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feedback/info tires, alignment, bearing, door open holder

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by cvincent, Jun 26, 2011.

  1. cvincent

    cvincent Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2010
    76
    7
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    Location:
    arizona
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    just wanted to fill in some of my experiences
    have an 08 touring bought at 13,000 miles, have put 52,000 miles on it in 14 months
    immed put the $1000 michelin set of tires on it when i got it, dont remember the name of them

    mileage was about right and the car handled extremely welll, even at high speeds/90 mph and in high wind
    never had the alignment done since tires wore evenly, car tracked great
    ran pressure quite a few psi over normal

    so right rear bearing went out at 65,000 miles last week
    took it in to have this done- warranty covered it
    originally the dealer thought the issue was the tires
    so i had bridgestone ecopias put on this time right before i drove it to the dealer and knew it had to be the bearing and not the tires, still had the sound
    had bearing done and alignment done
    my car is now not drivable over 60-65mph
    i now know what all those people on the forums have complained about

    i am all over the rd, very dangerous
    and the wind is light today

    i am 90% certain it is the alignment
    i just took down the tire pressure a good bit and will see if that helps
    are the ecopias sensitive to higher pressures?

    car will be back in the dealer tomorrow

    so on this one issue i would not mess with your alignment unless you know there is a problem
    i resisted every time i was told it needed to be done and now i am kicking myself
    so if you are new to the prius and having issues this is not normal prius behavior, my car was solid on the rd, very solid

    so dont let anyone tell you this car drives like that or it is normal
    it is not normal at all, at least not for a touring prius
    i have been super pleased with how my car handled 30mph winds etc until today
    i even wondered what was going on with the ones i would read about on the forums, i know now
    i either have a tire issue or most likely the stealership screwed up my alignment


    on the doors not staying open, i had this looked at and the black holder thing was replaced under warranty and i no longer have a problem
    so obviously this can be a defective part

    hope this shows up for some people needing info on these issues

    i will report on what the dealer shows with the alignment, etc
    i will make the tire place take these back if it is not the alignment
    there is no way i would drive this car like this
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,464
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    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I have Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 on both of my Prius and that tire works very well at 44/42 psi. No handling problems on either. Both cars are routinely driven at around 80 mph since the freeway speed limit is 75 mph around here.

    What does your alignment report indicate, regarding before and after front toe-in? I assume that nothing was done with your rear wheel alignment.