2010 Prius feels unsettled on the highway

Not the brace you sold me

 

?? I haven't sold anyone anything.

 

He obviously confused you with Rude person's.

 

I just now stumbled across this thread......Well,...we (wife & I) have two 2010 Gen. III....mine drives EXACTLY like the OP's.....my wife's drives completely different (normal)......something going on someplace.....FWIW.....for the OP,which tires do you have?......

 

Tande,
Great observation! You could take them for a free alignment check at your dealer or a tire store that offers this service. Ask them to look for any 'looseness' in bearings/bushings/rod ends, etc.

That would at least show" if anything is going on there".
If you could scan and post the read outs, that would be interesting.

If there is no big difference in the numbers, you could swap the tire/wheels from car to car. ( That's a lot of work in the driveway....)

You, my friend, have the means to get to the bottom of this and see what is going on someplace!

Keep in touch!!

 

I'm running an almost new set of Bridgestone Ecopia EP422.

I made an appointment for an alignment check for this Friday.

 

Thank/You.....FWIW, mine, (car #1) has OEM "Yoko's" & the wife's, (car #2) has OEM "Bridgestone's".......just a little more detail on my "Story"......starting right with driveway/parking lot maneuvering, car #1 steers "Heavy" (by comparison with car #2), requires more steering wheel input effort & at highway speeds the wheel does not turn "Freely" when making micro/corrections......by the time you input the effort to turn the wheel, it has then overcorrected....it's a constant battle of correcting the overcorrections....this is all VERY noticeable compared with car #2 ......nothing loose, these are the tightest, no steering waste autos I have ever had..... both cars no change since new......(40,000 mi. on car #1......30,000 on car 32)......Thanks for listening.....

 

Wonder if one car has more caster than the other?

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

Only one way to tell...
You and the wifie waste ~ 1hr. getting two "Free Alignment Checks".
Scan and post the reports, please!
Us nerds love this stuff...

Oh, and maybe swap wheelsets between the two cars,,, but that will cost extra.

 

Thanks Guys......Yup!, I will be sure to let ya know if/&/when I learn anything to report......I did take it back (car #1) to "My Friendly Local Toyota Dealer" & was told everything is OK/normal......like a lot of things in life, I just tolerate it, but it sure is a PITA.....

 

I'd say the two have significantly different toe settings.

 

Does toe give 'em the heavy steering effect?

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

The left/right toe-in creates tire scrub, provides a self-centering effect, can provide accelerated turn-in. The more toe, the heavier the steering. That said, mis-matched toe (and toe-out) can be even worse, resulting in "twitchy/darty" behavior.

 

All comments appreciated ......nothing abnormal with tire wear here.....40,000 mi. on OEM tires & look like they will go another 20,000 (yes I'm an old man )......FWIW, I always thought "Caster" values were the "Return/To/Center mechanism.......

 

Caster provides for dynamic stability and straight line tracking, but does not in and of itself provide self-centering. That requires balancing scrub angles (toe, and to some extent camber).

 

Here's an interesting article about alignment on the Prius. I'm wondering if my local Big O shop has the technology to do a proper alignment.


Tire Review - 2001-09 Toyota Prius Alignment & Suspension Specs

 

I actually have been looking at tires... And for the Ecopia EP422 floatiness at highway speeds is a top complaint (on different models of cars).

 

I had the alignment checked today, looks like all of the settings are in the middle of the min/max range. Any thoughts about these numbers?

 

That alignment is just fine - I would not touch it at all. It appears that your steering wheel may be a bit off-center, but that alone should not warrant immediate attention.


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