'09 Toyota Prius with 465,000 miles Retired

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Originally Posted By: wally6934
I wondered about that statement about original brake pads. Does the Prius have some kind of electrical or re-genitive braking. 465K miles highway or not for brake pads is hard to belive.


Yep, regenerative braking is one of the features that contributes to the overall efficiency of the Prius. The regenerative braking can account for some of the braking effort or almost all of it, depending on terrain and how aggressive or how laid-back is your driving style. So it can vary a lot from one driver to the next, but the brake pads in a Prius can last a very long time.

I've got a 2005 Prius with 120,000 miles and all original pads. I checked them fairly recently and they had very little wear. I doubt that I'll ever need to change them.
 
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
wow that suprised me i hear nothing but problems with those things


? Weird, as all I've heard is that they are one of the most reliable cars on the road and lowest cost to run (someone had fleet data on BITOG and mentioned this many times).
 
yea, the brakes makes sense. especially if he's "hyper miling" he ain't likely braking too often... :P


quite a feat though....mad props lol.
 
How does the braking in a Prius actually work. As you step on the brake pedal does the regenerative braking cut in and start slowing the car until it is stopped or until you call for more braking and the brake pads are allowed to activate?
 
Originally Posted By: Best F100
Question: Do you think, this owner could have increased the engine longevity at less than 10,000 oil change intervals...?
No, that's unlikely.

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
I wonder what the dealer said when he traded it in, haha.
I think he/she said something along these lines: Let's get some free advertising out of this thing to help increase the sales of other similar vehicles in inventory. Oh yes, and keep in close touch with the new owner of the Prius for another advertising opportunity later.

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
...I have driven his car and I get the idea about learning new skills that make a big difference in the gas mileage.
Mad skillz indeed!
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: wally6934
How does the braking in a Prius actually work. As you step on the brake pedal does the regenerative braking cut in and start slowing the car until it is stopped or until you call for more braking and the brake pads are allowed to activate?


Surprisingly, the regenerative braking begins even before you get to the brake pedal. Regeneration starts in the top few millimeters of the accelerator pedal, with what's know as a simulated engine braking. With your foot off the accelerator, the Prius would otherwise glide in much the same way as if a regular car was in neutral (or clutched in).

So there's an initial level of regeneration that's simply to slow the car similarly to how a regular car would slow under engine/transmission friction. Then as you move to the brake pedal the regeneration increases with pedal pressure until maximum regenerative effort is achieved, at which point the friction brakes begin assisting.

There are some instances where it relies on friction braking. On uneven surfaces where ABS is required it will switch to friction only, and at very low speed (where regenerative braking is ineffective) it also uses the friction pads.
 
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When you understand how a Prius works, there s really less to go wrong than any other.

uart explained it well...nothing beats a bare feet drive of a Prius, as you can feather the throttle (wasted terminology these days), and have MG1 and MG2 balanced...can regenerate, brake, do all sorts of stuff with more sensitivity than just about any other car.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
When you understand how a Prius works, there s really less to go wrong than any other.


This.

I drive a 2007 Prius and have converted 1 naysayer (my friend Tom). He thought the cars were slow, had to be hypermiled to get good gas mileage, etc. but after driving with me in mine and trying it out for himself, traded his Chrysler 300 (16mpg) for a 2008 Prius with low miles.
 
Originally Posted By: uart
Originally Posted By: wally6934
How does the braking in a Prius actually work. As you step on the brake pedal does the regenerative braking cut in and start slowing the car until it is stopped or until you call for more braking and the brake pads are allowed to activate?


Surprisingly, the regenerative braking begins even before you get to the brake pedal. Regeneration starts in the top few millimeters of the accelerator pedal, with what's know as a simulated engine braking. With your foot off the accelerator, the Prius would otherwise glide in much the same way as if a regular car was in neutral (or clutched in).

So there's an initial level of regeneration that's simply to slow the car similarly to how a regular car would slow under engine/transmission friction. Then as you move to the brake pedal the regeneration increases with pedal pressure until maximum regenerative effort is achieved, at which point the friction brakes begin assisting.

There are some instances where it relies on friction braking. On uneven surfaces where ABS is required it will switch to friction only, and at very low speed (where regenerative braking is ineffective) it also uses the friction pads.


I bet it took a long time to get that software right.
 
For those of us who have seen that South Park episode....

If we all start driving Prius's the country will be engulfed in a cloud of SMUG....

LOL. Those who drive a long way every day, Hybrids work out well. A large animal Vet we know has had a great run with a Ford Escape Hybrid... with that many miles, it'll eventually make it worth it.

