Re:California Prius Update: Wear pattern on brakes raises doubt
by blueben on Sunday March 14, 2010 @02:54PM
(#1191102)
You can't have it both ways. Either drivers are pushing the pedal as hard as they can (which every single driver reports) or they aren't because they're scared.
Either way, your argument is based on a bad assumption. At full throttle in a non-super or turbocharged vehicle, there is still more than enough vacuum to assist in braking.
Re:California Prius Update: Wear pattern on brakes raises doubt
by blueben on Tuesday March 16, 2010 @02:32PM
(#1196441)
Another point I didn't mention. The Prius can detect a no-assist situation and will reroute all braking pressure to the front wheels for maximum effectiveness. So even in the extremely unlikely situation you have no regenerative braking and no vacuum assist, you can still stop the car.
I'm sure the C&D test drivers were willing to mash the pedal and generate the best braking force the car was capable of. The average person, confronted with a stuck throttle, lost power brakes and the resulting "hard" brake pedal may very well not be able to summon the force required to generate full brake pressure. (It's an amazing amount of force compared to what you're used to using. If you're also the type to worry about flipping the car from putting the car in neutral, you're probably not going to bend the seatback applying enough brake pressure to get the job done.) I think I'd have expected better than the average driver from a trained highway patrol officer, though.