2010 Prius V...terrible ride.

[Vincent]

Originally Posted by dbz

My Prius V rides and handles great, it has the Toyo Proxes A20 P215/45R17 tires!

What's all the noise about?

The ride of my Gen III package V is a BIG improvement over my Gen II, far superior to our 05 Hyundai Elantra and 07 Nissan Sentra, but admittedly, not as quiet as our ES350.
It's a fun car to drive, gets great mileage and is extremely quiet at low speeds.

I admit there's a lot of road noise from the Toyo's at highway speeds, but it's a steady as a rock, especially when compared to my Gen II.

[Old Bald Guy]

Originally Posted by endo

Friend of mine just picked up a 2010 Prius V after obsessing over the idea for several months. He'd only driven the lower end models with the 15" wheels, never the V with the 17" wheels and low profile tires. Both he and his wife felt the freeway ride home was unbearable, to the extent that they phoned the Toyota dealer and asked if there was some way to return the car afterward.

Has anyone else experienced a large difference in ride between the 17" wheel/tire package and the 15" setup?

Is there any difference in suspension, i.e., spring rate/damping, between the V with 17" wheels and the 15" wheeled cars?

And additionally, would anyone know what the easiest way to go about swapping would be? Assume dealers would want an arm+leg, and they likely won't be available on Craigslist just yet.

We drove models with the 15 and the 17" tires. The 17" version ... which we bought ... had a much BETTER ride. I am running 46 psi front and 44 psi rear and the car is one of the best road cars I have driven in 40 years.

Before someone goes off on me for that, I used to be a pro mechanic for Ford and Chrysler and drove most of their cars back in the 60s and 70s. I have owned various vehicles from a Mercedes sedan, Jaguar XK120, a 1968 Buick LeSabre with heavy duty everything, and other assorted Chevys, Fords, and foreign cars.

My Gen III with the 17" rides and handles better than my Gen II with the 15". If I am on good pavement, the ride ... and quiet ... is great. On Texas cement or some of the rought black stuff they call pavement here ... it is loud and rough ... but it is that way on my other cars.