Touring better in the wind, traction?

[fojae]

I have heard some complaints in this forum about how the prius gets badly blown around in the wind and some theories about the poor quality of the tires and that the suspension needing to be altered with the bt plate. Does this problem still exist with the Touring which has different tires, larger wheels, and a differently tuned suspension?

I have also heard complaints about the traction control being too agressive. Do the larger wheels and different tires on the touring help with this problem?

Has anyone been able to compare the handling of the touring and regular prius in heavy winds and in low traction situations?

thanks

[qbee42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fojae @ Apr 30 2007, 08:33 AM) [snapback]432469[/snapback]</div>

I have heard some complaints in this forum about how the prius gets badly blown around in the wind and some theories about the poor quality of the tires and that the suspension needing to be altered with the bt plate. Does this problem still exist with the Touring which has different tires, larger wheels, and a differently tuned suspension?

I have also heard complaints about the traction control being too agressive. Do the larger wheels and different tires on the touring help with this problem?

Has anyone been able to compare the handling of the touring and regular prius in heavy winds and in low traction situations?

thanks
[/b]

I don't have experience with the touring version, but better tires help with both traction control and stability in wind. We drive in some pretty strong cross winds and never have any control problems. You can feel the wind, but it never becomes a control problem. I fly airplanes and cruise and race sailboats; the cross wind experience with the Prius is very similar. You feel a nudge from the wind, and your gut instinct tells you to steer to correct, but you don't need too. Even after the nudge, the Prius tracks straight down the road. If you start chasing the nudges, you get into pilot induced oscillations. The steering is very tight on the Prius, so it doesn't take much control input to over control. In general, you just aim down the road and let the dynamics on the Prius take care of the cross wind.

Tom

[bradysplace]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fojae @ Apr 30 2007, 07:33 AM) [snapback]432469[/snapback]</div>

I have heard some complaints in this forum about how the prius gets badly blown around in the wind and some theories about the poor quality of the tires and that the suspension needing to be altered with the bt plate. Does this problem still exist with the Touring which has different tires, larger wheels, and a differently tuned suspension?

I have also heard complaints about the traction control being too agressive. Do the larger wheels and different tires on the touring help with this problem?

Has anyone been able to compare the handling of the touring and regular prius in heavy winds and in low traction situations?

thanks
[/b]

Hi fogae, I have owned both a standard prius and a touring (06 and 07 respectively). Both cars are slightly more sensitive to crosswinds than a full size automobile. Typically its just a nudge and most often no or only a small correction is required. I find nothiing annoying or dangerous about the sensitivity which you will soon not even think about as you navigate down the road. I'm sure a engineer could explain the combination of things that play into the equation (tire size, thickness, broad sides, coificent of lateral drag etc etc.) its just a characteristic of the prius. The touring model simply feels a bit stiffer (in a good way) and appears not to lean as much in turns. The tires and wheels seem appropriate for the suspension. On both of my prius cars i installed the stiffening plate. There are many opinions expressed on this forum as regards the effectiveness of that plate. In my opinion, on both cars, it enhanced the lateral stability. The car simply felt as though it was less bothered by passing 18 wheelers or buses. The improvement seemed equal on both versions of the prius. I have not had any problems as regards sensitivity or aggressiveness of the traction control system. Living in Houston I drive thru alot of rain soaked roads that can be very slick - just haven't had a problem with it. Those that experience icing conditions might have another opinion. This car is no different than any other - its has its limitations - and as long as you operate within those limits it is a very safe and enjoyable car to own and operate. Greg

[priussoris]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fojae @ Apr 30 2007, 06:33 AM) [snapback]432469[/snapback]</div>

I have heard some complaints in this forum about how the prius gets badly blown around in the wind and some theories about the poor quality of the tires and that the suspension needing to be altered with the bt plate. Does this problem still exist with the Touring which has different tires, larger wheels, and a differently tuned suspension?

I have also heard complaints about the traction control being too agressive. Do the larger wheels and different tires on the touring help with this problem?

Has anyone been able to compare the handling of the touring and regular prius in heavy winds and in low traction situations?

thanks
[/b]

Hi Fojae, We have the non touring 07 prius like everyone so far has said it's a nudge, no worse than what we would feel when driving our jeep . may not even be as bad cause it does not sit up as high. No BT plate installed either it handles fine being stock. IMHO but everyone has a different feel for everything.

