Wind

welcome to priuschat! i don't have this problem (probably because i don't go over 65) but there are many threads here about tyres that will help reduce this, and a couple people who have swapped out of their cars, iirc. all the best!

 

Where do you live, what was your previous car, how bad is the wind, and how fast are you going? I have no problems with my Prius in the wind, if anything its better than most because of the good aerodynamics.

 

I've found that Michelin LRR tires are good.The Ecopia EP100 felt better and more stable than the Yokohama tires I have now.

 

The TRD rear sway bar (part number PTR11-47010) can help you.

 

AK, right on. To me it is no worse than any other light-weight car I have owned. Tires would help some but you might lose in the FE. Might also add / upgrade the under-brace. That seemed to tame things a bit.
Welcome aboard!

 

Does adding the TRD sway bar affect the mpg any?

 

Not really. Unless you drive faster because the car feels more planted to the road.

 

you must have some crazy cross winds to get knocked into next week at 45 mph!

 

Installing a thicker, stronger mid chassis brace helps a lot. Especially when you get buffeted when a big 18 wheel semi trailer passes you.

Search eBay for Rude person's. He sells direct bolt on replacement front and mid chassis braces for the Prius.

The rear sway bar costs much more, is harder to install, and is designed primarily to counter vehicle lean in turns. The chassis braces will stiffen up the car's frame and make it more resistant to twisting and make it feel more solid and less twitchy.

SCH-I535

 

Maybe find another road. Sounds like a wind funnel at that point.

 

Actually, one MAJOR reason for the Prius sensitiveness/twitchyness to cross-winds is a combination of the VERY little amount of front-wheel TOE-IN used, coupled with narrow tyres, that they use to minimize wheel-scrub and thus maximize fuel economy.

 

And let me throw out another theory just for discussion.........
The wind almost never really moves the car sideways on the road, up to hurricane or tornado strength, that is.
What DOES move the car is a driver that is not used to the feel of the car and it's steering characteristics who is over-compensating in one direction or the other.
Just maybe......

Having WAY too much or WAY too little air in the tires can make it feel funny too.

 

Digress, the car is great going forward vs the air friction, from the side, it's a brick wall....adding for the gen3 no rear stabilizer bar and an inadequate mid and front under chassis bar and no upper front strut bar, the car is really unstable at times, so, tires that don't wander, rear stabilizer(trd), beefed up under chassis(Rude person's) and upper front strut and off to the track

 

We've had a very windy week here, and I can say with confidence that the wind has blown me all over the road at a variety of speeds. I am not overcompensating for the wind, but reacting to it. My tires are at 40psi, and I wouldn't call that over/under inflated.

As for there being inadequate chassis or suspension, well, it IS just a C...not a rally car.

My truck gets blown around. The CRX got blown around. The Z28 gets pushed a little, but not much. Some cars are simply more prone to being moved by the wind than others. It happens. You just have to pay attention a little more on the really windy days.

 

I am NOT suggesting that there is NOT a problem here; I am suggesting that the problem might not be a big as it is perceived and/or that there might be another factor that a lot of people tend to overlook.

It is impossible for most people to objectively tell the difference between "overcompensating" and "reacting to" side winds. I understand that doesn't apply to you though......since you are "incredible".

I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in everything from a semi to a moped and without exception have never run into a situation where a vehicle was actually displaced in its lane enough to really be dangerous.......under "normal" wind conditions. Some vehicles do "slip" a bit more but the smaller lighter ones often FEEL like they slip more than they actually do. And all bets are off if the constant wind speed is over 30 MPH or gusts over 45. I realize that happens often in some areas........but not many.

All I am saying is those people who feel it is a serious problem should take ALL of the factors into consideration........including their own unconscious driving habits. Making a conscious effort to NOT turn the wheel in those situations can be a pleasant surprise for some drivers.

And finally, if it is the back end that is getting pushed around, as long as your front wheels are still pointed straight down the road, the back end will straighten itself out with little or no driver intervention.

 

Please don't take every comment that does not echo your own as a personal attack. Your experience is your own, as is mine, and we've come to them honestly. Maybe we're both wrong...