Necessary to replace shocks?

I would say that the Prius struts and shocks are due for replacement at 60K mile intervals if you care about keeping the car in top condition. I know that few owners will do this due to the cost involved if you must rely on Toyota dealer service (as much as $2K.) I've posted within this forum on how to DIY service, and if you do a search you may find several other owners who have posted their stories.

Prius owners seem to be unusually motivated by mpg impact. I can't say that bad struts/shocks will lead to reduced mpg so that may be another reason that owners are willing to live with bad struts and shocks.

Also, those parts are mechanical and "analog" by their nature, so the reduction in their effectiveness happens over time. It's not as if one day you'll detect a big change in their behavior.

Regarding use of shorter springs and the impact on the struts and shocks, I suppose that will depend upon whether the suspension tends to hit the limits more or not with the shorter springs and consequent shorter range of travel. If so, then there will probably be greater wear on the suspension parts.

 

80-90K on struts is about right. Maybe even less. Mine at 30K are leaking oil pretty good already. Have seen alot of people talk about lowering the car and I can't see a big benefit from it myself as:

A---The car is already pretty low. I'm already nicking many many entrances to driveways etc...aren't you?
B---From a looks standpoint its alot of bread for little bang.
C---From a performance standpoint its silly and dangerous to drive
harder into corners than this car was designed for unless you spend a fortune on suspension upfront. Lowering the car will give you alot of false confidence that you have a performance car. Not even close. Plus its not a fast car anyway so why bother.
D---If your already sweating any maintenance on the car don't start throwing money at the front end. Thats a bottomless performance pit there. You'll be able to whip around corners but so what it will still be a slow car. And will ride poorly.
E---Economy is shot..money is tight...why piss it away?

JMO...since you asked.

 

Probably at 30K mile intervals, the tech will look for oil seepage. However, although the presence of substantial oil indicates a failure, the lack of oil does not guarantee the part is good.

Yes, I understand that the shocks/struts are covered under the extended warranty. It is certainly possible that a non-standard suspension would cause denial of your claim that those parts should be replaced under that warranty.

 

I think our car is a poor performance platform. One look under the front end will tell you that. I've seen go karts at the county fair with more stout suspension. And its still not fast after you do hop up the suspension. And there's nothing you can do to make it fast.


But it does what its supposed to do quite well. Very low maint. cost and low impact on the enviroment while it moves you from point A to Point B as safely as as boringly as it can.

I can see you have the performance bug which means your a young dude.

Enjoy man. But you got the wrong car.

Buy another car. Nissan...Mazda...Corvette....

For instance my buddies stock 2006 3.5 Maxima is a race car compared to my 07 Prius. Its really fast and quick and handles really nice. He drives like a maniac and it can handle it.

And he paid like $ 17.5 last year for it.

Hundreds of cars out there that can thrill you without spending a dime on aftermarket shite.

Save your dough dude. Your attempting to change the strict design of this car.Tint and new tires is about as deep as I would go.
Oh and maybe seat covers......

 

um don't bother replacing shocks/struts. Only replace them if they start failing on you or start leaking oil. Sure there's no harm in replacing them, but why waste the money? its like a transmission flush. There are basically no cars out there where in the owners manual it says you have to service your transmission fluid under normal driving conditions.

my dad's 2004 prius has about 150k miles. never replaced brakes, shocks, or anything. and still drives great.

 

The concern about warranty issues on a lowered suspension are valid. A lowered car bottoms out more easily so can legitimately be assumed to be rougher on several other suspension components.

Shock absorbers aren't normally covered except for leaks. I read through my Platinum extended plan and shock absorbers weren't mentioned as covered or excluded. If they wear out in a reasonable amount of time I would expect them to be declared normal wear and tear and not covered.

 

It could be a minor contributor and a major excuse to deny a shock claim

I think the probability of it leading to aleak are small and the probablility of a leak claim being denied are reasonably small. It's not like you are risking the warranty on your engine or transmission, go for it if that's what you want.


I personally think that lowering a car is primarily a styling statement and know it often makes handling worse unless it is done as part of a comprehensive well engineered package. However, as long as you don't try to lower my car, I'm on your side .:rockon:

Prius handling is under rated. It feels strange and the steering feel is kinda dead, but with 0.8g skid pad numbers, a good driver can cover ground quickly on a twisty road. You need to be smooth and set it up for corners sooner than you would a sports car because it transitions slower, but that's part of the fun.

 

First, I think it would be awesome to get my Prius properly corner balanced and set up with a 3-way adjustable suspension kit (i.e. a Moton kit).

Second, the steering feel and ride changed a lot when I switched from LRR stock tires to a set of performance rubber. However, there was a MPG hit to be taken, so pick your poison.