Ever since I purchased my car (08 package 2) I have been plagued with stability and wandering on the freeway. So much so that it got the point where I was seriously considering taking the hit and selling the car at a huge loss. I drive 80 miles a day and doing this many miles it eventually wore me down trying to keep my car centered in the lane. I had tried everything mentioned here on priuschat: 1. Alignment (7 times) 2. BT Plate 3. Replaced tires with bigger, better ones 4. Trying to relax on the wheel 5. Pretending the problem was me and not the car. After many months of digging and searching, I came across an article that spoke about the " chin spoilers " that sit just in front of the front wheels. I was also pointed in this direction in another post I had going about my alignment issues. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/79263-who-can-figure-out-me-i-am-begging.html Having nothing more to lose, I decided to try and move them to the front of the car as described in a post on this forum. The result. PROBLEM SOLVED. I cannot believe that Toyota can design a car with such bad handling issues at freeway speeds (65-75mph), and that we as the consumer have to spend so much of the little free time we have trying to come up with a fix for it. I am glad that what I did worked, but this still leaves me with a thought that something is not right with the car. It also has convinced me that I will not be purchasing Toyota anymore (after having had many of them). To spend so much money on a car that has issues like this is insane. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. For now, I am stuck with it until it dies. For those of you that have these issues, here are some links to help you out. Autospeed article: adding a chin undertray to a 1st gen Prius - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com http://autospeed.com.au/cms/article.html?&A=2456
Under trays are nothing new. I think that the JDM Priuses have them stock but the USDM ones do not due to cost issues. Someone want to comment on that? Another mod you might want to do that's relatively cheap (assuming you can deal with low clearance, most people can't) is a home depot lawn-edging lip to reduce air going under the car. Just another option... HOW-TO: Another Home Depot Lip - SRT Forums - SRT4, SRT6, SRT8, SRT10 & Dodge Forum How-To: Home Depot (HD) Lip - Mazda Forums
Glad to know that you solved the problem but it is not clear to me what exactly you did. Did you moved the plastic pieces in front of the front wheels or did you add under-tray as in the links? Could you post some photos? Thanks!
I moved the chin spoilers to the front of the car. I will take pics and post them. I did not do the tray thing.
ivorz, did you adjusted the chin spoilers on both sides? The pic from the other thread posted by Prius Pete.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/79263-who-can-figure-out-me-i-am-begging-5.html look at the last post on page 5. There are some images
yes. I moved both of them from the original position up to the front of the car where the black plastic moulding is on the bottom of the bumper/fender From what I have experienced, they are too close to the wheels and have an opposite effect. Basically, it seems that the airflow makes the car lighter and thus causes the wandering effect on the freeway. After moving them to the front, all this has gone and the car now drives like a normal car (almost).
I recently installed a front 2 point Sustec under brace from Tanabe for my 2009 and have seen a very noticeably improvement in stability at highway speeds and even in crosswinds. I also have a BT brace. See the information below that HI MPG shared with me. It was a breeze to install. The price was $105 before taxes and I picked it up at a local shop in Seattle. See below to find a dealer near you. Originally Posted by HI MPG Here's a link to the Tanabe website, scroll all the way down the page for the Toyota section. Tanabe USA Inc. - Sustec Under Brace As for locations around the Seattle area, check out these vendors: Tanabe USA Inc. - Dealer Search
I would love to see some images of how you mounted yours. I would consider getting it if it has helped you as much as you say. I have been plagued with this issue and am willing to try.
You can also switch to high-grip performance tires (not cheap) if you are willing to trade MPG for handling and stopping performance. The instability in my car was completely eliminated when I switched tires.
Agreed. I'll insert my plug here for Nokian WR-G2 Tyres. They make a HUGE difference in overall performace. They really hold the road in bad weather, and even better in good weather.
I think Prius Chat is great. BUT...too often-"5. Pretending the problem was me and not the car." is a common approach. Glad you found resolution.
