Driving A Prius When Stopped

[dwilson]

Hi All. Picking up my Prius Saturday - can't wait! Just wondering what you guys do when stopped at lights. With my present auto I keep it in Drive and hold it on the handbrake - I very rarely put it into Neutral (only if I am going to be at temporary lights for a long, long time). Is this the same with the Prius only using the foot parking brake?

Thanks

[Jan&tone]

It depends on how long you are going to be stopped for. If it's going to be for more than 30 or 40 seconds, I'll put mine in park, I only use the parking brake (foot brake) when actually parking. That's just my preference, others will no doubt differ, it's really what suits you.

Hope this helps in some way....

[dwilson]

It depends on how long you are going to be stopped for. If it's going to be for more than 30 or 40 seconds, I'll put mine in park, I only use the parking brake (foot brake) when actually parking. That's just my preference, others will no doubt differ, it's really what suits you.

Hope this helps in some way....

Thanks. Do you know what happens when it is put into park? I was told with my previous car that a big metal rod was inserted and that considerable damage would be done if the car wasn't completely stationary... :o

[Jan&tone]

It depends on how long you are going to be stopped for. If it's going to be for more than 30 or 40 seconds, I'll put mine in park, I only use the parking brake (foot brake) when actually parking. That's just my preference, others will no doubt differ, it's really what suits you.

Hope this helps in some way....

Thanks. Do you know what happens when it is put into park? I was told with my previous car that a big metal rod was inserted and that considerable damage would be done if the car wasn't completely stationary... :o

Sorry, I don't know, I'm sure there are those more technical on here that can answer that one for you!

I do tend to leave it in park on the garage rather than with parking brake on though.

[THX]

Hi All. Picking up my Prius Saturday - can't wait! Just wondering what you guys do when stopped at lights. With my present auto I keep it in Drive and hold it on the handbrake - I very rarely put it into Neutral (only if I am going to be at temporary lights for a long, long time). Is this the same with the Prius only using the foot parking brake?

Thanks

I leave it in D and hold on the foot brake pedal. There was once when parking on a very steep hill I had to use the foot parking brake and push it to B to prevent it from rolling back... i think it would have done with just being on B but I didn't want to risk it given the car behind was quite close.

One thing I have got use to is always drop it on manually EV mode when stopped (i.e. if there is enough charge in the battery) as in this way I can accelerate up to 20-25mph keeping up with the traffic and staying in EV mode which otherwise would kick to petrol mode as the Prius assumes I need the acceleration power (hope that makes sense; it will when you start driving it regularly)... Currently getting 62-63mpg in London city driving (daily commute) on a full tank and the EV mode start is helping with keeping the mpg high.

[wooski]

You should keep the car in Drive for the hybrid drive to work correctly - especially during warm up and when the Battery is low.

There is a mechanical lock with Park.

This info is all in the manual (as you'd expect).

[dwilson]

Hi All. Picking up my Prius Saturday - can't wait! Just wondering what you guys do when stopped at lights. With my present auto I keep it in Drive and hold it on the handbrake - I very rarely put it into Neutral (only if I am going to be at temporary lights for a long, long time). Is this the same with the Prius only using the foot parking brake?

Thanks

I leave it in D and hold on the foot brake pedal. There was once when parking on a very steep hill I had to use the foot parking brake and push it to B to prevent it from rolling back... i think it would have done with just being on B but I didn't want to risk it given the car behind was quite close.

One thing I have got use to is always drop it on manually EV mode when stopped (i.e. if there is enough charge in the battery) as in this way I can accelerate up to 20-25mph keeping up with the traffic and staying in EV mode which otherwise would kick to petrol mode as the Prius assumes I need the acceleration power (hope that makes sense; it will when you start driving it regularly)... Currently getting 62-63mpg in London city driving (daily commute) on a full tank and the EV mode start is helping with keeping the mpg high.

