It’s like riding on a stick of butter. The battery assisted power is just phenomenal. I can often go up to 30-35mph in my neighborhood on battery power alone which saves a lot of gas. Just before i deplete the battery, there’s a nice downhill stretch which regenerates the charge giving me another 3/4mi of pure battery power before i hit the main thoroughfare…incredible. When i come to stop at intersections, the car is dead quiet. And if i have sufficient battery power, the car will often drive up to 40mph on battery power alone if I’m not too heavy on the gas.

What a beautiful piece of engineering. I can’t wait until Toyota introduces a full electric plugin.

I’m looking into buying a 2002 Toyota that needs tires. It is my understanding that the tires have to have a rating that can carry the weight of the batteries. Can somebody give me a high and low figure of what i might pay for a set of tires.

Thanks,

Answer:

Google the tire and speed/weight rating, Prius been out for a number of years, so correct tire should be no problem to get.

I was in the first group of 8 Master Techs in our region to do atend the Prius school at our TOYOTA Region training center back in 2001.

Answer

Hybrid technology is not “new”. Any good shop should know how to properly handle your Toyota Prius. Automotive technology advances pretty quickly now and to stay in business in this field you have to know what your doing. If your not a dealership you should know how to handle any vehicle that rolls into your shop especially the Toyota Prius, turning away customers is bad….especially if your running an independent shop. Besides the hybrid stuff is clearly marked in bright orange,this distinguishes the high voltage system from the cars standard 12 volt system, if it has to do with the battery under the hood its more than likely the 12 volt system that is on every vehicle on the road. I was taking classes on these systems and got hands on experience with a toyota prius when this car was being manufactured. I can also tell you if your alternators working like it should or if you just need a new battery in a few minutes if the car is in front of me. I have books and notes on these systems at my disposal, and worked for an independent bodyshop doing all the mechanical repairs that came through the door (I was the only one who knew how). Not trying to brag or sound like a super-tech, just my 2 cents (and a little bit of background).
Good luck

With all the high cost maintenance 2-3k worth batteries, electronic parts and labor costs would you buy one? Of course you would and heres why.

 

Why You Need To buy a prius

Look at it this way

Ok, so let’s say I drive my truck, which is a 4-banger Toyota. Its gets 27MPG. That’s actually not bad fuel economy, but still almost 50% less than the prius. Let’s then say I’m like “most” suburban Americans and drive a big SUV that gets 15-20MPG. In that case the prius is getting 3x’s the economy. Over the life of the car, the prius will make less of a carbon footprint… because it is using less fuel. Additionally, batteries are made in fairly tightly controlled enviroments, most either in Japan, South Korea, or the USA where emission requirements are amongst the highest in the world. The world’s largest producer of steel is China, which as well all know has very loose environmental standards.

Let me say something else. I too was one of those people who thought hybrids were stupid hippie cars. But I’m curious about technology and when we inherited this car, I bought the shop manual. There’s seriously nothing all that crazy about them. All it is is just a little 4 banger engine with a big electric motor that sits inside the transaxle. The electric system just piggiebacks off of the engine. In reality about 80% of the power comes from the engine. Its just that the battery makes up for the waste of forward inertia and brakes.

So I’m not sure why people criticize this car so much. People used to think technology was cool. Now people are suspicious about it. I have a 55′ Mercury that looks like a giant rocket. If they made it today I bet people would hate it. Its tooo futuristic. oh-no! Granted The looks are not going to compete with a Maserati but really how many people actually use their car to gain attention or looks? Nobody is impressed with a corvette, every yuppie wannabe owns a Mercedes or Jaguar and any type of american car is not going to get you a date. Maybe it’s a good thing instead of having a woman/man interested you solely for your automobile . The bottom line is this car is not going to win the 0-60 mph award it’s not too roomy and the looks are pretty basic but it DRIVES extremely well saves gas and wont break down often. In our book it’s a winner and should be bought.

This was made for the Tribeca short film competition originally. Since the movie has been re edited to a much longer version. Two guys (Anthony Tedesco) and (Scott Cali) set out on a road trip to find a Toyota Prius. This film is still very current and more of a mockumentary. Good acting and the cinematography was superb. very stylistic and edited in a way to keep you hooked. Some of the acting from the lesser characters could have been better, but that was my only gripe about this movie. Definitely worth the time to watch if for nothing else than the shooting style sound quality and editing.

Do Chics Like The Prius

So, I’m looking for a new car and need some advice. I’ve considered Infinity G35s, Mercedes E350′s, new Maximas, and Altimas. All these cars have something I don’t like about them, so I’m thinking of just going economical and getting a Toyota Prius. Now I checked out a Prius and it’ll serve my needs, but I’m wondering if it’s just too uncool for a single, good looking guy like myself. I’m in my late 30′s and am not really into image or status symbols. Then I thought: “maybe that’s why I’m still single”. Don’t get me wrong, I get plenty of dates, just not with a girl I want to settle down with yet. So, what effect would this Toyota  Prius have on my “image”??? What do the ladies out there think of a guy in a Prius? When my dates see how much I am saving on gas will they will expect me to spend much more on them?