[fojae]

Thanks for all the replies. I've been driving Camrys for the last 15 years and I would describe them in the same way as everyone on this thread has described the prius. I wonder if most of the complains come from people who are have downsized from an larger AWD or 4WD vehicle.

[qbee42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fojae @ May 1 2007, 08:34 AM) [snapback]433142[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for all the replies. I've been driving Camrys for the last 15 years and I would describe them in the same way as everyone on this thread has described the prius. I wonder if most of the complains come from people who are have downsized from an larger AWD or 4WD vehicle.
[/b]

That may very well be true. If you are a tank driver, everything else feels light.

I suspect another factor that contributes greatly is the very tight steering on the Prius. There is zero dead band, so when you turn the wheel, the car turns with it. Many cars, especially older U.S. models, have a lot of slop in the steering. New Prius drivers get a death grip on the wheel and over control, especially after a nudge from wind. Once you lighten your grip and let the car do it's thing, it controls nicely.

Tom

[RinMI]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ May 1 2007, 08:45 AM) [snapback]433144[/snapback]</div>

That may very well be true. If you are a tank driver, everything else feels light.

I suspect another factor that contributes greatly is the very tight steering on the Prius. There is zero dead band, so when you turn the wheel, the car turns with it. Many cars, especially older U.S. models, have a lot of slop in the steering. New Prius drivers get a death grip on the wheel and over control, especially after a nudge from wind. Once you lighten your grip and let the car do it's thing, it controls nicely.

Tom
[/b]

As a former 4WD owner ('01 Blazer) I can say that the Prius gets blown about much less than my truck did; especially when I am waiting to turn left on a rural highway and 18 wheelers go straight without slowing and miss my car by inches. I don't know if this is common in other parts of the country but it seems to be the norm for rural highways in West Michigan.

I wonder if some that are referring to this phenomenon are ones who previously owned sportier or smaller vehicles that either had stiffer suspension, less surface area on the sides, or a combination of both.

[Charles Suitt]

Howdy fojae

Last November I traded my '04 Prius for an '07 Touring Edition. I had the opportunity to test drive both Standard and Touring 2007's and preferred the Touring. I found the firmer suspension, larger rims and Bridgestone Turanza tires a good mate for the suspension. I noted less lean on turns and corners. After the trade, I upped the tire pressures to 40/38 psi as I had run my 2004 Prius, but really didn't like the feel and ride so I reduced to the Toyota-recommended 35/33 psi. I'm confident I took a minimal 'hit' on MPG but that's OK.

In my crosswind experience, the Touring seems steadier than my 2004 - I suppose because of the greater tire 'footprint' (more rubber on the pavement) combined with the firmer suspension. I bought a Package 6 - all the goodies. The backup camera is 'interesting' but with its fisheye lens providing a distorted picture, you can tell there's something back there but can't judge distances. the backup camera provides a good color image even at night. I do like the HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlights - better illumination and a wider pattern, but the fog lights are 'cute' but don't provide much illumination, I rarely turn them on. At the time I traded, there was only $270 difference in MSRP between the Standard and Touring - I think the rims and tires alone were worth that. Most of that difference was actually absorbed in the bargaining.

So much for my 2¢ worth.

[mschrank]

Don't know about Std Prius, but Touring not troubled by wind in Colorado. Just picked my Touring up about a week ago. We have had some very windy days since...40+ mph. Prius very stable and quiet. Great fun to drive.

[redrockprius]

I've been reading some of the horror stories here about the Prius jumping lanes and being dangerous to drive with cross winds or when passing trucks. Yesterday I got my first chance since getting the car three months ago to experience severe cross winds and high speed driving while sharing the road with three-trailer semis. My trip was about 250 miles round trip between St. George, Utah and Las Vegas. I-15 runs right through the center of both places and the speed limit is 75 mph most of the way.

On the trip to Vegas there was no appreciable wind and, driving at or slightly above the posted limit, I noticed no perturbations at all when passing large trucks. On the return trip there were very high cross winds. I have no way of directly measuring the actual wind speeds I drove through but tumbleweeds were not tumbling -- they were sailing across the road airborne, along with lots of debris that was also staying airborne across the entire road width. Weather reports on local stations later reported gusts in excess of 70 mph in the area. While the gusts could certainly be felt, there was absolutely no difficulty keeping in my lane and no need to make any unusual steering corrections.

My Prius is an unmodified standard version with the original Integrity tires inflated to 37/35 front/rear.

Forgot to mention that it was raining lightly and the road surface was wet along with the high wind.