Many thanks for all this info

Your fuel consumption sounds great. I will notice the difference from my curent guzzler which does an average of 26mpg but would be far less in London city driving :ffs:

[dwilson]

You should keep the car in Drive for the hybrid drive to work correctly - especially during warm up and when the battery is low.

There is a mechanical lock with Park.

This info is all in the manual (as you'd expect).

Thanks for this - good to know the manual is comprehensive, I look forward to a good read once I've got it

[timberwolf]

I just hold the brake pedal down at any lights - same as I've done in any other automatic - only the Prius is the first car that I've owned that is clever enough to cut the power to the engine and electric motor (MG1). The yellow energy lines on the MFD show when power is being feed to the electric motor.

There are two disadvantages to using Neutral, the Prius can not recharge the HV Battery, and the engine will not stop running if it was still running when you engaged Neutral.

Yes, the Prius has a Parking Pawl (gear) that is engaged with a little motor/solenoid and the pawl locks the transmission. There has been speculation that if you were rear-ended and in Park that the Parking Pawl could be damaged and then not able to disengage - I don't know if this has happened in reality or what sort of impact is required.

[dwilson]

I just hold the brake pedal down at any lights - same as I've done in any other automatic - only the Prius is the first car that I've owned that is clever enough to cut the power to the engine and electric motor (MG1). The yellow energy lines on the MFD show when power is being feed to the electric motor.

There are two disadvantages to using Neutral, the Prius can not recharge the HV battery, and the engine will not stop running if it was still running when you engaged Neutral.

Yes, the Prius has a Parking Pawl (gear) that is engaged with a little motor/solenoid and the pawl locks the transmission. There has been speculation that if you were rear-ended and in Park that the Parking Pawl could be damaged and then not able to disengage - I don't know if this has happened in reality or what sort of impact is required.

Many thanks - that's exactly what I wanted to know

[inspiredron]

I leave it in D and hold on the foot brake pedal. There was once when parking on a very steep hill I had to use the foot parking brake and push it to B to prevent it from rolling back... i think it would have done with just being on B but I didn't want to risk it given the car behind was quite close.

One thing I have got use to is always drop it on manually EV mode when stopped (i.e. if there is enough charge in the battery) as in this way I can accelerate up to 20-25mph keeping up with the traffic and staying in EV mode which otherwise would kick to petrol mode as the Prius assumes I need the acceleration power (hope that makes sense; it will when you start driving it regularly)... Currently getting 62-63mpg in London city driving (daily commute) on a full tank and the EV mode start is helping with keeping the mpg high.

The foot operated brake is purely for parking. I generally leave mine in D and if stopped for a long time engage EV. If you ned to do a hill start press very firmly on the brake pedal and the traction control light comes on with a beep. Release the pressure slightly and the light stays on. When you are ready to move off then transfer your foot to the accelerator - the brake holds on for about 2 seconds or until th edrive kicks in if sooner. You won't run back - Try it on the flat or downhill first and you will see how long it gives you!

Petrol consumption shown by computer is 6% optimistic on my T-Spirit. I have calculated actual per (brimmed) tank and over whole ownership and the 6% error is pretty consistent. Best consumption is at about 45mph steady when you can get an indicated 75mpg relatively easily in warm weather, much less in cold.

[THX]

I leave it in D and hold on the foot brake pedal. There was once when parking on a very steep hill I had to use the foot parking brake and push it to B to prevent it from rolling back... i think it would have done with just being on B but I didn't want to risk it given the car behind was quite close.

One thing I have got use to is always drop it on manually EV mode when stopped (i.e. if there is enough charge in the battery) as in this way I can accelerate up to 20-25mph keeping up with the traffic and staying in EV mode which otherwise would kick to petrol mode as the Prius assumes I need the acceleration power (hope that makes sense; it will when you start driving it regularly)... Currently getting 62-63mpg in London city driving (daily commute) on a full tank and the EV mode start is helping with keeping the mpg high.

