Weird Handling Problem

I have experienced exactly the opposite. Friday night I drove back from Tampa (90 miles) and had no trouble cruising at 80 and 70 (depending on part of road and varying speed limit). It is rock solid, aligned perfectly, and smooth as silk. Maybe your alignment is off?

 

I have experienced much the same. I just figured it is from hard tires on a terribly maintained road (major ruts, cracks, etc). Even a pretty light wind guest can move this car around. But every car has its own driving quirks and it is just a matter of getting use to them.

Peter

 

As others have posted it might just be the rain groves or depressions in the road made by trucks, try some different highways. Also try it on the same highways when the wind is blowing and when it is calm.

I had a similar problem with my Gen2, as did a few others. In my case it turned out to be a bent rear axle beam that did not give enough tow in for the rear and the car was very unstable at highway speeds, especially in the wind. Toyota wouldn't fix it because it was still within specification, although just barely. With some help from Priuschat members I fixed it myself with shims. Quite an experience.

Your problem is most likely nothing like that though. I think if you take it to the dealer and tell them what it is doing they can give you a free alignment under warranty, I got about 3 of them for my Gen2. Be sure to have them give you a copy of the alignment printout so you can post the numbers here if you still have problems. An alignment might be what it needs to fix it.

 

Sounds like you're experiencing tramlining. Some tires are more prone to it than others.

Some highways in the bay area have the traction grooves and I've not had any issues with my Toyo Proxies.

 

I've seen this problem many times over the years. It is a combination of:

1) Tires (tread pattern),
2) Tire Pressure,
3) Suspension Alignment,
4) Suspension Shocks and Springs,
5) Vehicle Speed.

Changing any one or a combination of the above factors will affect driving stability.

Keith

 

I'm also from SoCal, and I had the same effect with my Camry V6 when I put 4 new Michelin tires on it. The I-210 eastbound (rain grooved) through the Crescenta Valley was the worst. The first time it happened, I thought I had a flat. A few thousand miles should smooth out the weirdness.

 

I live in SOCal too and had the same feeling while driving on 405 towards Sand Diego.

As people mentioned here, I think it's combination of road condition, vehicle tire/alignment etc.

I am not too bothered about it though.

 

Exactly, good post, I have seen it in vehicles other than the Prius. My BMW was pretty unstable (The Ultimate Driving Machine) when I got it, turned out to be mostly tires and a good alignment helped also. Now that I'm trying to sell it it's fixed, almost as good as the Corolla loaner car that I have.

 

I live in SoCal and get the same effects on the fwy - car seems to drift back and forth like the tires are tracking the grooves. Be interesting to get it out of town on the road to see if it persists.

 

My understanding is it's tire related.

 

My 2010 does the same on sections of the I-5. The grooves really throw the front end of the car around. You have to constantly correct direction. It does this with the Yokohama tires at the recommended pressure and over inflated. On asfalt roads the cars feels much better. When compared to my previous car (2006 Volvo S60R) the Prius driving experience is a joke but it is giving an honest 50 MPG with 87 fuel and the keyless entry is awesome.

 

Q

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Ditto...I have the same issue with NorCal's highway 99. We originally also thought something was wrong with the car or possibly had a flat the first time this happened.

Toyota will perform the first alignment for free...I called my service dept to state that my steering wheel was off (a bit to the left) only to be told that I should wait until 2-3K to allow the suspension to break-in. I originally thought yeah okay they just gave me the Heisman...however 3K miles later...the wheel is dead center and the drifting sensation has diminished.

Give it time...unless of course you are still having noticeable drifting at your first oil change...have it checked out.

 

I get the same effect on I5 where the rain-groving is found.
I have the Yoko... tires, do we all?
I am at about 2500 miles so far.
I will watch for improvement.

 

I have the Yoko and mine handles great - ironic as one of the reasons I traded my Toyota Avalon for my CRV was that it did not and when I took curves fast (ramps on highways, etc.) I always felt a lack of control, especially in the rain (bought it in Boise so first two years were much drier).

I only have about 1100 miles after 2.5 months since its my secondary car right now...I have to admit, I have not even put air in the tires yet now know what the pressure was when I left the dealer. Guess I need to check so I know what to aim for in the future. There are lots of posts about the best pressure for V's but not the lower models with 15" tires