For the past few (maybe 6 or so) months I’ve been seeing a few experimental looking Toyota Prius cars on I-280. Today, I saw a small fleet (about 8 with the same CA licence plate sets) of them traveling together near Palo Alto. I’m very curious and want to know more about them.

Since I’ve only seen the vehicles on 280, I haven’t really been able to see details. From what I’ve been able to notice, connected to the rear tires is a cylinder-like device that straps the side rear of the car and attaches to the roof.

Does anyone have any clues? I plan to ask a friend over at SRI if he knows anything but was just wondering if any autogeeks might have read or heard anything about this.

Thanks in advance.

Experimental Toyota Prius Concept Car?

used to measure real world air currents. If you want to make some good money start snapping pics and submitting them to magazines. MotorTrend paid a lay person 50K for snapping the first unclothed pic of the ’10 camaro

Apparently solar power will run the newer Prius air conditioning.

i have lots of questions!

i’m a new/used owner…

…when starting up the engine, i release the emergency break and press the start button. why does the break light sometimes not turn off? i re-press the start button [which is red now] and the engine cuts off. i put in the key and it will work. why does it sometimes require the key and sometimes not?

…also, when everything is off and i lock the doors, why is the red light blinking indicating there’s a key inside when there’s not?

…lastly, why won’t the “maintenance required” light turn off? it is on when i start up and eventually turn off [why is it even on at that point?], but yesterday, i noticed it did not turn off. i drove to work this a.m. and it was on the whole time.

prius-brake-light-question

ANSWER

That first problem sounds like you may have an issue with the brakes.
The second issue is perfectly normaly, the key is blinking to show the immobilizer is active
The maintenance light comes on at 5,000 intervals. At 4,500 miles it will come on for about 5-10 seconds when you first start the car. After 5,000 miles it will blink a couple times at start up and stay on until you reset the light (usually the shop will do this for you when you get the oil done)

Curious.. is it a good choice to buy Prius for the city driving? My sister’s commute is in the city SF about 14mi round trip from home to work.
Would it safe any gas in the city cycle or doesn’t make sense?

Thank you in advance.

 

Hybrid Cars Have Advantage In City Driving

Hybrids usually have the advantage

…in city driving, since the gas engine is usually cut off in the “stop-and-go” type of stuff.

You’ll notice more of a savings in fuel if a lot of it is city driving.

However, you also should think about maintenance and repair costs. Don’t plan on taking that anywhere but the dealer for service and repairs.

I think Prius is a wonderful vehicle. It’s not going to solve any oil crisis but the technology has improved in the 10 years or so that it’s been around. The mileage is substantially better than many new cars on the market. I’d take a Priusthe gets 50mpg that I can take to whoever I want to work on it, as opposed to a car that has to have special care because it’s overly complicated.

My commute is 80 miles per day and is primarily (95%) highway driving. I have a wife and 2 kids.

I want a miser on gas as well as adequate performance (acceleration/handling). I can spend up to $30K, but of course the more I save the better.

I’ve narrowed my choices down to the following:

2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T, $27K, 22/34MPG, 274HP
2011 Toyota Prius III Hybrid $24k, 52/50MPG, 134HP
Used 2010 Lexus HS250h Hybrid $29K, 33/35MPG, 187HP, <9000mi
2011 Hyundai Elantra $17K, 29/40MPG, 148HP

Although the Ford Fusion Hybrid is a good car, I’ve eliminated it from my choices.

 

2011 Toyota Prius Car To Buy?

From a Toyota Prius tech

I’m biased but I love the Prius. I live in upstate NY where its colder and snowier for longer than where you are. Even here the mileage is very good by any standard. Maintenance on these things is like nil, especially with the kind of commuting you’re doing. Driven daily and washed regularly the brakes can last 50,60,even 70,000 miles. If you follow the maintenance schedule and skip all the “add on” boloney we dealers like to sell, you’ll find it a very easy and inexpensive car to own. Of the hundreds I’ve worked on and seen, I have only replaced 3 battery packs, 2 of which were still under warranty. And please as an earlier poster mentioned, check the insurance costs on your options. I hear Hyundai rates stink!

The 2011 Prius – Love it, definitely faster than HS250h. Love the 50mpg. Highway merging and acceleration is lacking however. A bit pricey but definitely worth it in the long run if I consistently get 50mpg. However in this cold weather, heat in winter and AC in summer means I probably will not get 50mpg. Still Pick the Prius!