Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
The friction brakes truly suck at very low speeds. They're extremely sensitive & grabby.
If you make a habit of driving smoothly ("Limo stop" anybody?), this car will frustrate you.
I noticed it trying out the gee-whiz parking assist features yesterday. Like many other new cars, this one will self-steer into a parallel or perpendicular (back-in) parking space. All you have to do is control the vehicle's creeping with the brake (sometimes accelerator).
I wonder if it's a brake-by-wire system. If so, Toyota seriously needs to fine-tune it.
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I also tried the radar cruise control, which was fun. It will adjust speed based on the preceeding car, and brake to a complete stop if necessary. (It won't start up from a stop, though - it gives the driver a message to tap the cruise lever to resume.)
Also tried: the car's lane-keeping / lane departure warning system, which was not very impressive on the stretch of road I used. It responded too late and with the wrong amount of steering correction to stay in the lane (too much or too little). Made me look like a drunk driver.
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If I may suggest?
If the friction brakes are too grabby, I would recommend taking them out.
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No, but for real,
Take them to a mechanic. If they are semi metallic brake pads, you can swap them out for organic ones. If possible, with a smaller footprint as the current ones.
Organic brake pads are cheaper, and known to have a low initial bite.
It takes pressing the pedal quite hard for them to stop a vehicle.
I think that the brakes are tuned for when there is no regenerative braking available.
So while you can lower the performance under normal conditions this way, if you at one point in time, need strong braking, the organic ones by themselves (without regenerative braking) might not do for you!
Toyota probably wants to keep themselves safe, by rather offering overperforming brakes, than to get sued for using sub standard brakes when the regenerative braking fails.