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Prius-c hard ride

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by retired, Jul 18, 2013.

  1. retired

    retired Junior Member

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    2013 Prius c
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    The hard ride of our new Prius-c came as a shock after our trusty old Subaru, in fact enough of a shock for me to consider trading it in after only three months.

    However a little research revealed that the Bridgestone "Potenza" RE080 tyres fitted on delivery are classified as "sports" tyres which generally trade off comfort for snappy handling. I replaced all four with Continental CC5 ("Conti ComfortContact CC5") and found that improved the ride considerably - the car still has a firm ride but even the worst potholes & humps have lost their brain-jarring effect. I haven't noticed any significant change in steering or fuel economy either, and this car does quite a lot of 110 kph travel.

    My partner said the first thing she noticed was the quietness!

    The other thing we've done is to fit deep-pile sheepskin seat covers on the front seats, with a small, soft wedge-shaped cushion underneath the covers. I'm considering having the seats reupholstered.

    We also have a problem with the head restraints which I've taken up with Toyota. But other than that, it's a pleasure to drive and it behaved beautifully on a recent tour through NSW.

    David
     
    #1 retired, Jul 18, 2013
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks for the write up! someone here has been asking about ride comfort of the c on rough roads, i hope they read this.
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 18, 2013
  3. mahout

    mahout Active Member

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    The main factors of comfortable ride are tire pressure, sidewall height, and tire construction. Generally, less expensive tires are those with the flimsiest construction - and comfortable ride. The tires we replace most often here for that 'unsnappy' steering is Dunlop SP's which are a favorite with many manufacturers because of lower supplier costs. A combination of lower tire pressure, higher sidewall height represented by the aspect ratio, aka 50, 55, or 65 with the higher number the higher the sidewall, and tires you can easily squeeze collapsed in your hands when not mounted. Its one of most attended parts of tire testing beaue most buyers want ride comfort and the lighter the vehicle the harder it is to do. If you think the Prious C is hard riding try a Geo Metro ! Do note that as the aspect ratio increases you generally need to narrow the tire section width to keep the tire diameter the same or close to it.
    For example 175/65x15 and 195/50x16 tires have very different sidewall heights but pretty much the same diameter so the mpg, acceleration, and odometer/speedometer readings don't change much.
     
    #3 mahout, Jul 18, 2013
  4. retired

    retired Junior Member

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    The Continental CC5 tyres are designed in Germany and certainly not cheap!

    I bought tyres with exactly the same specification as the original Bridgestones (185/60 R15 84H) and I'm running them at Toyota's recommended pressure of 2.2 bar (32 psi). Using a lower pressure does improve the ride, and I ran the Bridgestones at 28 psi for a while, but I believe it's not good practice as it can lead to blowouts and other problems.

    David
     
    #4 retired, Jul 18, 2013
  5. Rob.au

    Rob.au Active Member

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    Low pressure will also hit your fuel economy.

    I like the Potenzas! But I like the handling and I just don't care about the bumps... I'm not driving a waterbed is my attitude. I don't think it's that bad myself... the only part I actually don't like is hitting a bad bump mid-corner.

    I drove the Bells Line of Road last weekend which I've done many times before, but this was my first time with the c. It ended up being way more fun than I expected (though, ahem, I don't think I got my best ever fuel economy while doing so).
     
    #5 Rob.au, Jul 19, 2013
    ztanos likes this.
  6. retired

    retired Junior Member

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    My test case is Jamberoo Pass between the Southern Highlands and the coast, which the Prius-c sailed up with no problems at all. I kept an eye on the energy-management monitor while going up there and, surprisingly, I don't think the battery ever got any lower than about 40%.

    Recently we drove from Sydney to Parkes, much of it in foggy drizzle and at least the last 100 Km on strange roads in the dark, and I was quite pleased to find how relaxed I felt at the end.

    We must try Bells Line of Road.

    David
     
    #6 retired, Jul 19, 2013
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