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Help figure out harsh ride problem after replacing shocks/tires

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by HeinzCatSoup, Oct 12, 2014.

  1. HeinzCatSoup

    HeinzCatSoup Junior Member

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    So heres a little background story..

    The car was purchased used with 18" wheels already on. After driving for about 6 months, I started noticing the road noise getting very loud. I took the car to a tire shop and they told me that there was some uneven cupping in the middle of the wheels, which is usually caused by worn out shocks making the wheel bounce up and down.

    I replaced all 4 shocks, then replaced all 4 tires. Now its much more smooth than before, and is very silent on nicely paved roads. however I notice when theres roads which any imperfections (like fixed streets with tar.. or uneven pavements, or when your tire hits the freeway markers to keep you in the lane) its heard very loud from inside the car and creates an almost *thud* sound when it does.

    I assumed that the problem was that the car had 18" wheels. So recently I swapped the wheels out with stock 15" from toyota, but somehow the road noise is still very apparent. I sat in a friend's prius, same year, and I could tell that it was handling the uneven pavements much softer.

    What could be the problem now? Is there anything else that needs to be replaced?
     
    #1 HeinzCatSoup, Oct 12, 2014
    solrunner likes this.
  2. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Putting 18" wheel assemblies on a 2010 Prius I-IV designed to run 15" would cause more suspension/steering wear with equal use. In fact the 2010 Prius V, which came with 17", had a different-stronger steering rack installed and "I think" beefier suspension components as well. I would suggest you go to to your Toyota Dealership and request a ride along with one of their mechanics familiar with the Prius suspension. That way you can point out specific symptoms as they occur and reduce time trouble shooting. This also saves time by eliminating a Service Adviser's "best guess" when directed back to the shop.
     
    #2 frodoz737, Oct 12, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2014
    solrunner likes this.
  3. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Yeah... either worn out or mismatched parts.
    Anything else the first owner exchanged along with the 18" wheels ?
     
    #3 SageBrush, Oct 12, 2014
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Frodoz, you may be on to something, with your speculation re different steering components on models with 17" rims. Or it could be they've just reduced turn limit due to wider tire. Though the latter seems a bit much.

    When buying, we first had a test drive in a 15" model. That was at night. Next drive was daytime with a 17" model. We bought that one.

    I felt a night-and-day improvement in steering/handling with the 17" model. It MAY just have been the day-vs-night test drive experience, getting used to the car, and so on, but I sure liked the car we bought.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Oct 12, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2014
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    #5 edthefox5, Oct 12, 2014
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I don't have a 2nd gen3 to compare. However my 2010 v has very tight steering compared to my gen2 cars
     
    #6 JC91006, Oct 12, 2014
  7. fatdawg

    fatdawg Member

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    Are you still getting a thud sound after replacing your shocks? If so, you could possibly have a bad engine mount. Or possibly some metal to metal due bad bushing on the shock assembly.

    If your car is riding loud while moving, you could possibly have a bad hub. I had these issues with my Gen2, its a bit surprising those have failed already on the Gen3 unless you've been in an accident or have tons of miles.


    iPhone ?
     
    #7 fatdawg, Oct 12, 2014
  8. HeinzCatSoup

    HeinzCatSoup Junior Member

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    125k miles. its not loud, but its like i feel the road alot more than 15" wheels should be able to feel. I want to figure it out, but its not bad enough that I want to take it to the dealer for an expensive diagnostic i guess
     
    #8 HeinzCatSoup, Oct 14, 2014
  9. fatdawg

    fatdawg Member

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    Yeah, check your hubs, it's easy to do, there's YouTube videos on how to do it. You just need a jack and check for movement. I had the same issue on the 2nd gen with 190k.


    iPhone ?
     
    #9 fatdawg, Oct 14, 2014
  10. HeinzCatSoup

    HeinzCatSoup Junior Member

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    one thing I just noticed is that if I bounce the car up and down, I hear creaking pretty loud. do the springs need to be placed?
     
    #10 HeinzCatSoup, Oct 14, 2014
  11. hermit375

    hermit375 Junior Member

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    the wife's 2010 gen III had a noise in the car and narrowed down to both rear hubs. The l/s was so crunchy when you hold it and try to turn it. And the r/s wasn't much better. she has 115,000 on it. About a month ago was in dealer to have converter and engine coolant changed along with the gear box. It went through a "50 point safety " check and missed the wheel bearings in the rear while the car was on the rack must have been the 51 & 52 items-- just off the list.... That took care of the noise in the rear.
     
    #11 hermit375, Oct 15, 2014
  12. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    The 2010 17" had a completely different and quicker steering assembly from the 15". IIRC it was a different steering motor technology. (There was quite a bit of Priuschat discussion about it at the time)

    I'm not sure if that has changed in later models or not.
     
    #12 energyandair, Oct 16, 2014
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