Answers link a trusted partner? They wanted $5, but then they wanted $45 per month.
     
  7. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    Bosco, do you work for Prius Chat?
     
  8. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    Are you still there?
     
  9. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    No, I don’t, Danny can’t afford me :cool:
    Idk anything about all answers.
    Are your brakes grabbing due to rusty rotors?
     
  11. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    What is the year and model of the car that you are driving?

    How many miles on the car?
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    If a green dot is blinking in the corner of his avatar, he's on the site. Otherwise no.

    Regarding changing the proportion of regen versus friction brake: there's no way Toyota would make that owner customizable. It is very complex, and nearly always a mix of the two, varying amounts of each. Definitely not one or the other.
     
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  13. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    =============================================================

    OK, I now have a 2021 Prius Prime with 32,000 miles, after I hit a deer with my Blue 2017.
    I was hoping there might be a Toyota Tech adjustment of the Regen/Mechanical crossover.

    So then, is it a good idea to shift from D to B on a regular basic.
    B is usually used when going downhill and it applies more Regen.

    I noticed that even when on a flat road and needing to brake, I can shift from D to B and get quite a bit of Regen and not have to touch the brake pedal. Then with slight pressure on the pedal, even more Regen is achieved versus leaving the shifter in D.

    What are your thoughts?
     
  14. bisco

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    the brakes need exercise to prevent rotor rust buildup, and keep the caliper slide pins from freezing up.
    aside from that, I think your idea is fine
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    The concensus is to only shift from D to B when you have a long downhill ahead, with the object being to delay it being fully charged, since B applies less regen braking.
     
  16. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Under typical braking, regen is used to slow the car down to approximately 7-17 mph when the front hydraulic brakes are used. Rears are slightly engaged during loght braking for stability and wear faster than front pads. Hydraulic brakes are used anytime hard or emergency stops are needed.

    As a result normal brake pedal regen significantly extends brake pad life and is essential for high mpg. My original rear pads were changed at 300,000. I changed the front pads at 345,000 miles even though they were still legal. The rotors are all original.
     
    #16 rjparker, Feb 16, 2026 at 9:49 PM
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2026 at 10:04 PM
  17. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    In a Prime or other plug-in, just make sure these actions don't spin up the ICE. If the ICE spins, then you applied too much and it is wasting energy in the ICE that otherwise could have been sent to the battery. You might need to have it set for EV mode instead of HV mode, I don't know for sure as I never had the Prius Prime, just a regular Prius followed by RAV4 Prime with different settings.

    In a non-plug-in Prius, this move is wasteful because it (nearly) always spins the ICE, deliberately wasting energy. Since the regular Prius has a small battery, it cannot take all the energy of serious downhills, so B mode is used to keep the brakes from overheating. This eventually may happen in a Prime too, when it reaches full or charge rate & temperature limits, but the Prime can handle steeper and much longer downhills before spinning the ICE than can a regular Prius.
    That is the answer for regular Prius, which has only an HV B mode and must spin the ICE. The Prime has an additional EV B mode, which can increase the battery regeneration and not spin the ICE, under the right conditions.
     
  18. ukr2

    ukr2 Senior Member

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    Do Toyota Engineers ever visit and comment on PriusChat?
    I always wished they would, to give us definitive answers.