Hi chat members , My 2006 prius has 225k miles and original shocks. I had the car since it had 93k miles, and i never felt it had a soft ride, not even when comparing it to my gen 1prius, that always had more miles than the gen 2, both with original shocks. Given the rough ride " by design", i would really appreciate your thoughts on whether it is worth it to spend the money on new shocks, and if so, is there a way to buy a brand that will be more comfortable than the OEM shocks? I have a really bad back, and i feel every bump, even those little lane seperators light reflectors ( pavement markers) go straight to my gen 2 chassis and into my neck and spine. Did you get a huge improvement by replacing shocks on your gen2? If so, what brand was it? BtW, the shocks do not leak, and the car does not bounce a few times when shaking it, it stabilize after 1 bounce ,so the shocks are not " completely shot" like the suspension is hanging on the springs alone. Thanks!
Yes i have Bridgestone ecopia e150, with 35 in front, and 33 in the back, while cold. On the costco air pump, they recommend to put +4 PSI from the above numbers, if the car was driven more than 4 miles. So I always set to 39PSI front, and 37PSI back, after driving there to fillup the gas.
The gentleness of your ride will improve drastically if you drop your tire pressures to 32 front/30 rear. Your mpg will reduce slightly, but feeling every pebble on the road will practically go away. Adjust a psi or 2 to find what works best for you. It's always a compromise between comfort, harshness and mpg.
I have a really bad back If this was my problem, I'd be running mid to high 20s psi in the tires. 25-29 psi is plenty to support the car for normal driving and will really soften bumps. Tires are available all day long if they wear a bit funny. Backs? not so much..... Is your car equipped with OEM size rims and tires (15 inch rims with 185/65 tires) What is your normal daily driving routine?
Thanks for your answers guys Douglasjre- did you feel a dramatic change after changing to KYB? What is quick struts? How many miles did you have? Hayslayer- yes original 15 inch rim and size, ecopia e150, which i driven on in the last 25k miles, the rear had barely any wear on them, so i assume this rubber is very resilient. I drive some highway some city, if the highway had many transition between concrete bridges ro asphalt, i definitely feel that the car is rough on me. My 2006 sienna with 99k miles and original shocks take those transitions better, but not perfect either Ill try to reduce the air pressure at what PSI is it starting to be unsafe?
Quick struts is aftermarket trash. KYB is OEM equipment. It's the best for that price. No need for Bilstein upgrades. Not even sure if Bilstein offers a B6 for this car. Wouldn't need it anyway. Sachs isn't quite as good as KYB but it's comparable. Just get KYB and be done with it. Do it correctly the first time and you won't have to do it a second time
I found the whole quick strut assembly from toyota dealer for 140 per front quick strut,and 70 for each of the quick rear strut, meaning including the spring ,plate , bump stop, etc. Its about double than buying the KYB shock only from amazon, but then i wont have to mess with the labor of compressing the spring and replacing the plate bump stop etc in case its bad, did any of you buy the whole quick strut from toyota? Is it worth it? Will i feel a dramatic change in comfort, or is it going to be only 10-20% different? Theres a guy on youtube that did the front, and at the end of the video he said that " honestly over bumps it's the same, it just feels like a new car" Minute 12:43 is when he test it... Im not sure what that means , but if this means that this car is uncomfortable by design and the difference between a shock that has 200k miles but not leaking, and definitely not completely shot, is a minimal difference, im not sure i want to get into this. Any real life experiences with before/after will be greatly appreciated. Thank you
