Brake pedal resistance

If you drive the car for a week, you will not even notice the difference. Your foot will make the adjustment in no time. You may be used to compensating for a soft brake pedal in your existing car.

 

I agree with Ray and Evan. I got so used to it in a week with a rental, the brakes in my car felt wierd and like they weren't stopping the car properly.

 

after you get your car, it will take about 2 hours to get over that "through the windshield" feeling.

but as you master the regen braking technique, you will not want to go back to the old way.

 

I'm sorry that we're not giving you the help you were looking for. As I often say, That is the answer to a question, just not the question I asked.

 

When I did my test drive I had the same feeling. Touchy breaks but after a few days in the car it was just right. I am using a very soft touch except at a full stop to kill the ICE.

 

It is definitely relative.

On the other end, I have occasionally driven the van for my vanpool. Every time I use the brakes in that whale, I feel like I'm having to put my foot through the floorboards to have an effect. (And I haven't gotten a Prius yet!)

 

There is a solution: Buy an '05! I've owned two '04's for comparison and can say that the biggest improvement in the '05's is brake pedal feel. It's firmer with braking force more in proportion to brake pedal pressure. Gone is the touchiness I've complained about here. It's more than a subtle improvement, something changed for the better. Since it's brake-by-wire, maybe someday the '04's will be software upgradeable.

 

Drive your vehicle as if you have no or minimal brakes. This allows regeneration to work more to your advantage and your brakes last longer.

Think of your whole vehicle. How can I slow to a stop light or stop sign, not use the brakes (and not illuminate the brake lights), yet still maintain a reasonable forward speed with traffic?

This all goes back to "feathering the accelerator" and anticipating your next move (brake or accelerator). Improve your fuel economy, lower the tension level and make your vehicle last much longer.

 

Odd, I thought my 05's brakes were actually tighter than the old car (though that was an 02). Had to learn to break softly all over again, which was odd moving from the Classic of all things.

 

OK after 6 + weeks driving the Prius I drove my old Ford Explorer while I got the 5K service. The experience was remarkable. The main thing was that I felt like I would never get the thing stopped!! I hated the standard friction brakes. I have had for many years a dream where I push on the break peddle and the car does not slow down, and now it was reality. The other strange thing was the car not stopping at stops. Why would a car want to run at a stop light? This car does change the way you view transportation.

 

Hi there, I'm a noob on priuschat (dont have one, but looking at a used 1st gen for my first car) but I think I have an answer to your problem. If you don't want to just adjust to the feeling of the brake pedal, then you could try using a bungee cord. At my drivers ed school they attached a bungee cord to the brake pedal and then attached it some hook above the brake pedal, so it was more difficult to stop. Hope that helped