First Panic Stop today - NOT good!!

What is considered to be the best brand of tires for (long wear and handling) the Gen 4 with 17" wheels??

 

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.

 

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.

 

Dang @alanclarkeau , that new avatar looks like a candy apple, great angle too.

 

My steering is electronically controlled, electrically assisted power steering and the Simple intelligent park assist, where it steers itself.

 

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:



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



This is the USA lead photo on the website - which they label Hypersonic Red:

 

michelin.

 

Yeah I noticed the "Prius" license plate after, lol. Thought then ok it's a stock photo. Looking good though.

 

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!!!

 

I think I misinterpreted what you meant by electronically controlled, I now see you meant electronically connected as opposed to mechanically connected.

 

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?

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

I mentioned it to my dealer to check them on a following visit, and Toyota gave them a thumbs up.