Prime Brakes? Are you about to change yours?

WOW! I didn’t realize I accidentally opened a courtroom while talking about brake upgrades. Appreciate the dramatization though.

Let me be crystal clear: I’m not out here recruiting volunteers for brake chaos, selling snake oil, or trying to overthrow Toyota’s global safety protocols. I’m simply sharing my real-world experience from actually getting under the car and doing the work — testing, observing, and learning. It's becoming clear you rely heavily on textbooks versus any hands on learnings.

And yes, I’ve swapped brake components. Yes, I’ve monitored the impact on regen and overall braking behavior. And no, I haven’t launched into pedestrians or burst into flames yet. In fact, the only thing I’ve collided with is outdated thinking.

You’re worried about insurance, liability, national standards, the laws of physics — cool. But unless you’ve tested the setup I’m talking about, you’re arguing theory while I’m working in reality. We wouldn’t have disc brakes, regen systems, or hybrids at all if nobody questioned what was already “tested a million times.”

Also, let’s not pretend Toyota’s stock parts are always the gold standard. People upgrade brake systems all the time — for performance, longevity, or in my case, experimentation. That’s literally how innovation works. Hahahaha if their stock parts were so flawless, I don't think we would had head gasket issues or recalls for hundreds of thousands of brand new vehicles... You do realize manufactures make mistakes right?

So unless you’re going to test the setup yourself or have data beyond “Toyota says,” maybe dial back the panic. No one’s asking anyone to blindly rip out their brakes — just sharing findings for the curious, not the courtroom. You see, I'm sure there are others out there like myself who change components not because they are going bad but as proactive maintenance.

 

Correct and I can admit, it goes against the textbook explanation of how regen on the Toyota Prius PHEV and that's why I've been so adamant about looking for other owners who want to upgrade or need new brakes that are willing to log data before and after so that we can see if it was a fluke or... and this is where I'm leaning... there is more that we don't know about these system as Toyota is good at keeping their "secret sauce" formula. I mean, the fact that there are no PHEV conversions readily available speaks volumes in the direction of we cant say we know 100% about how the Regen and PHEV works on a Prius other than what's been published by Toyota.

 

That’s exactly it, — driving habits play a huge role. My point isn’t that Prius brakes are bad, just that there might be measurable behavior differences between OEM vs. aftermarket setups when it comes to regen. You got 80,000 km out of your pads — that’s great! But what if someone else could get even more and improve HV charging efficiency just by switching material or rotor style? I know this Gen 2 I have is on factory brake parts and its nearing 190k.

I’m not here to knock Toyota — I’m here to explore what’s possible beyond the default. And if it turns out we learn something interesting in the process? Even better.

you’ve really mastered the art of turning a conversation about brake pads into a full-blown trial, haven’t you?

I never said Toyota makes crappy cars. I own multiple. I love em and if you only knew just how close Toyota and I are youd probably be impressed. That’s why I tinker with them— to see how much better they can be.

If we followed your logic, no one would ever mod a car, try a new part, or test anything for themselves. And yet here you are… on PriusChat. A forum built on shared experimentation, knowledge, and the occasional wild idea that turns out to be genius.

Also, for the record, nothing was made in my basement. It was made in a parking garage and on my crazy computer/server/networking mobile live streaming hub, with real tools and 3D scanners, real data, and real curiosity. Stay tuned for results — I promise they’ll be worth more than just keyboard skepticism.

 

I cant get behind that considering you can fit larger rotors and caliper from a Corolla on a Prius and the model Corolla isn't a Hybrid... what makes them lighter-duty is a question you possibly haven't asked yourself.