The foot operated brake is purely for parking. I generally leave mine in D and if stopped for a long time engage EV. If you ned to do a hill start press very firmly on the brake pedal and the traction control light comes on with a beep. Release the pressure slightly and the light stays on. When you are ready to move off then transfer your foot to the accelerator - the brake holds on for about 2 seconds or until th edrive kicks in if sooner. You won't run back - Try it on the flat or downhill first and you will see how long it gives you!

Petrol consumption shown by computer is 6% optimistic on my T-Spirit. I have calculated actual per (brimmed) tank and over whole ownership and the 6% error is pretty consistent. Best consumption is at about 45mph steady when you can get an indicated 75mpg relatively easily in warm weather, much less in cold.

Thanks for the hill start procedure; it would have been a RTFM for me otherwise which I wouldn't have bothered.

I'm not sure how to maintain 45mph speed to get optimal mpg given it would be rare to get a perfect flat road... I see the road gradient influences the mpg more than sticking to a certain speed. As an example if you are coming into London on M1 you can pretty much glide or run on Battery at 70mph for the last 5 or so miles giving the in-car LED display limited 99.9mpg figure which then helps with the overall mpg on a full tank...

[cootuk]

If it's a short stop we just use the normal brake.

For longer stops the brake lights will annoy the driver behind, so we use the park button.

We only use the foothandbrake if on a slope.

Remember too you will have the 'hybrid rock' when you press park as the car rocks noticeably.

[Dave R.]

Must admit I've got very lazy and hardly ever use the handbrake when I park the car, just select "P" (or even more lazily, simply press the "start" button to shut the car down). At lights I tend to just use the footbrake, though sometimes have been known to select "P". I'd agree about the "hybrid rock" - but again, I suspect this feels worse than it really is!

It took me a while to get used to the idea that I could take my foot of the brake and go for the accelerator without the car rolling back (yes, I know, there's the hill start assist for steep hills).

Bottom line is that you only need to remember to put your foot on the brake, press Start, select D & then just use brake and accelerator until you are done - then foot on the brake and press Start again to shut it down! Couldn't be simpler!

[cootuk]

Accelerator and brake - still seems like too many controls for the average american though

[Jan&tone]

Accelerator and brake - still seems like too many controls for the average american though

I assume you are referring to the findings of the american investigative committee ( they do like them don't they - Toyota, BP etc...)

This is what we all said on here at the time, fat arises and clumsy feet!!!!

[johalareewi]

Do you know what happens when it is put into park? I was told with my previous car that a big metal rod was inserted and that considerable damage would be done if the car wasn't completely stationary... :o

With the Prius, when stationary (or moving very slowly - about 3mph or less), P engages a mechanical parking pawl which locks the system up. If you press P while you are moving, the Prius goes into neutral (N). Very handy to know if you need a panic button. P for park, P for Panic.

The Prius does a great job of protecting itself so if you press a button at a time when it would be extremely silly to do so, nothing will break.

[dwilson]

Thanks for all of your replies. I picked up my Prius today and have gone for a couple of drives to get a feel for it!

My original post was really out of a concern for not dazzling the driver behind with my brake lights when stopped at traffic lights etc.

I have read posts referring to hybrid rock so I guess what follows is common. I park on a steep drive and after putting on the foot parking brake and pressing Park and powering off, the car lurches forward as I release the foot brake, whic is quite disconcerting. Is there anyway of avoiding this?

[Ancient Nerd]

Thanks for all of your replies. I picked up my Prius today and have gone for a couple of drives to get a feel for it!

My original post was really out of a concern for not dazzling the driver behind with my brake lights when stopped at traffic lights etc.

I have read posts referring to hybrid rock so I guess what follows is common. I park on a steep drive and after putting on the foot parking brake and pressing Park and powering off, the car lurches forward as I release the foot brake, whic is quite disconcerting. Is there anyway of avoiding this?

