Handling

NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER drive the Prius in neutral! The traction battery will not recharge in neutral (so you lose all that downhill gravitational potential energy) and you have no power to the wheels, should you need to make an emergency maneuver. The ONLY reason EVER to put the Prius in neutral is if you need to pull, push, or tow the car.

 

Not to be critical of anyones driving but one of the first things that was pointed out to me when I was learning to drive was that it is dangerous to drive in neutral. If you need to make a quick maneuver you can't.

 

I, too, believe the Prius handles superbly well. With 60 years of driving behind me of a total 28 autos owned, including Jaguar, Healey, Corvette, Mercedes, and many other of the best engineered vehicles. It always makes me wonder when I read others comments about supposedly bad handling of the Prius.

 

Keep in mind qazz has a British car, with the stiffer suspension (probably the same as the touring US model). So the handling may be better than the "standard" North American model. qazz, do you have rear disk brakes?

While I too was taught to never drive in "N", that was in the days when you could stop faster by putting your foot out the door. It's braking that's impacted, not the ability to accelerate out of trouble, which rarely happens. On modern cars such as the Prius, braking is not a issue. You can stop the car on a dime and get 9 cents change at any time, "N" or not. In fact, if you slam on the brakes the Prius IS in "N" in effect. It uses friction brakes only. Add to this the ease of putting the Prius back into "D" no matter what speed you are going and it totally negates the schooling of not using "N". In the old days, if you shifted to "N", it could be difficult to get the car back into gear, especially if your speed became excessive. Not so with the Prius HSD.

But it's good to know the internet fact police are active.

 

The reason why "normal" cars are not to driven in neutral is due to the risk of the engine stalling. In a normal car you would loose power steering and power brakes. That could make your vehicle very difficult to maneuver. On the Prius, there is no such risk. Gazz also has a clear understanding of what happens when the battery is recharged when coasting. When coasting in neutral, there is no energy "lost". The prius is just programed to recharge the batteries a bit when coasting to make the car drive more like a "normal" car.

There is nothing dangerous about driving the Prius in neutral.

 

I've had to do a couple of high speed evasive moves on the freeway due to debris, etc., and was amazed how well the Prius hangs in there. I auto-x a Subaru Impreza, which is modded and handles very well. The Prius is my daily commuter, and every day it amazes me. I have 45,000 on the OEM Goodyears, TP about 42/40, and the BT plate. The car does feel tippy in slow speed turns, but at high speed where handling really matters, no problems so far. Maybe its the sharkfin contributing to the stability.

As for "neutral driving" why would you ever do that? Every car manual in the world recommends against flat towing any car with automatic trans, including Toyota. How is neutral coasting different from flat towing in neutral? I don't see any reason to do it, and can't imagine why anybody would want to.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(subarutoo @ Oct 17 2007, 01:31 PM) [snapback]527025[/snapback]</div>

The "flat towing in Neutral" is a different issue. It's not a good idea because standard automatic transmissions don't get properly lubricated when in "N". Manual transmission vehicles would be exempt from this warning. With the Prius, I don't think it's very easy to get the car in "N" when it's off. Most people wouldn't know how to engage "N" with the car turned off, including tow truck operators (it was posted here somewhere in the last year, but I forget the details). So it's front wheels off the ground for towing a Prius.

The Prius "transmission" isn't really a shifting gear type transmission. Most of the "knowledge" we have doesn't apply to it. Neutral, in the Prius, is a computer controlled state of operation, not a "gear not engaged" physical state. Just like the other three functions. It -may- not be a good idea to coast in "N" for long distances, again, for lubrication reasons (I've seen this issue discussed on forums), but if you are just coasting down a hill for a mile or two, I wouldn't expect a lubrication issue to arise. At any rate, if you wanted to coast down a very long hill, you'd probably engage "B" anyway, to avoid extreme speeds.

 

gazz, I agree with your perception and practice of N.

Maybe you should get a set of Goodyear Integrities for the Mercedes, then you could scream around the corners with it as well.

PA P

 

If you drive the Prius in neutral over 42MPH you will overspeed MG1 and you may cause damage. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it wont. At 42MPH the MG1 is spinning at maximum revs if the ICE isn't turning, the HSD computer alters the valve timing so the engine spins freely then loads MG1 enough to spin the ICE to 880RPM which allows the car to run up to about 65MPH without overspeeding the MG1. Over 65MPH the ICE needs to spin faster than 880RPM
Have a look here: - http://eahart.com/prius/psd/

My Prius handles very well, I can take corners as fast in the Prius as in any other car I have owned, including a Mini, reputed to handle well. (and they do)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gazz @ Oct 19 2007, 05:37 PM) [snapback]527651[/snapback]</div>

You would be a rare person to have read the Prius handbook from cover to cover.
I'd rather use D if I'm over 42mph to be safe.