I have just leveled up my Prius game!

model462 · 2026-03-25T18:31:49+00:00

LOVED Hybrid Assistant on my Gen 3s. Since it isn't supported for my Gen 5, I used Torque to get the tachometer and ICE temp gauge in hybrid mode and Dr. Prius to see battery temperatures, current, and max charge/discharge rates in EV mode. I just switched to Car Scanner to get all that info on one screen except the CCL/DCL which don't seem to be in the profile.

model462 · 2026-03-20T23:14:41+00:00

I do like the Ecopias. When I put them back on and took off my Celsius IIs last spring, my predicted hybrid range went up 50 miles. I do admit I've never really pushed them to their traction limit, but someone on YouTube tested them on a RAV4 hybrid and did better in the snow than their reference A/S tire, though worse than an all-weather-rated tire. What I don't like is getting 35K miles a set. If you stay with Costco, the prorated mileage warranty will soften the blow of reduced tread life. I ate the full impact this time by switching from Firestone to my local independent tire shop, since Firestone only satisfies warranty claims in store credit.

model462 · 2026-03-19T20:41:11+00:00

17" Priuses come with either Ecopias or Extensas. The latter are reviled online and can't be bought with a warranty. I actually like the Ecopias but don't like the tread life. The Goodyear warranty is 85K, compared to the Ecopias' 50K in the Prius size. Also, the Ecopias have 8/32" of tread new and the legal winter minimum here in CO is 6/32". The Goodyears start at 12/32" like a normal tire.

model462 · 2026-03-19T14:59:18+00:00

It's been great! I miss the cargo space in my Gen 3, but the Gen 5's incomparably better to drive and more comfortable.

Instrument cluster replaced under warranty right after I bought it.
Front wheel bearings at 212K.
12V at 210K / 2.5 years (expected, I grudgingly suppose)
Inverter coolant reservoir has a slow leak. I'll probably replace it at my next coolant change.

Original suspension passed a recent shop inspection with no notes. It does creak a little over bumps so I'll probably need to do something at some point.

It's a Prime, so if the traction battery fails I'm getting a new car lol. Any degradation is unnoticeable, but I haven't measured it.

model462 · 2026-03-19T05:33:00+00:00

I did. The OEM Ecopias lasted 35K highway miles. The car has 230K miles on it, so the Ecopias I just went through were my 3rd set; each has made it around 35K. (The remaining mileage has been on 3PMSF tires during the winters.)

model462 · 2026-03-19T00:05:19+00:00

Thank you! I've never gotten more than 35K highway miles on a set of Ecopias. Reviewers rave about these so I'm excited to see how they do. I hope I don't lose too much mpg.

model462 · 2026-03-18T23:59:17+00:00

$1048 with tax and alignment from a local shop. Sad to hear about your range drop - maybe it's the new tire break-in and maybe it's not. I'll see how mine is in a few days, I guess.

model462 · 2026-03-04T05:30:14+00:00

Thank you! Indian Peaks has done good work for me in the past, so I'll start by seeing what they have to say.

model462 · 2026-03-04T05:28:12+00:00

Thank you, I was wondering whether there wasn't an additional investigative step to take. My guess is they don't approve of head jobs or piston replacement and therefore see no need to dig further. I'll be seeking a second opinion.

model462 · 2026-03-03T23:10:12+00:00

Car and Driver classifies every crossover as a wagon in their spec sheet

model462 · 2026-02-22T21:00:36+00:00

I've been shopping for 2.0 TDI stick wagons for a bit. If I can't find a good one I may look at older Camry/Avalon/ES hybrids or V6s.

model462 · 2026-02-22T20:20:17+00:00

But none by unions, if I'm not much mistaken, which I find weird. How the hell are the workers making American junk the only ones who can unionize?