In many ways, if I was on the road that much, I'd like a little diesel car.... but I'm not...

Best bang for the buck here is to get whatever used low-mile car you can snag and drive it until the rust eats it away.
 
Originally Posted By: wally6934

I bet it took a long time to get that software right.


When I test drove gen 1 back in early 2000s, I was not impressed by the handling and could feel the transition from regen to friction. I obviously didn't buy it.

In the gen 3 I currently own, I cannot even feel the transition. I believe it's done by a deceleration sensor matching actual deceleration to the pedal position.
 
Originally Posted By: WMSmotorhead

Best bang for the buck here is to get whatever used low-mile car you can snag and drive it until the rust eats it away.


Not everything we do in life is the best bang for the buck. Using your analogy, most men shouldn't get married to get that best bang for the buck.
 
My opinion:
The Prius driver should have gotten a VW TDI, he's still be driving it (assuming proper maintenance). Not to mention it could have easily done 20k mile OCIs, and no need to actively "hypermile" it. But whatever, to each his own.
 
Originally Posted By: zanzabar
My opinion:
The Prius driver should have gotten a VW TDI, he's still be driving it (assuming proper maintenance). Not to mention it could have easily done 20k mile OCIs, and no need to actively "hypermile" it. But whatever, to each his own.

Fully agree with you.
Get the right engine for your needs. The rest is final tweak.
E.g I driveing tiny small Opel Corsa b 1,7Diesel for about 300,000 miles.
OCI - 6000....7000miles= 10,000km Castrol magnatec 10w40
I cannot notice any oil consumption. The oil mark checked in my garage after 1 night idle doesn't not change for 10,000km.
What will be the result if i used chepaer MObil1 or Valvoline or something else?
Most likely I will have the same result with other oil brand too
 
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I have seen 4 Toyotas with over 400k on them here. There is one guy who has 800k on a Lexus LS400 that he bought new. That said I know several guys who have F150s over 300k. All of these people have one thing in common. They all have a PM regimen for their cars.
 
Originally Posted By: uart
Originally Posted By: wally6934
I wondered about that statement about original brake pads. Does the Prius have some kind of electrical or re-genitive braking. 465K miles highway or not for brake pads is hard to belive.


Yep, regenerative braking is one of the features that contributes to the overall efficiency of the Prius. The regenerative braking can account for some of the braking effort or almost all of it, depending on terrain and how aggressive or how laid-back is your driving style. So it can vary a lot from one driver to the next, but the brake pads in a Prius can last a very long time.

I've got a 2005 Prius with 120,000 miles and all original pads. I checked them fairly recently and they had very little wear. I doubt that I'll ever need to change them.

I must be the only lead foot Prius driver on the road. My 2011 just turned 70k and my front pads are at 5mm, while my rears are still at 7mm. At this rate, I will be due for a set of front pads at 90-100k.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: uart
Originally Posted By: wally6934
I wondered about that statement about original brake pads. Does the Prius have some kind of electrical or re-genitive braking. 465K miles highway or not for brake pads is hard to belive.


Yep, regenerative braking is one of the features that contributes to the overall efficiency of the Prius. The regenerative braking can account for some of the braking effort or almost all of it, depending on terrain and how aggressive or how laid-back is your driving style. So it can vary a lot from one driver to the next, but the brake pads in a Prius can last a very long time.

I've got a 2005 Prius with 120,000 miles and all original pads. I checked them fairly recently and they had very little wear. I doubt that I'll ever need to change them.

I must be the only lead foot Prius driver on the road. My 2011 just turned 70k and my front pads are at 5mm, while my rears are still at 7mm. At this rate, I will be due for a set of front pads at 90-100k.


Don't you have a hilly commute? Try coasting/braking ahead, that will use more regenerative vs slamming on brakes that is mostly friction.
 
Originally Posted By: zanzabar
My opinion:
The Prius driver should have gotten a VW TDI, he's still be driving it (assuming proper maintenance). Not to mention it could have easily done 20k mile OCIs, and no need to actively "hypermile" it. But whatever, to each his own.


The typical BITOG absurd and innorance of the facts. No matter how many times I checked, VW's TDI is very lacking in reliability and plagued by very expensive repairs.

You can clearly see it here: http://www.truedelta.com/Volkswagen-Jetta/reliability-280/vs-Prius-272

I have nothing against the diesel cars themselves. I used to have one myself in my previous life. But, truth should be told and lies should be exposed.
 
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