Ok I have a 2004 Prius and I find the shudder when the gas engine turns off when stopped quiet noticable. Of course I have gotten used to this feel over the years. I am wondering if the 2012 Plug-In Prius will do a better job to smooth out the transition? I wonder if the 2010 or 2011 models have been refined? Would anyone know?
We found the transition to be very smooth and almost unnoticable. That said, the first time it shuts down (ie. going into Stage 4 mode) it tends to be much more noticable, partly b/c you're at a stop so you feel everything and partly b/c it seems to be doing something a bit different for that shift to S4.
I haven't noticed that with my 2010, why not find a gen3 Prius and test drive it. ICE and related components are the same as the Plug In.
I only find the engine off shudder really noticeable when the engine is cold and transitions into stage4 or prior to that. Otherwise is is noticeable but not intrusive at all. The GenIII plug-in model seems even smoother.
Test diving a GenIII makes sense. Some of you mentioned "stage 4"....I am not familiar with this term. Is this simply a hybrid transition term as to where power is coming from/going to?
My 2010 engine off is so smooth that I have to look at the ScanGauge some time to make sure it is off. Plus the fact that I am now so use to the engine turning off. The Prius is designed for low emissions first, so the engine has different warmup stages to make sure the catalytic converter is up to temp, etc. before it will allow the engine to turn off. Search on here for ICE (internal combustion engine) warmup stages for a detailed explanation if you are interested.
I've got a 2006 with 110k and it does the same thing about once every 2 - 3 months for no good reason it seems. Maybe try upping octane from reg to plus for one tank might help?
Here is a thread that explains the stages the Prius goes through as it warms up: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-discussion/76501-gen3-warming-up-stages.html
As others have said, 3rd gen engine on/off transitions are very smooth and quiet whether moving or stopped. Gas engine very quiet in 3rd gen overall. Noticeable improvement over 2nd gen.
Evan/F8L; the GenIII can transition to stage 4 without having to stop. So even that transition is often hard to detect. I'm sure the plug-in is the same way.
True. Also, when you dip into the throttle hard when the car is already moving, this may result in a harsh engagement. However, I've found that the harshness under those conditions, nearly disappeared after I had a transmission fluid change recently at 15k.
That is an interesting observation. I can't see any connection between new transmission fluid and any shuddering. The Prius transmission does not shift or engage any clutches, so all the fluid does is cool and lubricate. Tom
It was a lot smoother in the prototype PiP. Superior than my 06, I would say undetectable. Paradox (GenIII owner) said PiP is smoother as well.
I'd rather be in an airplane with no engines than a helicopter with no engine... Knowing about autorotation doesn't make it any better.
i've worked on, crewed in, and flown fixed wing, multi and single engine helicopters and hot air balloons, in military and civilian, and i've just got to say that our Pilot at the tv station where i worked once had my explicit trust to keep us safe, day or night, regardless of weather, even if i was sitting in the door on a safety harness with the camera. He'd flown the DMZ separating the Koreas and i just knew in my gut he had the right stuff, and there was no question as to maintenance of the helicopter itself. there's a hangar poster out there that reads "Aviation in and of itself is not inherently dangeorus, but to an even greater degree than the sea, is unforgiving of any errors." Yeah, i'd rather be in my boat with a paddle and the Tow Boat US app.