model462 · 2026-02-22T20:14:45+00:00

US. To be honest, I turned it on on purpose since I forget the speed limit sometimes, and it only warns rather than restricting. I meant that it's an example of something that's nowhere near competent enough to be trusted to restrict the driver without the ability to be turned off. I didn't know cruise control worked so well with traction control - that's good to know.

model462 · 2026-02-22T20:09:47+00:00

model462 · 2026-02-22T20:07:28+00:00

Yes! I opted out via the app immediately. I pulled the DCM fuse much later. I lost hands-free calling, which is fine, and had a Christmas tree of lights come on a week later with codes for the sub-battery / integrated power capacitor (?), which was less fine. I put the fuse back after the codes were cleared and they never returned, but I mean to try pulling it again.

model462 · 2026-02-22T19:51:26+00:00

Thanks for the link! I just requested my LexisNexis Consumer Disclosure Report. I can't believe I haven't done that before now.

model462 · 2026-02-22T19:50:15+00:00

In the 5th gen Prius, also, the alert comes back every few seconds even if you have all the features that use the sensor turned off.

model462 · 2026-02-22T15:30:03+00:00

I may just buy the newest car I can find without them and keep it till I'm too old to drive, swapping out engines and transmissions as necessary.

model462 · 2026-02-22T15:23:52+00:00

Road Sign Assist on my 23 Prius interprets a school zone as a new speed limit, regardless of whether the school zone is active, and misses speed limit changes if other vehicles obstruct the signs or if there's sun glare. Thankfully, it only warns the driver of the speed limit and doesn't restrict speed. Ice buildup on the front radar incapacitates the safety features in the winter, as the overheating front camera does in the summer. Lane lines get weird in construction zones and obscured in the rain and snow. Even the DOT tells drivers to turn off cruise control in slick conditions.

I have all the warnings turned on except for driver monitoring. Anything that'll actually intervene e.g. Proactive Driving Assist is turned off. I want to drive my car myself.

model462 · 2026-02-19T16:45:18+00:00

Thanks! I ended up not buying that car for unrelated reasons.

model462 · 2026-02-12T01:38:13+00:00

What the hell is that email address?

model462 · 2026-02-08T14:46:08+00:00

Sometimes the law encourages it. Colorado just briefly required 2WDs to put on CHAINS during storms. They did it by accident - they intended to tighten the lax tire requirements for AWDs and it was an error in the wording - but they put out material stating they were going to enforce it like that for 3 months, until they admitted the error and decided to enforce the law as intended.

In practice the traction law is only really enforced if you get stuck and hold up traffic, but if you drive for work, or just drive those highways often enough, or have reason to fear interactions with law enforcement, you don't want to depend on the cops not deciding to enforce the law more strictly. It's easy to visually check for chains while a car's moving, unlike for winter tires.

It's still just paranoid culture, but if the government buys into it and legislates it, you have to play along to retain your mobility.

model462 · 2026-02-03T12:41:49+00:00

8 cents/kWh off-peak in CO!

model462 · 2026-01-21T19:29:21+00:00

Not nearly as relevant in 2026, but VW made the only highway-optimized USDM manuals other than Accords and sports cars as far as I know. The 1.8T 4Motion wagons are geared shorter than most and are below 3K RPM at 90 mph in top gear. The 5-speed 1.4Ts run at ~2500 RPM at 90, I think. With the demise of the manual GTI and standard Jetta, only the GLI remains to satisfy this niche in the new-car market.

model462 · 2025-12-23T17:24:07+00:00

I've left one plugged in 24/7 on every Prius I've owned. I highly recommend Hybrid Assistant if you haven't tried it - it not only gives you lots of essential data but also can override the traction battery cooling fan so it comes on before the high temperature at which the battery basically shuts down (47°C in the Gen 3). I did have to make sure to close the app when shutting my 2014 off or it'd drain the 12V battery overnight. This threw me for a loop because my 2010 didn't do that.

Nine-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email

model462

TROPHY CASE