I create my own conditions by planning ahead and coasting or using light brake pedal pressure. I choose to use regenerative braking in order to recover energy. In other words, I choose to stop without using my mechanical brakes. In fact, more often than not I don't have to stop at all because the light turns green.
If you're going under six miles per hour, and are stepping on the brake pedal, you're using mechanical brakes.
I wish the traffic lights around here would be so accommodating.
Where I live, if there is a stop light at a highway intersection there is a flashing light some distance before the intersection warning a driver that the light is about to turn red. With a little experience one can accurately determine when to start coasting. While the light is red I'm regenerating, arriving at the intersection just as the cars there are pulling away on green. We have lots of synchronized lights too, so if you know the proper speed you can adjust the gas pedal pressure to stealth mode and cruise through five or six green lights without the ice starting up.
Some years ago I lived near Cologne Germany where they employed a system called "green way". Instead of the flashing lights I described above they had digital readouts much like those that show ones speed but instead these displayed the speed you must maintain in order to catch the next green light. That really worked well. If catching a light was hopeless, the sign would flash for a few seconds and then go blank.
What about city or suburban traffic? Regardless, around here there are no such warnings--and for most of the semi-rural roads here, there are stop signs rather than traffic lights. I know when to start coasting for them, but often there's traffic behind me, and I can't coast as long/far as I would want because of that.
Quite often, I'll be at a stop light for two or three cycles--and stop signs, which are almost all four-way these days, is stop-go-stop-go, etc., until one gets through the intersection.
You haven't seen my brakes, then!
as I've mentioned before, if you are a high mileage driver, your brakes will last a long time.
If you're a low mileage driver like I am (43,715 miles at my last fillup on my 2001), particularly if your area likes to salt the roads, you'll probably need to replace your brakes sooner, due to rust.
to quote myself from a Dec. 9, 2005 post:
On my recent major service (first time to this dealer), they inspected the brakes. (Previous services at other dealers I only specified the oil/filter change, so no inspections done on the car.) I was told that the front brakes are worn 80%, and the rear are worn only 40%, and I should start saving for a front brake job (front pads and rotors) for sometime soon. The rotors are rusted, and the pads are pitted. I was told that it was to be expected of a car with low mileage/short trips.
I did note that when I had put on my winter tires (a week before the service) I did note that the bare assembly behind the wheel all looked very rusted, so I wasn't too surprised. But, since this was my first time to this dealer, I didn't want to just up and give them a front brake job (feel like being taken advantage of).
(Note that US Prius have front disc brakes, rear drum brakes. Other countries have disc brakes all around...)
I understand your situation. Every now and then I drive to Minneapolis, usually arriving during the evening rush hours. At least our engines shut down when we're at a standstill on a 70 mph interstate. I love life in the sticks.
Okay.
This car is a victim of it's environment. I thought the mileage up I-5 was going to be crap and it was: 39-41 mpg running 80-85 mph.
What was really odd was while in San Francisco with all the hills, rainy weather, constant temps in the 70's, the car reported 50.8 mpg! Huh? I never see that figure in Southern San Jacquin Valley. All I get around there is 43 mpg. Maybe the SJV air is so crappy it won't burn as well?
Granted S.F. is more stop and go and slow driving than what I'm accustomed to. Guess I'll pipe down a while about mpg numbers and why some are getting so much more than I.
I read earlier about the parking brake thing. One of my mechanics in the past told me not too set the parking brake if the shoes are really hot else I may warp the drum and get a pulsating in the pedal. I just leave it in plain old Park.
B~
An oddity many oof us have noticed is that the hybrid system really seems to like hills.
Mike
Maybe the software was convinced it was safe to give you electromotion and not be called upon for speed demon antics. May sound silly but it does use logic based on the driver's habits. You're safe as long as it doesn't use face recognition. Let's hope it doesn't report to the Toyota service department you have a split personality.
It was the victim of its speed.
I've only driven my Toyota Camry Hybrid for a few hundred miles of combined city and highway driving, but my average is 42 MPG which is a few points above the advertised MPG.
Bob Wils>
You suck.
...but I mean that in a good way... ;o)
Wish I could do better in my Prius, except I have this damn lead foot attached to me and if I didn't go with the flow I would be shot at - or become heir-apparent to various finger messages from other divers. I especially enjoyed the "Don't exceed 55mph while new warning from the dealer as I left to pulled onto I-5 northbound (Yeah, like doing 55 on that won't get you crushed by a semi in short order).
Enjoy the Camry Hybrid.
Oh, did I say "You suck." ;o)
B~
You can prevent use of both regenerative braking and compression braking by switching to "N" before stopping. I have only tried it at low speeds. Al
Why would you _want_ to stop regenerative braking?
You're claiming that the mechanical brakes are disabled in "N"? Nonsense.
I believe he's claiming that the car will just stop without needing to use the brakes. I can see that possibly working under the right circumstances, but I sure wouldn't want to rely on it and in any event I'd have to wonder what the point is. Okay, you'd put off the need for a brake job for a while longer than normal, but it would come at the expense of fuel economy.
He is suggesting using "N" so the brakes will 'wipe off' the rust. I'm not sure I agree with this approach. If I were doing it, I'd probably go with a hard-braking that engages the anti-skid . . . if I thought it would work. But I've got an NHW11 which doesn't have as aggressive regeneration as the NHW20.
Bob Wilson
"Mike Rosenberg" asked:
I had misinterpreted Bill's post on 5/20:
I thought this discussion was about occasionally removing the rust by using the mechanical braking instead of regen. I guess his second sentence didn't register..... It is now clear to me that Bill did NOT want to stop regenerative braking. Sorry.
Al
If neither is functioning, how do you stop your car? Throw it in reverse?
mark_
Well, if using "N" stops both regenerative _and_ compression braking, I don't see how it would accomplish that anyway.
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