I assume you're facing down the slope.

Try starting in ECO mode. I think this keeps the electric motor off when the car is stationary. Just a guess.

Alternatively, if the start is very enthusiastic, I've had a fault which has all the symptoms of kangaroo petrol. Usually happened when first starting from cold. I've not noticed it since the brake recall, but I've heard reports of it still happening to others.

[timberwolf]

Thanks for all of your replies. I picked up my Prius today and have gone for a couple of drives to get a feel for it!

My original post was really out of a concern for not dazzling the driver behind with my brake lights when stopped at traffic lights etc.

I have read posts referring to hybrid rock so I guess what follows is common. I park on a steep drive and after putting on the foot parking brake and pressing Park and powering off, the car lurches forward as I release the foot brake, whic is quite disconcerting. Is there anyway of avoiding this?

Consideration for other drivers, nah it'll never catch on

Apart from not parking on a slope, there is no way to avoid it, you can lessen the force of the lurch (but probably not the distance?) by easing off the foot brake slowly.

[dwilson]

Thanks for all of your replies. I picked up my Prius today and have gone for a couple of drives to get a feel for it!

My original post was really out of a concern for not dazzling the driver behind with my brake lights when stopped at traffic lights etc.

I have read posts referring to hybrid rock so I guess what follows is common. I park on a steep drive and after putting on the foot parking brake and pressing Park and powering off, the car lurches forward as I release the foot brake, whic is quite disconcerting. Is there anyway of avoiding this?

Consideration for other drivers, nah it'll never catch on

Apart from not parking on a slope, there is no way to avoid it, you can lessen the force of the lurch (but probably not the distance?) by easing off the foot brake slowly.

Yes I have been wondering about avoiding the steep slope but my drive is short (car length and very steep) and that is where I have parked my car without problem for years (including my last car that was an auto)!

Yes as you probably anticipated it is the distance of the lurch (with a brick wall looming) that concerns me - not too fussed about the force (as long as I am not damaging anything).

I am going to try reversing the car on and see if that helps when I drive off forwards...

Thanks for your help

[woody1]

Hi All. Picking up my Prius Saturday - can't wait! Just wondering what you guys do when stopped at lights. With my present auto I keep it in Drive and hold it on the handbrake - I very rarely put it into Neutral (only if I am going to be at temporary lights for a long, long time). Is this the same with the Prius only using the foot parking brake?

Thanks

Pretty sure if you read the manual there is specific mention about moving off on a hill. Apply the handbrake and move car to P. When ready to drive off move to D apply slight pressure to the accelerator and release the handbrake, you will move off without rolling back.

[dwilson]

Hi All. Picking up my Prius Saturday - can't wait! Just wondering what you guys do when stopped at lights. With my present auto I keep it in Drive and hold it on the handbrake - I very rarely put it into Neutral (only if I am going to be at temporary lights for a long, long time). Is this the same with the Prius only using the foot parking brake?

Thanks

Pretty sure if you read the manual there is specific mention about moving off on a hill. Apply the handbrake and move car to P. When ready to drive off move to D apply slight pressure to the accelerator and release the handbrake, you will move off without rolling back.

Thanks. Yes I have more or less mastered it now. I have to use the petrol engine it appears rather than electric alone (which I thought had loads of torque and would have been fine). I think the thing that concerns me most is that when I park facing downwards on my steep drive, I put it into P and apply the foot-handbrake as hard as I can with my left foot whilst still holding the main brake pedal with my right foot. All stationary but when I lift my foot from the main brake pedal the car rocks and moves forward slightly. I guess that is okay but I am always relieved to see it in the same place on the drive the next day!

[Jan&tone]

I know what you mean about it being in the same place! I have the same problem at my parents place on the isle of wight, what about put ring a thick piece of sponge at bumper height on the wall where the car would finish up if the parking brake did fail???

Same as I would imagine most people have inside their garages for when they open the drivers door....