Rough tires on c4?

Ask for another test drive, and ask them to double-check the tire pressure. You can check the tire pressure yourself with your own gauge if you want. Schedule another test drive for mid-week, when the dealership is less busy.
When I had my SUV, it rode fine, but the prius c felt like a spaceship, when the tire pressure was at "recommended" value.

 

The tires were probably aired up a bit much for ride quality.

Take another drive and have your tire gauge with you. Start your drive with the tires at 36psi front/34psi rear. If that's too much for you, go down to 34/32. If you need much lower than that, you're used to different cars than am I and I can't help you.

 

You did not mention whether the C4 that you drove had the 16" optional tires or the 15". You can be assured that the 16" version with the reduced sidewall height will be a much harder (stiffer) ride. I own a C4 with the standard 15 inch tires which not only have a smoother ride, but leave you with the shorter turning radius.

 

Though the tires may have a lot of pressure the Prius C is a light car with fairly large tires and that tends to ride rough if the model you drove was a C2,3 or 4 because tires on most of those models have fairly short sidewall tires. Next time try a C1 or 2 with 175/65x15 tires. And yes, do check tire pressures are around 30 to 35 psig. Unfortunately, the brand of tires also is a factor. There are tires that have more flexible sidewalls that offer more comfortable ride at the expense of cornering. Usually they are less expensive as well. Dunlop SP's come to mind and perhaps the dealer will exchange them on yoiur purchase. Honda Fits often come with those tires and you could test one of them for ride comfort - but not mpg !

 

Don't spout off misinformation... C1/2/3/4* use the same tires. C4** uses a different tire. But different periods on the assembly line used different brands of tires.

*=15" wheel
**=16" wheel

 

True but many dealers are upgradng the tires and wheels so 175/65x15, 195/55x15, and 195/50x16 are common. The trick is to see which sidewall height, tire size, and tire brand gets the ride you want. Note that dealers will increase tire pressures to 40 psig because that will dsplay higher mpg on the dash display, a key sales point.

 

Just got a Prius C4 with 16 inch wheels, and it's definitely stiffer than the other versions I tried at the dealer. I also used to drive a 2002 Gen1 Prius, which kind of feels like driving around on exercise balls by comparison. Personally I like how the car handles, and I think it does especially well on the highways, at least compared to my Gen1.

Toyota intentionally designed this vehicle to drive like a soapbox car to maximize the efficiency. You can probably make it feel more like a luxury vehicle by weighing it down with sound deadening sheets and installing some softer tires, but I'm sure most of us C owners were aware at the time of purchase that there'd be some trade-offs for that awesome 55+ MPG.

 

Regardless of the tires used, comfort would be dependent upon the pressure setting.

The 16" wheels will always be more jarring than the 15" ones, but even they can be tamed by turning down the pressure. I've turned it down on my sixteen inchers and they were very comfy.

 

So it appears you're saying that underinflating the stock LRR tires is preferable to installing purpose-built comfort tires because of...cost? Thanks, I had no idea that I could let the air out of my tires for free, and that doing it would make them go flat and squishy.

Seriously, just because it's the most obvious solution doesn't mean it's safe or economical. Always buy the right tires for the job.

 

Dropping or raising the pressure 5 pounds isn't going to cause an unsafe condition...

 

I've got the Prius C Four with 16" tires at about 34 psi. It is okay on city streets but it gets fairly rough when on bumpy highways. I've had some here tell me to increase the psi to 42 for better fuel economy, but there is no way I would do that with my stock tires as it is already too rough at highway speeds on bad roads. The ride on good highways is okay though.

 

42 psi is great for the 15" tires. But would be murder on the traveler of a 16" car.

 

I didn't say that at all. In fact, your answer shows little to no connection to what I said.

In Prius-land, "underinflating" is still over the standard inflation pressures. Harshness is usually from over-overinflating. Back that down until you find a reasonable ride and most times it will still be above recommended inflation levels.

Perhaps, decaf?



Oh look... Post # 666.

 

I agree. 42psi is a bit harsh for the 16" tires. I think I have the front at 38 or 40 right now. The rear are 3psi lower that whatever the front were.

 

I find the idea of even 38 or 40 way too harsh - I run my 16" tyres at 35/32. I get 65mpg winter / 78mpg summer, and my overall fuelly average is 62.4, so I don't take much notice of the high pressure mantra in this forum. My backside prefers a comfortable ride...

 

CaptainStarbuck - did you not state elsewhere this evening that you would not consider the C due to not enough sightings by you?