Hi. I've had my Auris hybrid for a few months now and there are still some questions that come to mind: 1- Since I've read that a brisk acceleration is recommended when leaving the stop light, would it be better to drive in PWR mode all the time, rather than ECO? 2- for optimal MPG the tires need to have a high pressure, but given the rough roads and potholes in my city, the previous owner recommend that the pressure should actually be lower than standard and that I should use all season tires, so that they may act as a cushion and prevent issues with the suspension. Don't know if the theory holds true or not. 3 - speaking of tires, how often do they need to be rotated? 4 - when the ICE is charging the battery, does higher RPM mean faster charging? Thanks in advance for your time! Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Oh and bonus question: when waiting at the stoplight, what's the best way of "idling"? Should I put it in park mode, or in neutral, or just keep the brake pedal depressed? Will I not be damaging the transmission by changing from drive to park or neutral, thousands of times? Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
1. I don't have a good answer for this one 2. Yes, soft tires do wonders for smoothing out roads with significant potholes and surface irregularities. Not great for mpg, but much easier on the suspension and it gets rid of a lot of jarring to the human body 3. most do it every 5k miles in the states 4. normally yes.
In a Prius, we just leave the car in drive and hold the brake pedal like a regular car. The engine will turn itself off (and on if needed). The car is great at self control. You shouldn't have to worry, at all, about idling. Let the car take care of it.
Thank you for the neat Answers! I'm asking about idling because the traffic in my city is just about the worst in the world (a lot of idling) and I am doing a bit of Uber, and after long days my foot kinda hurts from all that idling with the brake pedal pressed. So if I'm not damaging the CVT, I'd prefer to just press the park button when I'm at a 2 minute stop light Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Right, Park would be preferred rather than Neutral, since the HV battery does not get charged in Neutral.
I'm a fellow Auris owner and find the suspension is soft enough to be able to run reasonably high tyre pressure, I aim for 36psi It's annoying but the only options at short stops are foot on the break in D, or P with handbrake on. I'm wary of using P as a small rear end shunt at a stop might cause damage to the parking pawl, so foot on brake is my normal thing. Shame we can't just use the handbrake alone as it's one of the few cars left with a proper handbrake! Don't worry about engine revs or anything else the car decides to do, it is extremely well worked out and doesn't need your help To be most economical etc just drive smoothly avoid violent acceleration and rapid braking just like any other car Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I do not know if the Auris is identical to the Prius, but on the Prius, "Park" is an electric motor that positions a parking pawl in the transaxle to lock the drivetrain. My parking pawl motor probably averages 4-6 activations a day, between going to work and doing an errand or two. If I were to use "Park" at every red light, it would probably be 20-30 a day. If I were Ubering? I can't imagine how many times it would get cycled every day. My concern would be the pawl drive motor failing, especially if it failed while in the park position. Just food for thought. Obviously, we all do what is most convenient and most comfortable for our situation, as we all live under different circumstances. Either way you go, be safe out there with all the crazy stuff going on.
So, leave car in Drive, but set E-brake on when waiting at a light? I guess there are mechanical parts that could wear out by doing that, but they might be cheaper to fix. The new Corolla has an electric parking brake that can be set with a button on the console, and next to it a "Hold" button that may have been designed to keep the car from rolling on a hill, but also worked well for allowing me to take my foot off the brake while waiting at traffic lights, when we rented that car recently. Stepping on the accelerator when the light turned green would undo the "hold". Very handy, I wish both our Gen 2 and Gen 4 Prii had that feature.
And what happens if you forget that the e brake is on and smash the accelerator to go a green light? Or when the e brake cable eventually snaps as it’s been under pressure under drive for many instances with cars in front of as youre stationary.
If setting the brake at a light became a habit, I would think you would also learn to habitually release it before taking off. This would be more of a concern for me. I always use the E-brake when parking the car, but setting it at every red light would probably wear the mechanical parts quite quickly.
Thanks for the answers, I guess I'll just take it on the chin and keep the brake pedal pressed while idling. Today after 8 hours, my right leg was killing me LOL. And to answer my own question about power mode being better than ECO: After a few hours of PWR driving, I called off the experiment. PWR mode is too zippy for me, the car barely stays in electric mode, and the MPG is 20% Worse. PWR mode Definitely not for me, except when you need to start quickly after the stoplight etc. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Unless I've misunderstood PWR mode and ECO mode, the only difference with respect to acceleration is the rate at which pressing the pedal ramps up to 100%. With power, you hit a greater percentage of throttle faster; ECO gives you greater control at the low range and then ramps up to 100% more quickly at the end. It's is just the rate at which the pedal applies a percentage of throttle, unless I've missed the mark (and someone feel free to chime in if I'm wrong on this).
You’re correct on all points. Any mode that i drive under; I get consistently the same MPGs. It’s just mastering the accelerator curve with precise foot control to stay in EV as needed.
Eco pwr and normal modes only affect the feel of the throttle. I don't bother with anything but normal, but I have heard eco uses the ac compressor a bit less so a marginal fuel saving? Probably negligible? The Auris is a UK model virtually identical to a Gen 3 but in a more conventional shape, the new Corolla is an update of that. It does however have a normal old fashioned handbrake which I love for the lack of mechanical complexity. I'm afraid foot on the brake at red lights seems the best option, I'm resigned to it now! Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
"So use your left foot on the brake when stopped at a light..............." And a few sets of squats every day would not go amiss, either.......
