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oem brakes not enough

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by TRDtaco, Mar 7, 2013.

  1. TRDtaco

    TRDtaco New Member

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    since day one i have noticed that my brakes dont have a bite to them.. in other words its not stoping. I find my self using the e-brake and recently i figured out about the "B" gear; started using that instead to break..
    any advice on how to improve breaking.. any braking upgrades??
     
  2. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    Are you serious? If your car is not stopping, you need to take it in for warranty service? There should be no reason to use the B gear in normal driving nor should there be any need to upgrade the brakes.

    A car that won't stop is dangerous. Do not drive this car if it is as you say.
     
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  3. TRDtaco

    TRDtaco New Member

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    yeah i made an appointment to get it checked out for this weekend..
     
  4. B2FiNiTY

    B2FiNiTY Active Member

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    This is one of the more interesting threads here... please let us know what they say.
     
  5. MotorcycleGoat

    MotorcycleGoat Junior Member

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    Yes, I'll be watching this one also. I about put the sales-lady's face in the dash when I was test driving the thing. At slow speeds, my C4 stops NOW. At higher speeds I have noticed they don't have as much "bite"...almost fade as they heat up at all. But, they still work as I would expect.
     
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  6. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    TRD...huh?
    Riiight,
    This is either a warranty problem, or what I call a dead short between the seat and the steering wheel.
    Either way?
    It's reeeeeeal easy to figure out. Take it to a dealer and they'll be able to very quickly determine whether or not there is a problem and if this problem is caused by a defect or abuse.

    I don't have any stick time in the Trial-Sized Prius, but I deeeeeeeeeeply suspect that there is nothing wrong with the OEM brakes as designed.
    Whether or not there was an assembly problem with your particular car is what the trip to the dealer will determine.
    Face it...the car only weighs 2500# and it's riding on 15" rims!! There's prooooobably enough rubber between your butt and the road to bring this car to a stop....even with the rear drums. Besides....this isn't what you would call an over-powered car. Some of the reviewers would suggest that it's not even an adequately powered car....but the numbers suggest that it's got enough grunt under the hood to at least pull interstate duty.
    The "C" after all...stands for CITY.

    In fact.....the brakes seem to be one of the few things that some of the automotive geek reviewers didn't fuss too much about:
    "The regenerative brakes are particularly impressive, having shed most of the sponginess that hampered earlier systems, leaving only a hint of grabbiness [sic] during stop-and-go traffic." -- Automobile Magazine (2012)

    The bottom line is that if you're having to use your e-brake or the "B" mode to slow/stop the car then either you or the car (or both) have no business on public roads until somebody figures out what the problem is....because rest well assured......there is a problem! :eek:
     
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  7. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    I did the same thing, only with my wife... she wasn't too happy, until I let her test drive it and she did the same thing. :LOL:
     
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  8. 2015Prius2

    2015Prius2 Member

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    Did somebody put sandpaper on your toilet seat?
     
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  9. Klaatu

    Klaatu Junior Member

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    ETC(ss),

    Relax, I think that you may have one to many cups of coffee this morning. You sound like Rand Paul.
     
  10. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    ^Coffee and filibusters don't mix well, since you have to stay on the floor of the Senate to keep the floor. Unless you're wearing underwear made by Pampers, it's just not going to work out very well.

    However (comma!) you're right.
    I only meant to be a smarta$$, not a harda$$,
    This is an excellent medium for information but not quite as well suited for having a conversation.

    I offer humble apologies to the OP!
     
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  11. SquallLHeart

    SquallLHeart The Techie Guy

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    no problem with my brakes here..
    are you a new prius driver? there's regen braking, and then the actual friction brakes..

    shifting to "B" should only be used under certain circumstances.. slowing down normally is not one of them.
     
  12. Mr Incredible

    Mr Incredible Chance favors the prepared mind.

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    I think the OP has a brake fetish.

    The C brakes aren't anything like my Z28 brakes, but they work better than my truck brakes. The brakes are doing different duty than normal brakes, so don't have the same feel during use.

    I guess it's what you're used to, but not having "bite" seems to asking a bit much from what the C was designed for. I know they're good enough to keep me from crashing. They seem "bitey" enough for me.
     
  13. Mr Incredible

    Mr Incredible Chance favors the prepared mind.

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    Another question might be where the OP drives. On the plains? In the mountains? Do you ask a lot of your brakes no matter what it is you drive?

    If you slam brakes on as a matter of course you bought the wrong car, or you need to rethink your driving habits.

    Just my opinion, of course...
     
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    another question might be, "what happened to the op"?:p
     
  15. B2FiNiTY

    B2FiNiTY Active Member

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    it's always such a big tease with these kinds of threads :cautious:
     
  16. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    You do not have to ever come back to spread Fear, Uncertainly and Doubt. Just posting it may convince some gullible folks that Prius has bad brakes. No amount of truth stops FUD.
     
  17. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Yep, OP and that darn "brake fetish" will do it every time! :LOL:

    DBCassidy
     
  18. Mr Incredible

    Mr Incredible Chance favors the prepared mind.

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    Time to do a FUD walk.
     
  19. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    Or a FUD walkdown
     
  20. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Neeeeext....
    :)