i am hoping to get a smoother ride out of my 2011, 80k miles - what would help besides decreasing tire pressure? different shocks? my recent goals for upgrading the car smoother ride, quieter cabin and less hot in cabin. for heat reduction in cabin, last week i had insulatir window tint 75 installed and have a couple issues - it did not block heat as much as i would have hoped and there is an install issue that i think can get fixed. if you have thoughts on any of the aforementioned issues i would allreciate it.
I hear all the time about modding the car out but yet I have yet to hear of anyone changing the shocks out because I want a smooth ride as well in tire pressure is the only way to be successful without doing the shocks so good question I hope someone answers who's actually changed the shocks out shocks and struts
What are your current tires and what is the air pressure? EDIT Also, how old are they? (tires can become a lot less flexible with age) I got a significant improvement changing the tires to Michelin Primacy MXV4. The a/c generally works pretty well. Has yours been a problem since new? Has the air filter behind the glove box been changed? If that is plugged, the a/c won't work too well.
As someone already asked, what brand of tires? And tire pressure? I also have a 2011 Three with 81K. I am using Goodyear ComforTred and pressures of 42 front 40 rear. It's pretty quiet and comfortable. About the same as a similarly outfitted 2008 Prius that I used to drive on the same roads. The wildcard is the roads of course. Infrastructure is improving but they let it get pretty bad. Mine has the factory solar glass which probably doesn't do anything to prevent heat incursion. The tinting is nice on the eyes and probably reduces UV. You will have to park in the shade to get any effective heat reduction. I don't have shade available so I use a Heatshield Advanced windshield mask and park the vehicle facing south. Oh, and welcome to Prius Chat !
IIRC, the glass in the Gen 3, particularly in the windshield is high tech and is quite good at blocking heat gain while passing visible light
Koni released an oem shock for the Prius, a set would help, also trd (Toyota racing development) offers springs that would give a much better ride, have your air conditioner checked, keep your tire pressure up...42 f 40r, safer and better mpg's
RE: ROUGH RIDE Tires are about a year old, 15k miles or so. They are Yokohama AVID Touring-S P195/65R15 89S. I have not checked the air pressure lately, will try to do that today. Bought the car in early 2012 new, and the ride felt smoother the first couple of months of owning the vehicle, then it seemed to get rougher right away. I might spend the money to get new shocks if the consensus was they make a huge difference in providing a smoother ride. RE: NOISE Is there a solution that provides great noise reduction? I have read here about Dynamat having some benefit but not much. Wondering if I could get your thoughts on that as welby the way the rough ride part is more related to when I hit a crack on the road or whatever not when I am on smooth concrete/pavement. I plan to take it into A shop next week to get the suspension tested
Your shocks are probably not performing as they should after 40k miles. At 80k, i suspect they're toast. Dampers definitely lose performance over time. They directly affect your car's safety so at 80k, I'd just change them out. I doubt you'll get more comfortable than the OE Toyota units. Other than that, tires.
For economy you may want to change that. But your lower tire pressures, if anything, actually make your ride more comfortable. Shocks are good safety items. I'd just change them out and go from there.
A few thoughts: Tire pressures should be no less than the manufacturer's list pressures and no higher than the maximum shown on the tire Low tire pressure doesn't give a rough ride but higher pressure normally does Gas station pressure gauges generally can't be trusted. It's a good idea to get an accurate gauge and keep it in the car.
so is the consensus for suspension to get the same kind that are already on there or to spend the money for something else? secondly, I wonder what a good way would be to find a mechanic that would not charge $700 labor. for mpg, my display usually lists 48 mpg or so
For your info., when shocks wear (loose the -absorbing-) it is usually because they loose the fluid inside. But note, they get -softer-, NOT "rougher". I will tell you, the ride of your car is probably the same as when you first got it. You just notice is more now that you aren't distracted by its newness. Inflate your tyres to the proper value on the door placard (for safety). Prius is not known for a smooth ride or for being quiet, though some of us think it is just fine. If you want a quieter car, get a Lexus. Ignore me if you like, and go ahead and spend money.
I would just go Toyota shocks/struts. These are just commuter cars. no need for anything else. Usually when you go more durable, you get firmer. And more expensive.
Even though your tires are almost new, tires sometimes go bad, before you spend money on shocks, have each tire carefully inspected, to see something like a belt separation, each tire needs to be spun on a rack, or balancer,best of luck.
While at my latest maintenance, I asked them to check out shocks and they could not find any visual issues. Yesterday I called Koni to talk to a tech and he helped me think through the issue a bit more. Most of you may already know this but it was helpful for me. Said that while Koni shocks are nice because they help with performance but also keep a smoother ride in mind, ride quality is going to be subjective. One thing I have been able to better observe in the last couple weeks with my Prius is when there is more weight in my trunk or backseat, I notice the most problem. For that issue, the Koni tech said that issue is more related to your springs. Would be curious if you all agree that replacing the springs would be something to try.
